Evening star., 1913-12-07


view the field. should NOT hy ans means
De centered upon training speakers and
loading them with arguments II il com
paratively easy nowadays to convince the
average man that universal suffrage -
fundamental principle In democracy
and so Is bound TO come. But there are
the prejudices and doubts or custom AMI
tradition and the inhercn; conservatism
Oh mankind generally to be vanquishcd;
so II is going to take 10; of determined.
masterfui effort 10 reach the goal -
plainly In view
Il agreed TO talk to the Washington
Suffrage School on How to Reach the
the subject with which 1 most famil-
lar. ] was raised on a farm. our home
in Wisconsin is farm. IN speaking. |
feel most at home with country people.
In our Wisconsin campaign | spoke
mostly at county fairs After / had been
talking for few weeks In various parts
OF the state l felt the great need OF sys-
tematic local work. and spent eight
days In my own county. speaking not less
than six times day. in an effort TO reach
each voting precinct
often when / would finish speaking
women would come To me and say. What
can we do?' OF course / was glad -
get that reaction But when ] suggested
that they do just what 1 was doing-talk
TO their neiGhbors and, friends and urge
them to action. they would almost in
variably disclaim their ability 10 do -.
Women generally have not yeS grasped
the idea OF taking that direct. personal
interest and responsibility OF ~ campaign
which men have learned 10 assume as a
matter of course in the exercise of their
suffrage privilege. This is where the
suffrage schools can do great work
Mrs. Sherman NJ. Booth. who made
the fight which gained woman suffrage
for Illinois, is said to be 4 past mistress
in the art of lobbying. upon which sub
iect she is to give six lectures before the
Suffrage School. She mapped out her
course in Illinois with the care and Wis
dom of an old campaigner She made 4
complete card index of every member OF
the legislature. dividing them into four
classes. according 10 their attitude upon
the suffrage question. She wrote 5000
letters to men scattered over the state
who were known to favor suffrage for
women, telling them the facts, giving
them a complete list OF the legislature.
showing the men from their district and
asking them to write to their representa-
tves and senator's
She and her three assistants. who form
ed her lobby of four, iabored in secret.
never permitting the opposition to learn
the true status of their work. They or
ganized a telephone squad of 500 men
ana women VINO worked on the principle
that constant dripping wears away stone.
and kept the telephone of the speaker
busy with requests to set the bin for a
special order at a certain time.
Mrs Booth organized A corps OF aids.
of whom ten We're captains, each pro
vided with list of from five to ten
names of members. for whose vote they
were held responsible. Then two Of the
lobbyists checked the vote from the gal
lery. and every time a friend failed 70
vote, or seemed in doubt, Mrs. Booth
would make a note on slip of paper and
let it futter down to the aids on the
floor Of the chamber: they Immediately
went to the man and got him back into
line for the cause.
One of the most interesting lecturers
from many standpoints is Miss Eliza II.
Lord. formerly dean OF women at West
ern Reserve University. Miss Lord viii
tell of early days of college life for wom-
en-. when they were restricted and ham,
pered in every possible way in their ef-
forts to obtain the same education as
their brothers. This lecture viii also in
clude In brief the story of woman's edu-
cation in the old and classic countries.
India, Persia, Egypt, Greece. Rome and
the earlier nations of medieval Europe.
and also the feminist movements Of
France and Germany in the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries.
Mr.. Gilsen Gardner, member of the
press gallery of Congress and a Wash
ington newspaper correspondent, is to tell
the pupils of the Suffrage School the best
way to attain the right kind of publicity
for their movement Having had twenty
years experience in this work. he knows
the publicity game and hopes to give in a
short talk the newspaper mans point OF
view, the way the city editor, the manag-
ing editor. the business manager and the
policy makers of a newspaper view the
matter submitted TO them for publication.
In order that pupil may leave the
school without a complete understanding
of the present status of the federal
amendment Miss Alice Paul is to explain
the subject tersely.
That the Suffrage School is the begin
ming of a similar movement which will ex-
tend all over the country is the hope OF
those who have its success most at heart
That its object has the heartiest indorse-
ment of many of the nations broadest
minds is attested by the long list of pub
lie men who have gladly contributed their
time and their energy toward making the
course of full value to the student both
from the small amount of money asked
and the equipment for work which Is Ger
tain that will be obtained DR. Wiley
Senator Robert l.. Owen. Senator George
E. Chamberlain and Representative Vic
tor Murdock are among the men who VIII
give lectures upon various topics.