The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-14
MRS. SEWALL'S REPORT
on WORK AND AIMS OF THE NATION
AL COUNCIL OF WOMEN.
Several Recommendations by the
Observation-Disclosures Not Daunted
by the Washington Blizzard.

WASHINGTON, Feb. ia binding
snowstorm did not prevent the meeting of
the National Council of Women The re
port of the president. Mrs. May Wright
Sewall, was the feature of the days work.
Following are extracts:
The attention OF the public and of our
selves can never too often be emphasized
upon that feature OF the Council which diff
ferentiates 1t from all other organizations,
namely, that it Is the purpose of the Coun-
Gil to bring together not individuals on the
basis of common aims and common princi-
pies, but organizations whose aims and
methods are essentially different and may
indeed. as far their fitness to unite in the
Council is concerned, be essentially antag
onistic.
Although the membership of the Council
has been increased by three large national
organizations, one State Council and four
found that all of these organizations can
find relatively adequate expression in q ses-
sion covering eight days.
THE history Of philanthropy and reform
shows that the charge of one-sidedness has
often been justly brought to bear against
these organized agencies for the improve
ment of human society. Every national or
ganization which is a member of the Coun-
ell is conscious of having experienced an Elk
pansion Of sympathy and an access of intel
ligence through it's council relationship
The last four years has been character
lied by the growing sensitiveness to prevail
ing defects in American municipal organiZa-
ton and management. Since our last tri-
ennial the National Municipal League for
the Improvement Of local government has
been organized. The same influences which
brought the league into being have caused
intelligent women living in American cities
to feel the condition of municipal life a di-
rect appeal to their own conscienceS. Sen
sitive as the average womans conscience is
to personal wrong, even a superior woman
needs a practical awakening to cure her of
the obstuSeneSs to official organized public
wrong
During the last four years a wonderful
change has been wrought in American wo-
men in this particular. The local council
is a manifestation of this change and the
local council will be found to be the most
effective instrument that has been shaped
to woman's hand for the correction of evils
and the Inauguration of the reign of virtue
in public places"
Mrs. Sewall recommended that a commit
tee be formed whose business it shall be (a)
to secure a complete list of all the titles
under which women are gathered into or
CARNATIONS IN this country, and 90 TO
classify these titles and group them under
the heads of religion, education, civics
and politics, industry. professional free
dom and activity, literature. and art; that
the council request the next president of
the council to appoint eight women to
stand at the head of each of the eight de-
partments that institutions as we'll as or
ganizations be admitted to membership, on
the same pecuniary terms and with the
same representation as local councils
Mrs. SeWall also recommended that an eff
fort be made to bring different women 5
and coeducational colleges into affiliation
of the constitution would be necessary, but
it would be possible to arrange that such
institutions could be brought into the coun-
Gil on par with the local councils that
shall be received into it's membership. 1t
was recommended that at this triennial
meeting a committee be appointed to col
late information respecting such institutions
with a view to preparing a list of them to
be presented at the next executive session.
In view of the practical extension OF the
United States it was recommended that
committee be appointed to study the social
and domestic conditions OF lire in our island
territory with a view to seeing in what
way the women there can be aided by the
initiation of the women into American meth
DDS of organization for mutual benefit and
for the public veal. That these studies may
be intellgently prosecuted it was recon-
mended that commission be nominated
from the National Council and that the
council endeavor to secure for it the recog-
milton of the government and that the COM
mission be instructed to visit the islands.
The last act of the present administration
of the council, it was suggested should be
the sending to the Car of Russia a letter
expressing the sympathy, appreciation and
gratitude of the council for the initiative
taken by him in behalf of disarmament. EX
pressions of sympathy, Mrs. Sewall said,
should be sent also to the national commit
tee i'll Great Britain for their interest in
the subject.
1t is hoped, Mrs: Sewall said: in closing,
that by the 1st of May all debts will be
paid; still experience demands the creation
of a permanent fund, the income of which
shall be devoted to the prosecution of en-
terprises undertaken by the committee and
a standing finance committee should be APP
pointed to work with the treasurer in devils
ing plan for the establishment of such
The opening session Of the third National
Congress of Mothers. set for tomorrow,
, has been postponed until Wednesday, many
of the delegates being unable to reach here
because of delays to travel incident to the