The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-04-17

Il give my name to sorosis to keep
sacredly."
Il give my interest TO Sorosis TO make
il worthy OF support.
II pledge myself to sustain the MEM
bers OF sorosis in all worthy efforts.
ana / will defend them against cali
umny.
II viii avoid doing anything that
can injurc the reputation of sorosis.
Il viii be a member of sorosis as long
as / can be useful ~ and receive benc-
nj from the association"
Perhaps the secret Of the phenomenal
success of the far-famed SoroSls tluD
OF New York. which has been the IN
spiration of hundreds OF clubs; ana tho
morning star of them all, may be read
in the above brief pledge, which the
members all take upon admission. IN
union there is strength. What source
of strength then may be found I'm cluD
whose members adhere TO such prin-
ciples as are embodied I'm the pledge OF
Sorosis.
The season for active work among
majority Of our Rhode Island CLUBS
is drawing towards its close. Annual
meetings multiply and.ere many weeks,
club labOrs and duties shall have been
laid aside until the coming OF the
"scre and yellow leaf" We shall eaten
occasional glimpses. however, OF here
and there n club whose work has proved
SO sustaining an element in the intel
lectual life OF it's members that pe-
riod OF rest seems the last thing TO be
desired.
The Fortnightly club OF this city, as
sembled i'm regular session in the par
lors of the Church OF the Mediator on
Tuesday. April lith
The subject OF the hour was an in
teresting one. being general outlook
on the Civil War I'm America, with re-
view OF special incidents i'm connection
Herewith and special topics of that
time.
The whole was summarized in i've
brief papers, as follows:
l. The civil War in America, by
Mrs Louis l.. Angel.
>. THE Cruise of the Alabama, by
Mrs. Clarke III. Johnson.
8. Alabama Arbitration" by Mrs.
j. w. Tourtellot.
4. "The attempt TO found a French
Empire in Mexico" by Mrs. Kelsey
Dow.
5. Livingstone and Stanley" by
Miss VI. Alice Sprague.
The first paper by Mrs. Angel. dis
cussed the topic THE civil War from
an Englishman's Standpoint" for so
much was England affected by our war
that more than once the two countries
were on the verge of war with each
=ottfrr. and naturally English opinion
was divided on the subject. The paper
continues:
For the most part the representa-
tive men. or upper or lower classes as
they were called, and nearly all who
had a voice i'm public affairs were i'm
favor OF the South, and felt that the
Union was about To be broken up, and
was no longer formidable power.
therefore they could impose upon her
TO any extent without being called upon
to give an account OF themselves. In
this. TO their sorrow. they found them
selves mistaken. They thought Amer
lean quarrels should not be allowed To
interfere with their commerce and
prosperity, and that the North should
allow the South 10 quietly secede II
she wished TO do So"
Great was the surprise of the North
when she came To believe that all
England was an enemy To the Union.
and I'm favor of slavery and rejoiced at
her defeats For years one of the re-
proaches OF England was that slavery
should be tolerated.
For years the English government
had had trouble because her colored
subjects were seized and carried into
slavery from Charlestown.'
After considering these points and
also that England had emancipated
her own slaves and her emphatic dis
approval of slavery, IL was not strange
that the Northern people were conf
dent OF the support and sympathy of
England i'm this crisis of their affairs
From this the paper speaks of the
blockade which the United States put
around the Southern Confederacy-
which prevented English manufactu-
rers from obtaining cotton except by
such English vessels as succeeded in
violating the law as To the blockade.
The troubles which arose with Eng
land. because of such violation wero
noted--the prominent instance being
that of the vessel known as the Ala
bama.
The second paper, by Mrs. Johnson,
explained I'm a brief, bright paper the
cruise of the Alabama, emphasizing the
fact that 10 required the opium war.
Don PaciiicO and the LOrcha Arrow TO
prepare readers OF English and Amerl-
can history OF modern times for the
revelation OF the cruise OF the Ala
bama.
The paper continues; "But FOR the
injustice, the lack OF judgment and
displayed In those cases
we should find Il hard To believe that
Great Britain. hiding behind pre-
tense OF neutrality, would have built
armed and equipped and even manned
priVateers TO prey upon the North But
she lid this repeatedly In spite of the
information of our consuls and the pro-
tests of our minister.
About i dozen OF these were i'm SER
vice during the Rebellion, and fore
most among them. by he length OF her
time. the amount OF damage inflicted
and ability OF her management, stood
the Alabama
Mrs. Johnson from this point outlin-
ed the ncfarious career OF the Alabama