Los Angeles herald., 1910-11-04
Conservative Club Women Are
SWayed by ForcefuI Argument
of Mrs. Lillian Goldsmith
READING FROM SHAW DRAMA
Mrs. Sumner Hunt Presents Rea-
sons Why Women Should
Have Ballot Privilege
nv T1oRENCE BosARD LAWRENCE

BH ELOhENOE DOoAIAO law
Ebell club women, most conserVa-
tive and guarded in their expressions
concerning political situations, were
amazed yesterday by the dramatic
and forceful argument in favor OF
woman suffrage presented py Lnllaa I4
Burkhart Goldsmith. straw palloI
was taken and from the Ill votes cast
seventy-nine favored votes for women
and thirty-one were opposed. one
woman was courageous enough 10
write herself ION the fence" and TINS
despite Mrs. Robert ]. Burdettee VINO
offered the suggestion to all CLUB Wo-
men that "indec1slon is the paralS SIS
of usefulness"
This outcome of the meeting of the
books and conversation section with
the Literature of Suffrage for the
general subject was most surprising.
No one of those women present could
have anticipated the emotions Whlch
would possess them when Mrs. Gold
smith stood before them and gave her
own testimony. No penitent, sh1Ver-
ing woman on the "mournerS' bench
ever made a more humble acknowl-
edgement of error of conviction, nor
more proud and thankful assertion
that she had experienced a change or
heart.
MRS. GOLDSMITH's ADDRESS
Mrs. Goldsmith opened her speech
by quoting from the mob scene from
Elizabeth Robins play, "Votes for
! Women" and continued with these
words:
at was my privilege recently to
listen to Mrs. Won Wagner of the
housing commission in a talk on the
unspeakably wretched conditions that
exist here in our home city and L
said to myself as I walked away from
that talk: Suppose motherhood is my
sphere. Suppose L have little child
to bless and comfort me as l journey
through life. Suppose 1 have huS-
band who has kept every promise,
who is my protector and provider.
Suppose l am sheltered, and that l
have a comfortable home and a lovely
garden to dream in. suppose the
Great Power that controls the universe
has given me all these things, what
right have /, if l personally do not
need suffrage, what right have l to
say don't care whether women vote
or not l don't want to vote; 1t doesn't t
interest me?.'
Mrs. Goldsmith cited some OF the
cases of horrible indignities which wo-
men have to suffer here in Los An
geles, and then said
"It is conditions like these that make
me say to those OF you who are on
the fence, to those who like me, shiv-
er and tremble at coming out in the
open and saying against the prejudice
of all the ages i am a suffragette! l
want to vote!' | want to say to you"
continued the speaker, don't be afraid.
1t is coming, and 1t is right that it
should come"
Following Mrs. Goldsmith In the pro-
gram came a reading of Bernard
Shaw's play, "Press Cuttings" which
was greeted with constant laughter
and applause. Every argument dear
to the heart of the suffragette was
introduced, and always in such witty
manner with an aptness of meaning,
that it's strength was doubled. The
women in the various roles were de-
lightfully clever and infused consid-
cradle dramatic spirit in their read
ing. Parts were assigned to Mrs. Jay
b. Millard, as Mrs. O'Farrell;" Miss
Helen Louise Kimba11, as General
Mitchener;" Mrs. West Hughes as
Premier Balsquith;" Mrs. Stephen S.
Wilder, Lady Corlntna;" Miss Aug
usta Lang, Mrs. Bangor" and Mrs.
Fred Selwyn Lang, THE Orderly"
CLEVER LINES FROM SHAW
The lines of this play, especially
some spoken by Mrs. O'Farrell, Will
bear repeating. In discussing with
General Kitchener the plan proposed
ny the premier to shoot the women who
do not obey the dictates of the rulers,
Mrs. O'Farrell wisely says:
but you cannot. Sure if some en-
emy was to come in here and kill
three -fourths of you men now, we
could replace you with the help of
the other one-quarter, but if you were
to kill three-fourths of us, how many
people would England have in the
next generation?'
Mrs. Sumner T. Hunt read short
paper on suffrage for women, present.
ing some excellent and logical argu-
ments
women need the ballot for their
own development, and will soon learn
to train men so that they will make
fewer Mistakes" she said; and added
that in England women have not
made any headway In gaining political
suffrage since 1866, while they used
conservative methods, but with the
adoption of Mrs. Pankhurst's radical
methods tremendous progress had been
made.
Mrs. Eugene Pettigrew had the opPo-
site side of the argument and present
ed the nine generally accepted argu-
ments against extending the privilege
of suffrage to women. Both papers
were carefully prepared.
The meetings of this section will be
discontinued during December and
the next meeting will be held the first
Thursday. of January with the literary
men who love music for the topic.