Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-06-21
Members of Chicago Bod
les Meet and Discuss
Proposed School
TO STUDY GOVERNMENT
Professor Also Tells of Summer
Course to Extend Aid to
SuffragetS.

Chicago, Ill, June 21-I.linois sur-
fragists who feel they are about to
receive the right to vote through the
signature of Governor Dunno to the
bill recently passed, demonstrated
last night that they were not going
to lay aside the energy with which
they sought the ballot.
They began serious consideration at
an informal conference at the Wom-
ans City club, 116 South Michigan
avenue, of a school for women voters.
The idea was to teach women instruc-
tors first and have these instructors
relay the information to others, so
primary education" in government
and voting would reach as far as pos
sible IN the shortest time.
They are going to try to keep women
so actively interested in problems of
government that men will have to
come out of an apathy which seldom
sends more than three-fourths Of the
registered votes to the polls, or else
become secondary considerations in
government affairs.
SEE NEED OF EDUCATION.
"Appreciating the fact that the vote
is about to come suddenly to women
who have no experience in its use or
in government, we feel there is need
for a great deal of primary education
for women Immediately said Miss
Harriet Vittum of Northwestern Uni
versity Settlement, who presided.
$50 we have met to learn first what
the suffrage societies have thought or
in the way of education. and so ar
range programs that we won't over
lap in our work. Later we will hear
of plan whereby knowledge of gov
ernment may be relayed to great
number speedily"
She learned that the Woman's
City club had arranged for a course of
Tuesday morning lectures at 10 o'clock
to instruct first voters. Miss Mary e.
Mcdowell will be the first lecturer on
July l. The other representatives told
of large numbers of requests for infor-
nation from women and women's or
ganizations that heretofore had not
shown interest in suffrage.
SUMMER COURSE PLANNED.
Professor Howard Woodhead OF
Graham Taylor's Chicago School of
Civic and Philanthropy explained
summer course of five weeks the
school was planning for teaching a
normal course" to prepare women to
| teach others.
1t was agreed each organization in
the county should be urged to send at
least one person to the school, so that
each organization would have on is
rolls an authority on such matters and
one who could instruct the entire
membership.
Attention was called to the bureau
established by The Record-Herald for
the instruction of women voters and
the attention of all organizations VIII
be called to the opportunity offered for
dissemination of the much-wanted in
formation through this bureau.
There were present among others
Mary Mf)owell, Margaret Dobyne.
Alice HCsry, Amelia Sears and Lydia
Schmidt and Mrs. Mary Wilmarth and
Mrs. James Morrison.
1t was agreed that every effort
should be used during the summer to
prepare teachers who in the autumn
would be ready to put all women vot-
ers in possession Of as much informa-
ton on government processes as
would be needed for a grasp on how
the city, county and state Offices were
being conducted.