The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1904-05-27
TUESDAY AFTERNOON.

The opening sessions OF the cohVeh.ion
at two o'clock were attended by about
two hundred ladies and few men.
The audience was made up OF 80 out OF
town delegates and 10 visitors. The
balance was composed of residents OF
this city.
The church was divided into districts,
SO that delegates from the same part OF
the state might sit together, and was
tastefully decorated in the colors of the
Union, yellow for suffrage and white
for purity American flags, palms and
flowers and county banners, also the
various notices of the Union, were ar
ranged about the walls. Large por-
traits of the great workers, Frances q.
Willard and Mary 7. Lathrop, hung
above the rostrum.
The song service was in charge of
Mrs. p. j. Howard, of Petoskey, and
Mrs. E. r. Baldwin, of Williamson,
Supt. of evangelistic work conducted
the devotional exercises. Her subject
was "The Value of Name" The roll
call was read by Miss Margaret j. Biz,
Recording secretary. The work of APP
pointing committees was then taken up.
A very interesting feature of Tues
day afternoons session was the report
by Mrs. Frances E. Parsons, of Detroit,
on work among the colored people. Mrs.
Parsons is the only colored delegate in
the convention, and is comedy and in
telligent. In her district last year she
arranged for nine public meetings, and
four sermons on w. G. T. U. work, or
ganized one w. G. T. u, one Y. w. @.
T. u, and one L. T. L. She secured
pledges from GO adults and 143 children.
Mrs. Parsons travelled 1900 miles, and
organized colored w. G. T. U. at New
Port News, KY. She urged greatpatience
in dealing with her race and its short
comings, begging indulgence for its
stunted moral growth. At the request
of the convention she sang plantation
selection and was warmly encored.
QUANTITIES. AfIOlNIGD.
The following committees were
chosen:
Courtesies-Mr Frank Greenman,
Owosso; Mrs. Jane M. Kinney, Port
Huron.
Credentials-Mr Jennie VOORHEES,,
Plymouth, Vice Pres. At Large; Mrs.
Stella B. Roben, Big Rapids, treasurer.
Committee on resolutions-Mrs. Caro-
lin Humphrey, Adrian; Mrs Ada Pearce,
Oak Grove; Mrs. Carrie,lJ. Blood, Burt;
Mrs. Dora H. Stockman, Lansing.
INCREASE NOT LARGE.
At this session district presidents re-
ported on members last year and this
year, showing in the state net increase
of 475, record of which the state body
is not at all proud, it being a smaller
gain than that made for number of
years previous Last year Michigan
was the banner state of the union, but
she will not be this year. The fifth dis
trict of which Portland is the center
made the greatest increase, 161 mem
bers. The Kalamazoo district has the
banner union in the state, with 1,040
members. Last year this union, with
1,065 members, was the largestl in the
United States. Miss Margaret Biz, of
Ann .Arbor superintendent of the Y
branch, reportad sixteen Y societies in
the state, an increase offive. There lisa
membership of 52S active and 81 honor
airy members an increase in one year of
225. Mrs. Belle g. Rowley, of Kalama-
zoo, reported on the Loyal Temperance
legion. There are 102 legions in the
state, SO of them organized within the
past year with membership of over
1000.
TUESDAY EVENING.
The session Tuesday evening was
quite large attended. Rev. G. HI. Hanks
conducted the devotional exercises. Ad-
dresses of welcome were delivered by
Mayor Parkill, Supt. Simmons, Rev.
Warner, DR.. Knapp, Mrs. E. d. Perkins,
Mrs. Sarah Wiley, on behalf of the city
and several of its organization. Mrs.
H. p. White read an address prepared
by Mrs. l.. E. Gould on behalf of the
Woman's Club
WEDNESDAY EVENING.
Toe feature of the Wednesday even
ing's session of the Michigan w. Q. T.
u. was the lecture on Mormonism by
Mrs. Maria @. Weed, OF Chicago, to
large audience. Mrs. Weed was In
Salt Lake City for several months, in
vestigating the Mormon peril, under
the guise Of friendliness, and made
some interesting discoveries. She
spoke In part as follows:
I am not fighting the Mormons as
The Mormon religion is
a cloak Of crime. The Enormous are
a hospitable people, and where they
cannot convert, they desire to modify
They have appropriated
bodily the best features OF every re.
ligion, Consequently Mormonism
without polygamy is dangerous. 1t
has All the fads and fallacjps of noun