The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-05-25
$4,000 CLUB WOMEN
RUSH 7TH'S ARMORY;
RESERVES CALLED
28 Guardsmcn and 3 Dozen
Policemen Can't Cope
with Invaders.
10000 CROWD IN AT
OPENING EXERCISES

The Seventh Regiment had a baptism
OF Are last night. An army OF club
women. $4,000 strong. descended upon
the armory, seeking to occupy a hall de-
signed to hold 10000. Not only that but
most Of them came simultaneously.
II was the opening night Of the thir-
teenth biennial convention OF the Gem
erai Federation of Wom.n's Clubs. and
not only the 10000 delegates. a%lternates
and visitors from other States now In
town but nearly every New York club
woman. a good many men and women
who aren't club mt mbers tried to attend
II was all right for the platform guests.
such as Gov. Whitman and his wife. Miss
Margaret Wilson. Mrs. Percy V. Penny
hacker. SC, but those who sought to
enter by the Park avenue doors had a
hard time OF it.
Twenty-six armory men were on
guard Just inside the doors al s o'clock,
half An hour before the opening OF the
meeting. Three dozen policemen were
stationed outside. Neither had the
slightest notion Of the size of the COM
ing invasion and were unprcpired when
IL came.
The women would not he gainsaid.
They we're determined to get inside those
doors in the shortest possible time. and
!. wasn't Ave minutes before the steps
leading up from the corridors. inside
were damned with a struggling mass
Of indignant women In their best clothes.
Cries. gasps and protests arose.
Mere Man Bcgs for Mercy.
The idea Of coming to New York from
Oregon to be treated like this !'
Help. Help. They're killing me"
There's a woman fainting.'
Good gracious, madam'-this from
a man-"onlv let me get past you and
I'll go away from here"
Scores turned around with infinite
difficulty and LETT for home as soon as
they could struggle out. As soon as he
grasped the situation Capt. Wakefield Of
the Thirty-frst precinct t%elephoned for
reserves and fourteen men came on the
run. With their help the audience was
TANNED into the huge auditorium with
at least a .trifie less of personal injury.
Tho Injuries were confined to "A few
black and blue shoulders and arms. as a
matter of fact. unless hurt feelings are
counted. And there were plenty Of hurt
feelings when the women found that
they must remove their hats before en-
'ering the convention hall, They had
been warned beforehand that no hats
were to be worn on the floor. but loud
were the protests when 4 soldier in uni
tcrrn, aided ~ two determined club.
women, enforced the rule AT the en-
trance.
There were 5000 seats on the floor,
5000 in the galleries and 900 on the
platform. In less than ten minutes these
were filled. Then the doors were closed.
Later they were opened. and In spite %.
regulations numbers GOT in. and the cor
rldors on the Park avenue side were
filled with standees.
Mig Audience sings america"
Mrs. Iennybacker, the president,
dressed i'm white with trimmings of gold,
took her seat AZ SEQ. just one minute
ahead of time. The Seventy-irst Regi-
ment band played marches aid patriotic
tunes, and then the audience, to its
accompaniment. sang "America.' Al
ten minutes to Q Mrs. ~Pennybacker
banged her gavel three timc9 and de.
clared the biennial opened.
OF course the first business was &c
rave a picture taken of the audience
Few heard the announcement of Mrs
william Grant Brown that the p%hotogra,
pier was about to flash them, and every
'cAy ~ ~ - ''''>
from the rear megaphoncd
Everybody kindly face this way
Please be seated or sit down, ouie
now" And then the picylre was taken
and the polite photographer mega
phoned
THANK YOU
when YOU are far away from here.
Mrs. Brown told the audience, "thi'
picture will remind YOU OF us. and will
remind YOU of your experiences AT th'
thirteenth bieuuial.'
Mrs. Penuyhacker, after opening tn
meeting, handed it over to Mrs. Brown
local chairman Il arrangements. an,
Mrs. Brown introduced Mrs. J. Border
Hartman, chairman of programme. Mrs
Hartman handed her the printed pro
m and Mrs. Brown introduce,
Gov. Whitman. who made the frs
speech. /, was a long one reviewiu,
wonan's rise and progress from yer.
early times.
Whitman says Word for Men.
There was a brust of laughter ar,
applause when he said
"A man may be a good husband an
devoted father, but no one dreams tina
these mark the limit Of his obligations
That was the way his printed specc
read, hut he interpolat~d. Most men ar
good husbands and fathers and the
the women laughed joyously. THAN
You for that concession" said tn
Governor.
There was 10 APPLAUSE when NJ
Whitman reiterated the dictum tina
"Woman's place Is In the home" i
which dictum he said he still believe
in spite Of his admiration of aud balic
in what she had accomplished out.id
the home. Blu there was loud Clappin
when he declared that in the telling O
the story OF the twentieth century IN
historian would give women IAN cqua
place with men"
Loudest of all was the applause whe
he asserted that tho grandmother typ
had disappeared" There isn't one her
tonight he said. AT an age whe
women used to don f'eecy caps an
shawls they are now at the very prim
OF physical and mental vigor.'
wOman's Humanity Landed.
After outlining how modern improve
ments had relieved woman from, II
household drudgery which once filled h'
time. and left her free for the fig'
AGAINST the exploitation Of helpless chi
dren and mothers, he said:
1T Is because of these conviction
that I am proud and happy to WELDON
the General Federation OF Women's Clu'
10 the State Of New York. I rejoice
your intelligence and culture, IN y-