Los Angeles herald., 1910-11-30
JULIE OPP is A SUFFRAGETTE, But
HUBBY, HE'S GREATEST OF EN- ALL
VOTES FOR WOMEN ROW
MAKES GREAT ACTOR SAD
English Star Tells How Her HuS'
band Would Fight Anyone
Who RidiCuIed Cause

jestic last night, but my husband
(William Faversham, the actor) is the
greatest suffragette of them all. He
attended the great demonstration of
Votes for Women enthusiasts in Lon
don last spring. and when he returned
to our home he said:
"My dear, I stood in the streets of
London today and cried
"'What!' l exclaimed.
"'Yes, I actually shed tears as I
saw that great body of splendid crea-
lures sacrificing dignity and pride in
their desire to do so much for their
fellow countrywomen and themselves.
I saw the most beautiful women 1
have ever seen in my life, and was
so inspired by their earnestness and
their courage that l would have
fought any person who had dared to
ridicule them or their cause
"But my husband is an Englfshman,
and he appreciates. as few of you
in America can, just what intolerable
laws women must live under there.
He knows the ignominy and humilia-
tion which a woman must suffer for
her children's sake, and the abuse and
insults which husbands may offer
their wives without coming within
reach of the English laws, which are
all made for men, so that women may
find little. or no refuge in them.
LAWS OPPRESS WOMEN
.oThere is a powerful organization
among the theatrical folk in England,
and L belong to the Actress FRANCHISE
league of which Mrs. Ben Webster
is a member. You have no idea how
barbaric the laws governing women,
their children and their property are
in England. Those things are stlll
regulated according to the ideas of the
Middle Ages, or time Of the cave men,
For myself, perhaps l do not need
the ballot, for l am my husband
prime minister-the power behind the
throne, as 1t were. Formerly l uSed
to think that sufficient, l cld not
realize that all women were not stu
ated so that they might be represented
at the polls as they would like. When
I did realize this, however, with 1t
came the awakening that l must not
stand in the way of women who need
ed the ballot to right their wrongs, VINO
needed power to make the laws which
should control their children and reg
ulate the disbursements of that money
which they paid In taxes.
Both Mr.. Faversham and rlyselr
are earnestly interested in the WORK
which women do, and we find that'
generally speaking, 1t is of much
higher quality than that of men. For
instance in this play, we tried over
and over to have men arrange the
scenes for the first act and hnally
gave it up. Then we found two Wo-
men who did it in the beautiful man
ner it is now planned. The same is
true of all branches of intellectual
work. Women work through their
emotions. then their hearts, never
through a feeling that they must do
eight hours of labor and then stop,
or with any realization that 1t Is din
ner time"
ENTHUsEs OVER CALIFORNIA
Miss Opp found it hard to speak Of
any subject impersonal as woman 5
suffrage when she was bursting with
enthusiasm concerning California.
This is my first impression of this
wonderful state. 1 find the most eX-
traordinary spirit manifest. 1t is quite
continental, not at all like the east,
and still less like anything l found
in the middle west. 1 am delighted
with the kindliness, the pluck ana the
energy of everyone. From Wonderlul
San francisco, that great city bullt up
with such courage from Its runs, ali
down the coast L found fresh beauties
which excited my admiration"
The great, dark, glowing eyes of the
speaker flashed with the enthusiasm
which she expressed SO plainly in
countenance as well as words, ana
her pleasure in all those things which
are essentially Californian was evident.
There is more poetry here and more
Imagination, your sunshine perhaps
causes that, and gives everyone
such helpful and optimistic views. I
had heard much of California from
many friends and the most wonderful
woman in the world, Mrs Robert
| Louis Stevenson, was our house guest
in England last year and spoke often
of this western country. When / visit
ed her in her lovely Santa Barbara
home last week 1 commenced to ap-
preciate some of the things she had
| told me. and now that 1 have lived
in the climate longer. breathed your
ozone with its ocean saltness, its
mountain coolness and it's fioWer-per-
funied sweetness, wonder less at the
praises which travellers and your own
residents sing"
TO ADDRESS WOMEN
Miss Opp Will speak before the men,
bers of the Friday Morning club Fri
day concerning the Drama league of
America. Il T-OnuGf IIdL you maven I
q. branch out here" she said. 1T is so
wonderful a thing and l know Cali
fornia women are always interest in
what is most helpful and progressive"
This drama league was founded in
Chicc 30 and it's godfather is James
O'Donnell Bennett. 1t was begun by
a group of club women who decided
, that they would use their efforts to ad-
vance the standing of the stage, and
to improve the taste Of the playgoer.
"I suppose my interest in this is a
little bit personal" continued the ac-
tress, "for the play 'Herod, which we
used last year was the first play to
be noticed by this league, and 1 made
my first speech before the members
at its first meeting in Chicago.
"By raising the standing of the stage
| do not necessarily mean exploiting
something dreary and heavy. L think
brilliant scintillating farce may be
Just as worthy Of praise and commen-
dation as a tragedy, and surely it is
more worth while to encourage laugh
ter than tears.
"I am told that the dramatic COM
mittee o. the Friday Morning club fol-
lows much the same plan as that in
the league. Reading new plays. and
studying that which is worth while at
the theaters will eventually raise the
public taste and these clubwomen are
making a laudable and most enCOura g.