New-York tribune., 1909-11-02
TOO MANY "ISMS''
Barnard Girls Exploited, Anti
Sufragists Hear.

The sad fate Of the poor college girl
whose mind is being made a battle ground
for all sorts of contending 'sms,'' but
chiefly suffrage and anti-suffrage, was the
subject which came most to the fore at the
first annual meeting of the National League
for tho Civic Education of Women at the
Waldorf Astoria yesterday afternoon
II vas raised ny Mrs Annie Nathan
Meyer, who as a trustee of Barnard Col
Iege said she wanted to protest against this
cruel exploitation of the undergraduates.
She would rather they were all suffragists,
she declared, than have them subjected t"
the constant agitation. Girls should go to
college TO study, she thought not to decide
every question under heaven, and the act
ing desn of Barnard College agreed with
her
He doesn't want TO shut out the suf-
fragsts," she said IF he tried to do that
there would be a frehtful howl. but he
wants TO have only the intellectual phases
of the subject presented to the students.
He Is willing 10 have any subject con5id-
cred, but hc wants the students TO give
little more time to their lessons, and he has
asked all the college societies to notify him
when any speaker is to be invited to adj
dress them. This, too, is the idea OF Pyesi-
dent Butler"
Mrs. Meyer thought that the suffragiSts
We're PARTICULARLY anxious to win the col
leSe women. because they had been long
accused of hysteria, and they believed that
the adherence of college women would GER
tify them 10 be sane aud well balanced
Mrs Phyllis LenTidse. who is nor menu
ber asked for the privilege of the floor 10
express her agreement with Mrs. Meyer
II don't want TO como out as an anti
suffragist' she sold, but | have daugh-
ter at Barnard College, and ] don't want
her mind filed with the idea that she has
been trightfully wronged and must fight
the men 1t develops sex antagonism, and
il isn't true, No woman in the world has
the chance of the American woman
Mrs. Richard Watson Glider, president af
the league, presided and Mrs. Gilbert Jones,
chairman of the executive committee, told
the audience that they We're very brave 10
identify themselves with such an unfa shion-
able thing anti-suffrage.
"Anti-sufragists are almost forbidden to
ga to many women'5 clubs she said. "and
it is almost impossible for them to get into
a settlement, for there they arc either all
socialists or suffragsts. But though SUI
frage is fashionable 1t isn't a success, and
everywhere there is terrible need Of edu-
cation"
Mrs. Julian Heath, secretary Of tho
league, read report of the. years work,
and emphasized what women had done
without the ballot This part Of the report
brought young woman with a votes-for-
women button to her feet
;''Women worked fifty years for A. equal
guardianship law in Massa chusetts." she
said, "and il was not until woman was
dhven to numbering her children TO keep
her husband from giving them away that
they got it. In Colorado it took only one
year after women were enfranchlsed to get
such q law
The speaker said afterward that she was
Miss Mary Gruening, Of the Equal Fran
elise Society, and had como 10 the meeting
as the guest OF friend without any inteu-
ton Of protesting.
other speakers we're George g. Corey,
II. +. Philbrook Mrs. Livingston +. Schuy-
Ter. Nine. Jutta Beil-Ranslle and Mrs. Belle
do Rivera president Of the City Federation
of Womcp's Clubs Mrs. dc Rivera, who 5
= we'll known suffra gist. said that. presi-
dent Of the federation. she was the mother
ot many children who didn't all think alike,
but who We're working together in harmony
Mrs. Heath announced that among the
leagues speakers this winter would he
Henry Clcws, Mrs. Margaret Deand, the
Rev J. Wesley IIill, George H. Corey and
Dr. j. J. Walsh