Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-10-08
TELLS OF SUFFRAGE
FIGHT IN IRELAND
Miss Gertrude M. O'ReiIIy, irish
Lecturer, Speaks at ST. Joe
seph's Parish Hall.

+ Five hundred women responded II
/ the 'call to arms sounded by Miss
| Gertrude NJ. O'Reilly. the noted Irish
lecturer. who spoke on woman suf
frage last night In St. Joseph's parish
hall. Miss O'Reilly's chief aim was
an educational one. that of settling
the question of whether or not the
Catholic Church principles forbid its
women members TO become suffra-
/ gists. Her subject was Suffrage
| from an Irish Woman's Standpoint
In addition to informing her audi
ence that many prominent Catholic
| eIergymen are in favor of woman
suffrage, Miss O'Reilly gave a re-
cital of the hardships of the work
ing classes in England and ireland.
| particularly working girls and wom
en-. which carried considerable pathos
/ with it, She had her women listeners
! on the verge of tears several times,
only to break the strain with some
rth-provoking remark.
! The speaker told Of the countless
number of stitches required in maxi
| ing umbrellas, an industry which
cl0PtOyG a 6lCdA A0AhOE4 Va 6A1a1 - 8
England, and Of the meagre recon-
i pense received by the girls for their
task. Like conditions exist for those
engaged in making artificial flowers.
she declared, and brought tears to
I the eyes of half the women present
/ by reciting the experience of poor
1 little waif who had her first visit
to the country and saw real flow
ersp The waif ran away from tbs
/ natural blossoms when she discov-
cred that they "smelled," and as
serted they were made even better
H than those of her aunt. who is the
4 best flower maker in the town.
The meeting was not without the
b usual criticism of men and their
inability to meet everyday conditions.
4 Miss O'Reilly told of womans sug-
/ gestion of how to save much Of the
apparently waste and useless food
in an English home for the aged by
rending it into fat for cooking pur-
H poses.
THE poor men did not mean any
harm by this waste. It wan simply
H Ignorance" said Miss O'Reillg.
II wanted to help friend of mine
in doing some research work in Eng
i land at one time" recounted the
speaker. but found l was not per
mitted to enter Trinity College LIZ
brary. where / expected to find the
material l sought When | applied
for admission l was told that
could enter only under certain con
Il ditions, and when ! asked what these
conditions were I was informed that
I could not enter under any condi-
ions.
Another woman. an elderly per-
son | knew. had been permitted to
enter the college library, and ] asked
2 friend of mine to get me through
Finally I was allowed TO look over
the archives Of the library, and
when / asked why there was so much
objection to my visit q college au-
thority informed me. ANY woman
under seventy years of age is con-
sidared a disturbing element here
An attack on the widespread
4 stores that the Catholic Church IS
opposed 10 woman suffrage was made
by the speaker. She told Of many
prominent prelates of that church
who openly advocated the cause, and
brought outa laugh when she said.
Il am informed Dy my confessor that
our cause is a very worthy one, and
| believe him to be a pretty good
Catholic.
The speaker decried the methods
/ of the English militant who are max
ing an uIleHNidblt iSPdNotAoAA -
themselves with their window
smashing and house burning tactics
1.-THE wrong way to arrive at the
right result" was the way she char
acterized the English women's fool
ishness. but declared the pitiaoie
conditions in that country excited the
women to such deeds.
Miss O'Reilly took up the argu-
ment of the anti-suffragists that
woman's political activities would
1 disrupt the home. She proceeded 10
tear this argument into shreds. say
ing:
IF a couple cannot agree to dis
agree on politics they had better not
marry / think it would be ex-
ceedingly monotonous 10 live with )
person who agreed with me on every7
thing It takes two persons TO MAKE
the home. and home is as much IYe
mans place as it is the wofnan's.
THE argument that women viii
meet an undesirable element at Nhe
polls is not a very complimentary
thing to say about the men Asf Tor E
the undesirable woman at the polls 4
it is not likely that their class 15v1ii
take much interest in the balloti 50
that danger is mythical.
'sWhen the ants point to DefAvers
and say that conditions there aran
any better than in New York, they
are really paying the women a back
handed compliment in admitting they
think women have the ability to bet
ter conditions. Men haven't made
very good job of politics in the de-
cades and decades that they have
been voting. so why should they ex-
pect us to come in, inexperienced,
and clean up in a few minutes the
mess they've made in centuries, even
though we are first-class housekeep-
ers?"
Miss o'Reilly said that while she
admits the truth of the statement
that women have not so good reason
i ing powers as men have. she is Of the
1 opinion that wonen's minds are
| clearer, quicker and keener than
mems. and that while man is arriv-
| ing at a conclusion-very often the
1 wrong one-by a long course OF rea-
| soning a woman is obtaining the
| result-very often the right one-by
a quicker process. The generosity OF
men in big things is. she 0eciareds ;
| offset by wonlen's sympathy aid care
| in smaller things. which sympathy
and care would go great way toward
4 lettering government.
Miss O'Reiffy wore the costume OF
| the Irish women before the English
! invasion.
Mrs. Minnie j. Reynolds presided
and announced the Sunday afternoon
teas at headquarters, 70 Halsey
| street, which, she explained, are held
during hours that will not conflict
| fo a411alfes