The sun., 1909-11-02

The National League for the Civic
Education OF Women displayed its colors
Yesterday afternoon at the Waldorf in
a manner that leaves no room for doubt
A. to the precise position the erganiza-
ton takes regarding the enfranchisement
Of women. .,'
over the door Of the East room. in
which the annual meeting was held,
the legend "Anti-Sufrrage" was inscribed
in pale blue letters nearly foot tall.
1t has not been the custom heretofore
for the officers Of this branch OF the Ants
TO sit on the platform at public meet
incs, but upon this occasion not only Mrs
Gilbert Jones and Mrs. Julian Heath
we're there to preside over and to record
what happened but Mrs. Richard Watson
Glider, president OF the league; Mrs
Henry Seligman. Mrs. Annie Nathan
Meyer, Mrs. Rossiter johnson. Mrs.
Belle De Rivera and Nine. Belle Ransky.
faced an audience OF at least two hundred
women.
Mrs. Glider presided over a short bus-
ness meeting which was held before the
other one. which she turned over to Mrs.
Jones, chairman of the executive COM
mittee.
Mrs. Jones made a stirring appeal to
the members for more assistance in
spreading the propaganda OF the league
we are only young organ zation."
she said, not quite year old. and al
though we have accomplished a great
deal in that short space OF time we need
workers to stem his terrible tide Of
! don't know Just what to call IT; it isn't
only sufrage-we must try to save
womanhood from this spirit of unrest
which seems to be possessing us.
Iwent TO a suffrage meeting the other
night and l learned how TO get new
members, IL was half past ten when one
Of the speakers urged all the suffragists
present 10 go home and try to make con-
verts before they slept. That is how they
get such large bodies OF women to work
for them and how they make themselves
felt in the community.
I'VE cannot deny that suffrage has be-
come fashionable" she went on ruefully.
but l don't want you to be misled by
the apparent prominence OF the move
ment. II the Four Hundred wear big
feathers or IL they go to the Horse Show
the rest OF us rush after them. l repeat
suffrage is fashionable socially, but po-
hticslly it is failure. The cause has
sustained on an average one defeat IN
every twenty-seven days for the last
twelve wears. We need speakers TO bring
these facts before tho people and / earn
estly hope that some OF you will offer
your services. You hesitate, I know.
because it is the anti-sunrage point OF
view TO hesitate concerning anything that
viii make for publicity, but you must
over some your hesitation. We need more
parlor meetings. will speak for any
one Of you who will get together five
women In her drawing room, morning,
noon or night Many clubs are almost
closed TO us. and IL Ia well nigh impossible
for US TO speak in settlements. for nearly
all the leaders are socialists or suffra gists,
The ants applauded vigorously, and
then Mrs. Jones proceeded to tell them
how well off they were and how they owed
their prosperity entirely TO men.
How can women say that they are
= dealt with unjustly2' she demanded.
Consider the things that men had in
vented just for their convenience and
happiness. Think Of the washing ma
chimes. and the ironing machines and the
carpet sweepers and the innumerabls
other things which they have made just
10 tighten our domestic burdens. Have
we done as much for them? Are women
improving in their cooking? Men are
thinking Tor us and working for us all
the time. l wonder what is coming to
Us women We don't make our own
dresses any more. nor our own hats:
Mhat are we to put In place OF the old
domestic life? How may we best serve
the State? How many of us are spendiug &
wisely and trying to save part OF our
the wage earning woman? Will the vote
do her any good2 1 think not, for statis-
tics show that 200. 900 men we're out OF
employment last year, and they all voted
E-ln concluding l just want to warn
Won all to be careful not to sign any
petitions asking the Mayor to appoint
women to offices to which he has not
the power to appoint them, Some women
have already fallen into that error. and
| would not like the odium of IL to be
attached TO any OF our members
The Ants displayed as much enthusi-
asm over this speech as their sisters on
the opposite side of the fence are wont
70 express after perfectly good sur;
Mrs. Heath to read the communications
she bad. Mrs. Heath did SO.
One of them was from Cardinal Glib
bons who. after expressing his regret
that he could not be present at the meet
ing, declared that the granting OF suf-
frage to women would be death blow to
domestic happiness. The second was
from Elihu Root and contained congratu-
lations upon the work which the league
was doing. Mrs. Heath then quoted
from a recent statement OF Bishop Spai-
ing Of Utah that women are more in favor
of polyRamy than are men and as long as
woman suffrage obtains in Utah there
is no chance OF wipins out polygamy.
a
who afterward gave her name as Mary
Gruening rose and said abruptly: The
women OF Massachusetts, fought for
fifty years to win part guardia nship OF
their children, but the women OF Colo
rsdo got a similar bill passed during the
first meeting Of the Legislature after
they obtained the franchise"
Mrs Jones said nothing and two women
applauded feebly. Mrs; Jones called
on Mrs. Annie Nathan Meyer to talk a
little
Mrs. Meyer said that she had thought
Of an excellent mission for the Ants. and
that was TO teach the workingwomen
how to spend their husbands money.
The men in America receive the high
est wages that are paid IN the world.
she explained. -and tht~omen in America
know the least about properly spending
money. 1t would be better for them to
know how to manage their husbands in
comes advantageously than to try TO earn
money to supplement the family income
Some of the ants seemed to agree
with this sentiment, but few looked a
wee bit dubious. Mrs. Meyer then pro-
cecded to her real subject, which was