Evening journal., 1899-10-24
A DIsTINGuIsHED WOMAN.

Mrs. J. Frank Ball, in this city, has
the privilege OF writing both A. b.
and LII. b. after her name, as she has
bean graduated from both the col
legiate and the law departments Of the
University OF Michigan.
She is a member of the National
Council of Women-an organization in !
this country with a membership Of III
250,000 women. AS the chairman Of
the committee of the National Council
on domestic relations under the law she
was invited to represent the American
organization at the meetings of thel
professional section Of the Internal
tional Congress Her paper on "Thel
Study of Law for Women" read at al
meeting of the legal section, attracted
widespread interest The meeting OIL
the legal section was held at Westmin-
ster Town Hall, and was presided over
by Mrs. Creighton, wife of the lord
bishop of London. Miss Bates was theI
only American among the speakers;
the others were from Germany, Bel
gium, Great Britain, Sweden and Hol-
land.
The club idea, Miss Bates said, has
spread to Australia and New Zealand,
as we'll as all over America, Great Brit
ain and the continent. and the women
from the out-of-the-way places are as
enthusiastic as the women from other
places
"As a rule" Miss Bates said "the
clubs of American women are more
democratic than are those OF our Eng
lish sisters. In America participation
in the life of the club Is general, and
i fu npt ranHnal fn "A fasp II, Nh oil nd
the idea obtains to a large extent that
My Lady Bountiul shall organize
lclasses and other means of study and
excellent and exceptional opportuni-
ties IN the line OF study are opened to
hundreds of women in that way
Through the action of some member OF
Ia club"
Miss Bates said that in one respect
the English womans club is different
from that in America. The English
J women do not feel that il is absolutely
] necessary to devote every moment of
their spare time to mental, moral or
lphilanthropic improvement so the so
oial feature Of their clubs is moro
lstrongly acoentuated than is usually
noticeable in the women's clubs in
i America.
i The clubhouses are arranged. Miss
Bates said, with this social feature in
view Writing rooms, reading rooms,
leozily arranged drawing rooms and
ldining rooms are found in all of the
,iclubs
Il is quite the ordinary thing, Miss
Bates said for the men to be reading
In the library, or entertaining their
friends in one OF the dining rooms,
while the women are writing at the
, WRITING tables, or are likewise engaged
in the pleasant occupation of entertain
ing at lunchean or dinner. They are
all used TO it and nobody says anything
about IT,
In many of the clubs managed exclu-
siyely by women the out-Of-tOwn men,
bers make use OF the club just as men
could do, If they were so inclined In
this country Women who go down 10
London fer the theatre, or for short
\ visit, telegraph TO the club TO reserve
room for their use At the ciuD they
Rave all of the freedom OF a private
house and all OF the protection.
IMPRESSIONS OF ENGLISH WOMEN
Her impression OF most English
women, Miss Bates said, was that while
the young girls with their low, sweet
voices, were very charming, the woman
Of from 25 to as is a most delightful
creature-and is, perhaps just q slight
Improvement upon the American wO-
man OF the same age. But the differ
ence In charm, in there is any. Miss
Bates attributes to the greater freedom
| from anxiety-and, also to her free
: dom from the harassing attempts 10
solve the servant problem, which makes
the lives Of many American women
miserable. She said that the servant
) problem is just beginning TO be felt In
! England, but it is not so complex as In
this country.
one accomplishment the English
women possess which has not been cuI-
/ tivated yet, to any extent, by Aneri-
3 can women, and that is public speak
ing.
You know il is considered a little
Dit undesirable for a woman to be "A
success as a public speaker in our own
country, Miss Bates said.
Although Miss Bates is a graduate of
the law department OF the University
OF Michigan, she does not practice law.
81 She took up the study OF law partly in
order to be able to apply the knowledge
20 the management of her own affairs.
and partly because OF her interest in
eht SUBJECT, she SAID yesterday that
while many OF the colleges in the East
do not open their classes to women.
some Of the best colleges in the North
and West offer the advantages Of legal
training to women on an equal footing
|, with men, and in this way America Is
) far ahead OF Great Britain. II an Eng
lishwoman wishes to study law She
must 90 into lawyers office and read
law, just as her brothers would do. n
they were taking up the same profess
sion. Law schools are not in exis-
! tence.
s The disadvantages are so MANY and
the difficulties In the way so great that
/ rev English women enter the legal
= profession; even though there are
r many opportunities for advancement In
D lne procession, particularly in the colo
b nlss. Miss Bates quoted one OF the
speakers at the congress-Mrs. Steele
the novelist-who said that the need
IN lAdia for women lawyers was great