The Washington herald., 1909-01-31
q jobs S. HARDWOOD.

WOmenS 1gnt Ior idtBtI SCvAvll4iS
and political Hfe which in the year just
ended placed several OF the most violent
sgitators OF this cause in the British
prisons. has developed many remarkable
leaders OF whom the world really knows
little. Although some of these women
nav have attracted public notice as lee
turers or authors. their personal strug-
giles and triUmphs, by which they have
won recognition, are for the most part
unknown.
Like most great men who have become
leaders Of thought. the chieftains OF the
woman's rights movement have climbed
te positions Of prominence through their
own energy and seIf-sacrifee. Most OF
them began the struggle IN youth.
Although not so warlike as their Brit
ish cousins. American women are exert
ing worldwide influence for the cause
Of their sex For example, at the head
Of the International Woman Suffrage Al
lance. which now comprises active or
ganizations in sixteen different countries,
IS an American, Mrs Carrie Chapman
Gait
Like Belva a. Lockwood. Mrs Gait pre-
pared for the struggle Of obtaining for
women greater legal rights by master
ing the legal profession herself Like
Lille Devereux Blake and Ida Husted Har-
per. she underwent the hardships Of jour
nalism TO learn how 10 express her ideas
so that the reading public might grasp
their fun force.
Al the age OF twelve Mrs Gait first
evidenced the chief ambition OF her life
by trying 10 convert her father and moth
er 70 woman's suffrage. On finding her
Efforts unavailing. she renewed her ar
guments with such vigor that her parents
finally chided her severely for her dan
gerOus' ideas II was not UntA years
afterward that they became her follow
ers.
Has ConSummate Tact.
one Of the chief elements in Mrs. Cats
success in persuading men 10 her be-
Iiefs IS consummate tact She has learn
ed always 10 avoid any show OF aatagOn-
ism. no matter how great the provoca-
ton. some say this trait Of her chaTae-
ter has been developed b. two marriages
In 1854 she became the wife OF Leo Chap
nan. editor OF the Mason City Repub-
lie. Of Mason City. Iowa she already
was well known in the community as
Carrie Lane. who studied law. taught
school. ard wrote for the newspapers
Mason City regarded her IS prodigy.
Husband and wife became joint own
ers OF Jhe Mason City Republic. and both
worked hard and late turning out copy
So great was the strain on Hr- Chapman
that he sold the paper and went 10 the
Pacific Coast. where he died shortly aft
erward OF typhoid fever Thrown on her
own resources, the young widow cour-
ageousIy sought employment as reporter
on a san Francisco newspaper, a kind OF
work which women never had entered IN
that city. before
While exploring the social bypaths Of
san Francisco as newspaper woman the
future head Of the International Woman
Suffrage Alliance was impressed 50 great
Il by the wretched condition Of the work
Ing class Of women that she determined
70 devote all her energies thereafter in
their behalf She maintained then as now
that II women had the ballot they could
obtain relief from economic oppression
LEGISLATURES whose members depended on
the votes Of women for their election, she
said. would enact laws that would put
the Trailer sex on the same business level
with men
Starts 10 Convert Country.
Forsaking the reporters desk for the
lecture platform. Mrs. Chapman started
ont 10 convert the country. She found an
early and stanch friend in Mrs Mar
gsret Campbell, a sUffragist, Of Iowa,
who at the time was carrying on an &C
tive campaign in that State. Mrs. Camp
bell recognized her talent as a speaker,
and induced her 10 take the stump
With Mrs Cats second marriage came
wealth. which enabled her 20 extend her
work tremendously BY means Of as
sistants she developed a voluminous cor
respondence with people all over the
world. answering IN the course OF the
year more than fG.G08 letters. She be
came the wife Of G. ". Gait in 1890 Mr.
Gait was president OF large company OF
engineers and contractors. He greatly
sympathized with his wifes work. and
gave HberaIly 10 woman suffrage. They
lived happily until Mr.. Cats death in
1905
When Susan B. Anthony resigned from
the presidency Of the National American
Suffrage Association. Lille Deversauz
Blake was suggested for the vacancy by
the former head OF the organization
Nevertheless. Mrs Gait was elected tc
the place because Of her greater expert
ence and training. In 1904 Mrs Gait was
succeeded by the Rev Anna Howard
Shaw While head Of International Asso-
citation Mrs Gait increased its income
eightfold-
Not What He Expected.
Those who exDec: 70 see in Ms Gait
the typicaIly mannish short-haired. long
faced woman suTragist that Is cartooned
IN the papers. viii be disappointed. Sle
once was travelling in a railroad train
across Kansas on a lecture tour. when
she overheard two men talking about her
''I'll bet Mrs. Gait is an ugly, sour-face5
woman, who wears crank clothes" said
one. TIE other acQuiesced 10 this dag
nosis, and added; Now, my style OF
woman is more Ike the brown haired one
over there. that one IN the stylish dress
with the lace hat"
one Of the men later made the ac-
quaintance Of the stylish stranger. who
upon leaving the train. said laughingly
1T may interest you to know that I an
Mrs. Gait"
Mrs Gait never refrains from joking al
men who arose her sense Of humor. bu
always throws these lances with hel
usual tactfulness. From the lecture plat.
form she once was arguing the Injustic.
OF ignorant men keeping the ballot awaJ
from educated women, when for illustra
ton she said. a census talzer once came
70 my home ard inquired very particu
larry about eli the men in the household
AS he turned away suggested that b,
take my name. as 1 helped to support TIT
family. After learning that IectureC
and wrote. he 5otted this down in hi.
book. -Otheress and Leckterer-
Rev. Anna shaw SeIf-maGe Woman
From the pulpit, instead Of the bench
Rev Anna H Shaw rose TO the presi
deBcy Of the y. A W S A. BY brit
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