Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1912-04-27
MISS J0HNSTDA'S LECTURE.
wv
Large Audience Greets Champion of
Wonlan's Suffrage at Young
Peoples Building

/
For more than an hour last night,
Miss Mary Johnston, the great novel;
list and lecturer on sociology, spoke to
| q very interested and attentive audi
ence at the Young Peoples Building
The meeting was opened with pray
er by Rev. Dr.. w. F. Watson of the
First Baptist Church, after which Mr..
M. NJ. Lollo, president of the Alexan-
dria Trades Council, on the auspices
of which the meeting was held, intro
duced former State Senator Lewis ID.
Machen as the chairman of the meet
ing.
Mr.. Machen then in very pleasing
manner introduced Miss Johnston, re-
ferring to her as one who is devoting
| much of her time to the betterment of
the condition of her fellow men and
| women.
Miss Johnston, when she arose to
speak, was greeted with applause, by
| which she was also interrupted on a
number of occasions throughout the
course of her eloquent address.
Miss Johnston was followed by
Miss Clark of Richmond, who spoke
briefly, declaring that what the wo-
men of this country wanted today was
to do to our politics what Franklin
did to neutrality-suspicious. them;
and that this could be done only by
giving woman the ballot.
The meeting was enlivened between
speeches by music rendered by the
Alexandria Ideal Musical Club.
Mis- Johiston's address was in part
as follows:
"How do they vote, and for what do
they vote? They vote for better liv-
ing conditions. From Australia, from
New Zealand, from Scandinavian
countries, from our own western
states, comes the same report. They
vote for better living conditions. Let
Us take New Zealand for sample.
New Zealand is today regarded as al
most the model child among nations.
New Zealand women have had Inc
franchise for seventeen years, and tie
words of New Zealand on the sub
ject are the words of a lover. In New
Zealand the marriage rate has in
creased, the birth rate has increased,
the divorce rate has decreased, and
the infant mortality is the lowest IN
he world. In New Zealand, Of chill
iren under one year Of age, there
lies one in twenty five; in Richmond
irginia, there dies one in six. LIS
en- to Charles Edward Russell on the
subject of New Zealand: women
can and do exercise salutary influence
on the political life of the country.
They are as good wives, mothers aid
sisters as ever, and better companions
to their men folk because of their
widened interests. They are just as
fine and sweet and as good and as re-
fined and as gentle and womanly as
any other women in the world. When
YOU see the fine and good things IN
the government Of New Zealand-thc
splendid schools, the wonderful health
department, the best in the world, the
humane prison system, the sanitary
dwellings, the careful factory lnspec-
ton, the happiness and comfort OF
the people, and reflect that every
wholesome and practical reform has
had the support if New Zealand wo-
men, you give thinks for one corner
of the globe that seems to be sacred
to sanity.
There has been in this country IN
the past few years marked awaK-
ening. 1t is not yet wholly awake, but
it will awake faster and faster. II
is not only men who feel the dawn
wind: it is women. Men and women,
We cannot help thinking today. we
are lace TO lace Will lioGSii1' <A''N
if we believe, as / do believe, that
thought is the noblcst attribute OF
the God within us, then,to save me-
| cannot see why we should blench
from the encounter. Light. Light!
Truth! Truth AS the hart pant
eth after the water brooks, so panteth
my soul after thee, o God within me!
And thou arc light, and thou art
truth, and thou art thought! And
where thought leads, there will 60
In Virginia, no less than in other
states and lands, we arc in the midst
of a revolution in thought.
hold that in Virginia there has ar
rived the time TO speak.
Time out of mind, woman has been
called he Housekecpcr. Where DO
think the Wise Housckccpr should
stand in this country today? | think