The Washington times., 1902-02-03
LEADING PIONEERS
OF WOMAN SUFFRAGE
Coming Conference viii De-
vote One Night to Them.
IT WILL BE THAT OF FEBRUARY t2
Among Those Who VII! Be So Hon
cred iy the Other Members of the
Meeting VIII BE MIS-. Elizabeth

1ady stanton and Miss Anthony
What is believed will be the most inter-
esting evening in connection with the In
ternational Suffrage Conference. to be
held in this city February u to lS inclu-
sive, at the First PRESBYTERIAN Church
will be that devoted to the pioneers who
have blazed the way for the younger
women who are now filing important pO-
sitions of trust and responsibility in al
most every line of human activity. But
few of the present generation are consid-
cred to have any conception OF the tor
ture through which these pioneers have
been obliged to pass that the wCmen OF
today may enjoy the many privileges
which are theirs.
SoIac Pioneers.
Among the pioneers who are expected
to be present is Mrs. Elizabeth Cady
Stanton, now eiEhty-seven years of age.
She is the only woman living who at
tended the first Woman's Rights Conven-
tion ever held in the world at Seneca
Falls, n. Y, July, 1S4S. ffty-four years
ago. The direct cause of calling this con-
vention was the refusal at a Worlds
Anti-Slavery meeting, held in London in
1910, 10 admit women as delegates, al
though they had crossed the ocean for
that purpose.
Mrs. Stanton was among the party. al
though not delegate, but she felt so in
dignant at the treatment of the women
that she vowed then and there to call
wOmans rights meeting as soon as she re-
turned to America. 1t was not. however.
until 1913 that the meeting was called.
at that time the ballot was not thought
of among the rights asked for by the
women. They were asking for the right
TO an education, for the right of free
speech, to have control of their own prop
erty, and TO enter any profession they
saw fit.
Hiss anthony.
Miss Susan b. Anthony is another pio-
neer- Her eightieth birthday was cele-
brated in this city two years ago and
she outranks them ali in the amount of
public work she has done, having Travelled
constantly and spoken in public since
lS49, when she gave her first public ad-
of Canajoharie, y V Miss Anthony can
endure more travel and public work to-
day than many women one-half her age.
While she was not first in the field, she
has been the most continuously in the
work of any of the pioneers This is said
TO he owing to the fact tha; she has had
no family cares TO keep her home, although
she loves her home, which she shares
with her sister Mary, as well as any OF
them.
Mrs. Julia Ward Howe.
One of the leading pioneers is Mrs.
Julia Ward Howe, now eightythree years
OF age, who has been associated with the
suffrage movement since 1863. ana has
been president OF the New England SUI
frage Association for nearly quarter of
a century. She has written, Travelled. and
lectured upon a variety OF subjects. hav-
ing visited Europe six times, made sew
eral trips TO the West Indies, and twice
TO the Pacific Coast.
Mrs Howe was one OF the founders OF
the New England Women s Club in 1863,
and has been its president for many years.
She was one OF the first officers of the
Association for the Advancement of Wo-
men, also the Federation OF Womens
Clubs. She has not only contributed to
nearly all the leading magazines OF the
country, but has written many books upon
a great variety OF subjects.
Career of Mrs. Livcrmore.
Mrs. Mary a. Livermore is still another
pioneer. She is now eighty-one years Of
age, is known the world over for her work
in connection with the sanitary commits
sion during the civil war, a work that
has never been surpassed for its COM
pleteness and far-reaching effect For
twenty-five years Mrs. Livermore was
conspicuous on the lecture platform. and
has been heard in nearly every city in
the United States.
Pioneer for Forty Years.
Isabella Beecher Hooker, now eighty
years OF age, will be among the pioneers
attending the convention. She is the
youngest daughter OF Dr. Lyman Beecher,
and has been associated with the suffrage
movement for forty years. She has been
president Of the Connecticut Woman Suf- |
frage Association for thirty years, and |
this winter Is conducting a vigorous cam
paign in her efforts to get the word "fe- |
mcle'' stricken from the revised Constitu- |
tion. Her memorial to The constitutional |
convention setting forth her reasons for |
this change in the Constitution il a mas |
terpiece Of logic and sound sense. |
Henry b. Blackwell
Henry 3. Blackwell, another speaker at |
the pioneers meeting. is regarded as a |
notable man in more than one sense He |
is not only the husband Of the reyered |
Lucy Stone, but from early manhood has |
been an uncompromising worker in be- |
half of woman suffrage. For thirty years |
he has been editor Of the 'Woman'z Jour |
nal, which has a circulation extending !
all over the United States and into for
eign countries as well. He was married |
10 Lucy Stone in 1855. They were obliged |
TO send thirty miles for minister who |
would marry them without using the word |
obey"
At the time Of their marriage they is
sued joint protest against the Unequal
tiles of the law which gave the husband |
control Of mis- wife's property, person, and
children. He has spoken III nearly every
city in the United States. Their whole
married life was an ideal one In every
respect. Lucy Stone died in 1893, but her
husband has continued his work for wom-
an suffrage just the same. Their one
Alice Stone Blackwell, has been
recording secretary for the National
Woman Suffrage Association for many
years.
The committee on local ARRANGEMENTS
he pf ha