The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-09
Dly. C. P Orr Talks About The Receut Meefl1g Of
 7be NahouaI CiOic Fedeyah0n In Washington
f Made
 rouCom reandBu Combined

Last March year ago Mrs. cyrus Pit man Orr was paid the charming eompli- ment to be invited to New York with Mrs Joseph Mendill Mccormack of Chicago, Mrs Borden Hartman of New York Miss Anna Morgan, Mrs. William H. Taft. Mrs Andrew Carnegie. Mrs. John King Ottley of Atlanta, Mrs. Edmund Leighton Tyler of Anniston. Mrs. Nicho- las Longworth and others equally promi- nent from all sections of the country to organize the Woman's Department or the National Civic federation.
 No more charming representative of the culture intellect, and womanliness of our fair southland could have been selected than Mrs. Orr, and Alabama is proud to have her personally to represent it's CO., operation in the slpendid work which the federation is doing throughout the United States.
 Mrs. Orr has only recently returned from a called meeting of the Woman's depart ment held at Washington and when 1 found her a few afternoons ago in her attractive home I said:
 T have come to ask you about your trip to Washington and l hope you won't mind talking to me about it. because l
 
 interested to hear of the womans work in the National Civic federation
 Mrs. Orr said very sweetly:
 My trip to Washington recently was a most delightful one in every way. So- ciaaly and from the standpoint of busi- ness, which was transacted by the mem- bers of the various departments. 1 think the work is less known in the south per- haps than in any other section of the I f fully realized its object would be more highly appreciated"
 What is the exact object of the fed eration?'" l queried.
 T will answer you as our chairman Mrs Horace Brock, did. She recalled that in days of old there was more of the personal touch in the relations of capital and labor than those that exist today Formerly the landlord or employer took a personal interest in the tenant or employe, whereas today the keynote is absentee landlordism, which is the root of the difference arising between capital and la bor conditions. And it is just this per sonal element that We are trying tto restore. The women of the federation are connected, as you know, only with the welfare department, and it is our object to bring conditions to a more harmonious effect. You have not an idea how dear to the hearts of the wealthy class of north ern women this idea is. They are bend ing every energy toward an amelioration of labor conditions and their time and money is generously given in it's behalf
 And now do you propose to accomplish this?" l asked.
 T will quote Mrs. Archibald Hopkins of Washington" said Mrs Orr, "one of the brightest and clsterest women connected with the organization. She said whenever a condition that looks absolutely hope less, such, for instance as when a num- Der of laborers are huddled together with no accommodations or comforts, and when the bath towels and the lunch baskets are kept under the same cover-just take a husband (but be sure that 1t. is some other womans and not your own) and point out the conditions and you will soon see how things will be changed"
 Pm interested in Mrs Hopkins at once, so do tell me something else about her." l insisted.
 Mrs Orr laughngly replied: T will tell you something she said at the beautiful banquet which was given 10 the ladies at the New Willard by the gentleman of the federation. Attorney General Wickersham had just finished his talk, and had re- ferred to those present as intelligent men and generous women Mrs. Hopkins who was the next to respond to toast, when called upon, said that she was al- ways placed at a disadvantage when asked to speak, as she was invariably placed at the tag end of the programme after every one had had an opportunity to say all the bright things, and that peo- pie did not realize what good speech she really could make. However, she would take up the remark that the Attorney General had made, and ask just why the men were referred to as intelligent and the women as generous, and she sin cerely hoped that by next year the speak