The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-09-02

-DimInishinE Tuesday Teas-A French
Editor Creates Ercitement-hrs. sewaii
Tell. what she Thinks Of French women.
PARIS, Aug. 2a-At least one American
woman il glad she oame 20 Paris this summer.
just now, when all sorts Of walls are going up
from American travellers, II is pleasant to
know that Mrs May Wright Seval has been
having the time Of her life over here, The
noble army Of club women in the United States
know VINO Mrs sewall Is. but for tho mforma-
ton Of less fortunate beings II may be stated
that she Ia the President and founder OF the
Inter national Council Of Women and that she
proposes 10 enlist Thousands OF women from
every country on the globe for-for-well 1t
isn't quite clear for what. but as some OF the
women already enlisted would say. 1T reads
lovely"
The women OF the United States, Canada.
Great Britain, Germany. Italy. sweden, Swltl-
erlnnd, Tasmania and a few other places had
already joined the Council, but the French
women were still outside the old Then came
the Exposition and with II came Madame Wright
Sewall The penetrating reader VIII prom
ably suspect AT once that the lady Ia no other
than transatlantic Mira SewalL The reader
IL right Mrs. Sewall Is an authorized dele
gate to represent women's ORGANIZATIONS al
the Paris congresses. This golden opportunity
10 convert the French women into members
Of the Council did not get away from Mrs sew
all. Shout the glad tidlngs TO Tasmania ana
Hoboken. France Is ours.
Even before Mrs. Sewall came over this
time there we're a few French women who were
very much in sympathy with-wlh-weH
with the PURPOSES for which the Council exists.
THR Sun correspondent may as well be frank
and admit that a copy Of the Councils consti-
.-,t-. 4. -. ..u.n.II, at tha prasapt mpmpnt.
and nobody pretends to be able TO explain the
purposes Of the society without having the
constitution handy Articles II and III Of
that constitution are 80 cleverly constructed
that, after hearing them. "A woman either does
not understand what il is all about or else Is
ashamed to say she doesn't. in which case APP
pearances are the same
These We men promised Mrs. Sew all that the
meetings for the propagation OF the new ialth
should be held in the small theatre IN the Palais
de la Femme, the Woman's Building. But.
as this building IL a private enterprise and
like all the private enterprises at the iair' has
been having a hard financial row TO hoe, tho
theatre was reserved for attractions which
the management thought would begulle the
feeting franc from as many pockets as possible.
Which seems to have been an error In judg-
ment. THR SUS correspondent visited the
theatre show for a franc and also went 10 one OF
Mrs. Sewalls meetings. which was free and easy.
II he had to choose again he'd pay a franc for
the meeting and wouldn't take the theatre
performance rs a gift.
The American Pavilion had a room TO spare,
30 the headquarters Of the council were promptly
there, and every Tuesday after
noon there Ia tea and talk In m guam
titles. Last week came Mrs. Sewalls last
a-1 & ana NhnFafnEa aGnnplalV
moving. 1t was also especially interesting
as an example Of the different way In which
French women and American women run a
meeting. 1t was really Mrs. Sewsll's meeting,
90 ono could only guess what II would have
been II 1t had been altogether French. More
than half the women and nine-tenths OF the men
present were French and all the speaking was
in that language. but any little ebullttions OF
an exciting nature were promptly repressed
by Mrs. Sewall.
One OF the American guards on duty az the
pavilion had given the correspondent a little
advance information about the affair.
-Oh no. no said. you don't need any card.
You Just 60 up and ask some lady for Mrs.
and they'll think you're her cousin or
her slster-in-law. What time do you come?
Well, that depends on how much you can stand,
At 1 o'clock when there's tea, everybody's
tryin' to get In and at S o'clock, when there's
speaking, everbody's tryin' to get out, They
began by havin' tea and cake and sandwiches
and lemonade. But mercy the people almost
ate the dishes. The next time they had tea
and cake and waters. Last time they had tea
and waters. | don't know whether they'll
leave out the tea or the waters the next line"
They left out the waters. Tea drinking
Is one OF the English customs which the French
cultivate. That Is they cultivate 1t as much
IA they can. The Government does all IL can
10 dissuade them by putting q whoppIng duty
on tea, but Of course IL the tea is furnished
by somebody else the cost OF II doesn't matter
anyway, except to give an added zest TO the
enjoyment. Some of the French women there
looked az II they hadn't had tea or much Of any
thing else in the edible line for a week. They
were of all kinds. A few wore good clothes
and wore them well. but IL was not. on the whole.
nearly so well-dressed a gathering as you would
find NJ a meeting of American women for the
same purpose.
There were perhaps a score OF men present.
All were French and took things with a serious
mes. and an interest which would have aston
ished American men. Three OF the sneakers
we're men. Ono was n brilliant French editor
one A French-Ca Canadian LAWYER and the third
a Standard, a delegate TO the Peace Congress
nj the Exposition. The editor. a w%ell-known