The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-09-20
NEW LAWS WON BY WOMEN
COUNCIL AT GENEVA HEARS or
WORLDWI DE ACTIVITY.

tL" WORLDHI DE ACTIVITY.
reforms for women'a Benent Secured b,
women In All Parts OF the Clobs
wye -Triumphs In Australia In Particu
n''r lar-Next Years Meeting In Canada
GENEVA, Sept. s.-The ~Internationa
Council OF Women now in progress here
has the largest number Of delegates pres
i ont OF any meeting since its formation
In 1883, This body of women is tremen'
n dously In earnest. Those who talk OF
woman's inhumanity to woman should
\. attend one Of these congresses. Above
and beyond ell their great educational
,1philanthropic. charitable and reforma'
tory movements Is the desire to improve
the status Of w~omanhood.
ja. For while It seemedt to the most earnest
promoters OF the council as IL 1t were
b. going to be impossible for women TO worn
n effectively together who spoke different
!, Languages and came from many nation
" alisies, having little knowledge Of the
customs OF each other. but just because
oil these vital interests which all shared
In common, and just because all were in
subsection and comparatively helpless
they have been able to overcome these
obstacles. Never have there 9 such
=, harmony and good will. such an absence
, tof suspicion and distrust, as at this meet
ling. -.
mat all previous councils a certain an
u taeonism has seemed to exist between
Great britain and the United States; not
TINT delegates Of the latter felt any Ill
/. will, but some kind Of fight always was
forced upon them. and In upbolding a
u principle or q point OF parliamentary law
:, it was made TO appear like a personal
controversy. This time the skirmishes
have been for the most part insignihcant
and there has been undisturbed cordially
iobetveen the two delegations.
ed Canada has never before shown enough
neighborly spirit to make us feel that we
should borrow a drawing Of tea over the
Is back fence, but here there has been con
/ slant ~fraternising. Some OF u dele
. gates cynioally remark that Canada has
taken tho cue from the mother country
/. others say she wants our cooperation IN
81 the big Job Of entertaining the next coun-
boil. The moro experienced in these meet
sines prefer to think that 1t is simply the
a result of the more intimate acquaintance
y and better understanding brought about
v by this frequent coming together.
The Australian delegates always have
D seemed to possess more In common with
) the United States than with Canada, and
even than with Great Britain. except for
q the ties Of actual kipship. They feel that
their institutions are more like ours and
that in modern and progressive move
ments they are much more closely allied
Z with US. 90 they show always the greatest
friandliness.
10 Since the recent international suffrage
convention in Amsterdam the Dutch
women are our most devoted friends, and
3 this also IL true Of Denmark since the
; alliance met there two years ago. We
. have stood by Norway In several contests
and she stands by us.
y. Sweden is not go sure about IL. but
perhapa the International Suffrage Con-
Rress win be held there in the not distant
future, and then they will know us better.
France has no use at all for us. while Ger
many IL divided In sent ment. The other
European countries do not feel acquainted
With us. but we hope ultimately to have
their confidence.
The great quinquennial Of the council
IN connection with q woInan's congress
viii be held In Toronto next year. the Soc
ond and third weeks In June, and the Do
minion IL preparing to give II a royal good
time. The preliminary arrangements as
reported to this Geneva meeting are as
follows.
/. A Canadian Pacific steamer will convey
tho European delegates from Liverpool
10 Montreal. The first week will be de-
voted TO the work OF the council. A con-
gress viii oocupy tho second week. At
J the close Of the congress the delegates and
speakers viii be taken over the Canadian
Pacific to Vancouver and then to Seattle.
From there they will 60 to Salt Lake and
Denver. take in Chicago and return to
Toronto. having a look at Niagara Falls
en- route.
Tho COMMITTEES on n%ationalities Of the
International Council Of Women has
settled one vexej question Of long stand
ing by deciding that any country which
has its own parliament may form a coun-
oil and AFFILIATE with the international
sven II II IL not wholly independent. Fin
land and Bohemia can come In under
this rule; Scotland and Ireland cannot.
and Germany seems satisfied with one
national council. Australia has wisely
and gracefully agreed to federate her
State courcilS and only claim the same
representation as other countries. The
delegates declare emphatically that this
was done solely as a concession to the
wishes Of the United States.
The standing committee on peace and
arbitration was most DESTROYS Of securing
O resolution to be sent by the council to
the next Hague conference asking it to
pass a general arbitration treaty which
shall cover all cases Of disputes betw cen
nations not settled by diplomacy or by
an international court OF Justice. but
Il was referred to the executive conn.,
mittee. While there is almost unanimous
sentiment for peace among the delegates
as individuals, ONE OF them seem ao-
tually afraid to agitate the question in
their own country lest it %injure the other
lines OF work carried on by the councils.
nv The idea Of defence is 8 strongly in
grained IN European countries that many
women consider its advocacy O mark
Of patriotism: and while they deplore