The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-02-03


greatly developed during the last fifty
years-the great phiianthropic movement,
the great movement for temperance. II
had made them more suited to all sorts OF
educational principles and in thee
development OF secondary and CLEMENT,
education. in school boards. and various
other positions. IL had opened positions
for women that formerly were not open
10 them at all
Speaking from her own personal expert
ence, she could tell them how she was
brought into certain kinds Of work She
remembered starting when about eighteen
or nineteen as manager OF an elementary
school, and that was the first bit of work
she did for other people. Then she got
the dignity Of a place on the COMMITTEES
Of a high school for girls, and a lutte
later on was advanced and promoted 10
take part in the government Of a Wom-
ans college. and after that she became
connected with training college for
teachers. Then sine mad been connected
with the bureau IN London for the
employment Of women. besides vari-
Gus political associations. In one way or
another. So her own little private expert
ence had been that as her life had gone
on she had been drawn into work OF a
more or less public nature and she had
10 doubt her experience had been that OF
a great many other women present That
great change in the position Of women
and in the occupation OF women had real
IL been q sort OF social revolution, but
yet it was thoroughly just. That work
widened out gradually, and 1t had come
from the deula nd for better education and
for the results that better education had
produced, and they had seen il growing
IN other countries besides their own.
Great Britain Leads.
Britain. she thought. had been most TO
the fore in her women coming to the front
in public affairs CuriousIy enough in
America, where women had d great deal
.of power and were extremely bright, well
educated. and full of 90. they had not
taken such a prominent part in public
work as British women. They had con-
nectcd themselves a great deal with phil
anthropic or temperance work. work con
nected with various churches and various
kinds Of social movements, but they had
never gone into politics in America in the
way in which the home women had done.
One reason might be that American poll
ties were not conducted on quite the lines
Of the British politics. She never heard
Of q single woman taking part in politics
in America. She had sometimes wished
that they would take a little more interest
in politics. as il might have the tendency
Of making their men take a little more IN
terest She did not think sufficient inter
est Of the better kind was taken in politics
SO as TO make the people connect them
selves with politics as they did at home.
Il always seemed TO her that If the people
Of Il great democratic country did not
take a personal interest in their politics,
their politics would suffer
The process they had seen going on in
Britain and in America was beginning 10
make considerable progress in Germany.
Hitherto German women had been some
what at a disadvantage, but she believed
there was strong movement there for
women 10 come forward and take q part
in the work OF the country-nOt political
work but social and educational work
and work for the benefit Of the people.
There were a certain number of extreme
y intelligent and educated women IN
Russia who took great interest in that
institution, but at the present time she
fancied that class was great deal in
allegiance owing TO the condition Of the
country. Then in Italy there was a con-
siderable movement on the part of the
women When in Rome a few years ago
she was told that there was quite num-
Der OF women who were training them
selves and trying 10 take part IL some
public work. She could quite conceive
that there would be a forward movement
in italy before long
1t was rather interesting to note that
as far as one could learn in France
there had not been nearly such a move
ment Of the women. She was rather al
loss to account for il. The French women
were very prominent. because they were
thoroughly businesslike, practical, and
intelligent, and did a great deal of busi-
ness for their husbands. and managed
their concerns while the men were en-
gagged III other work OF course. they did
/ not expect anything from Spain. which
was the most backward OF all the coun-
/ tries.
Influence in Legislation.
After all those advances and all those
/ opportunities FOR women, il became more
I and more necessary that they should fit
/ themselves thoroughly and fully to take
part in those questions 50 that they
/ might not only try work OF every kind
/ that they had the right % ask. I'm thor
oughly intelligent and methodicaI spirit,
and for that reason she had always been
la great advocate, among other things OF
/ those associations which were political
! associations and afforded great opportU-
l mites for the meeting together of women
/ in 4 concentrated and definite way TO
Z study and discuss tie questions Of the
/ day-QUestiOus that benefited not only the
women. but the whole natiCn. their vel
! fare. and the moral and social develop
ment Of the country. where legislation
I benefited the daily life OF the citizens and
/ the country, and where, if certain things
are done or not done, there will be certain
! results that will be extremely detrimental
/ 20 rising generations. All those things
were questions they mad 10 interest them
/ selves IN as well as the men. They had
IaU to qualify themselves TO give an Opin
ION on the subject. and to give their
hearty assistance TO try TO turn the leg
islation of the country into those chan
neIs which they thought were best for the
social, moral. and educational develop
4 ment OF the citizens as a whole
OF woman suffrage. Mrs, Bryce said
it was question that. Ii seemed 10 her.
had not yet come to the point of settle
ment She did not say what her views
were. and she was not ashamed Of them.
/ No great country, no long staDlished
! country, had yet tried the experiment,
and. therefore. she thought IL required a
| great deal more consideration and adjust
ment in a country like Britain Il had
been tried in Australia and New Zealand.
! where the population was very small
compared with ours. but TN "a small scale.
II was rather a curious thing that the de-
mand for it was not increasing. 1t was
not as prominent in America as il was.
say, twenty or thirty years ago. Ii was a
greater change than some Of those who
wanted it Immediately could quite realize.
She would like to see it still further con-
sidered more dispGssionately. and Co1sid-
cred in view OF all the conditions to which
it would be working IN Britain before
they came TO possible decision from
which they could not so back.
And now she came into "a serener at
mosphere-an atmosphere OF diplomacy.