Omaha daily bee., 1916-06-17
What Women Do
Better;;or the Girl
and the Gavel
By ADA PATTERSON.

ought to know. All OF America should
know it. They have shown how to
run a big convention without noise.
Under the canopy of alternate
stripes OF blue bunting, one stripe
dark, the other light blue, women
from every state in the union had
gathered. The big meeting might
have become Niagara Of noise.
What do you think made the biennial
convention Of the General Federation
Of Women's Clubs thing of order
and quiet?
In and out OF the aisles and near
the doors tiptoed pretty girls. Their
eyes were bright, Their forms were
light and trim They wore simple,
becoming frocks. They smiled. They
carried large white placards. On the
placards was, printed in black letters,
Silence" The girl, the smile and the
placard were effectual.
Had the convention been one of
men the presiding officer would have
used gavel. A gavel looks like a
baby croquet mallet or like hammer
with two business, ends. 1t is a bully
made of wood. Men use it at their
conventions to keep order. They Sue
coed, more or less, because the gavel
makes more noise than does the hui
man voice, it quells riot by making
riot of its own. 1t is like giving
medicine to create one disease that
will cure another.
A man who presides at a conven-
ton brings the gavel down on the
table as though he wished it were on
the head of the man who is making
the trouble. 1t expresses his temper.
1t hurls unkind words in wooden Ian
guage at'the head of the offender 1t
is the cave mans club in modern form.
1t is swearing de-profanized. The un-
ruly man who has been ordered in this
rude way to be quiet is sullen He
watches for another chance to get
even, to say rude things. Faced by a
pretty girl, in a pretty frock. holding
before him the word "Silence" he
would grin. He would sink into his
seat. and there he would stay.
Most men think they can't do any,
thing we'll without noise. The more
noise the better the work is their
opinion. Men are the human copies
OF that symbol Of noise the Bull of
Bashan. They talk, they shout, they
below and waste their force. A man
has only a limited amount of vitality.
so much energy given out in loud
tones, so much energy lost from work.
Who does the most work of all the
daily workers in great city? The
little woman who sews. All day she
sits quietly and stitches. If she talked
she would do less sewing. The moth
er who wants to finish dress for her
daughters graduation tells the chill
dren they must not disturb her She
works all day without a word. and
finishes the gown. The man who is
working in the streets talks, Jokes,
argues, quarrels, and wonders whv
the work has Jagged. If he loses his
JOB he curses his luck. Any pale little
woman in the tenements knows more
about conserving time and energy
than any broad-shouldered, red-blood-
Inc big convention taught us that
women are of more orderly habit
than men. A reminder is enough to
BRING them out of chaos. One dav
~hen a subject of general interest
was. discussed and all the women
wanted to speak the same minute
mrs. Pennybacker raised her hand
MIS- MIS-; Anna J; H. Pennybacker, the
president OF the convention, is a it,
tie woman. She is five feet two inch
es tall and slender as a girl, The
nand she raised was tiny one II
looked like the floating white petal
OF a flower as she raised il above
the crowd. But the tumult ceased
as, long ago, the waves ceased dash,
be still e"ee'
Yet | had seen distinguished law
yer OF the west try to quiet an as
SSeembiy OF men by raising both hands
his efforts were as successful as The
Tapping of scarecrow's rags in The
wind, which they resembled The
crowd had its way, -"e
VI tie meetings of the BIZ
enhiai convention it was growing
late; Thousands OF women grew
restless. Some of them wanted to 90
nome. Some wanted to 20 to another
par. OF the building to see friends
\ living stream flowed through the
aisles. Twice. politely. Mrs Willis,
n iran Brown, the chairman OF the
local biennial board, asked that. the
usners DO their duty. The retreat
Then arose the tall brunette in III.
green gown and said: Fishers tsLe
your place at the head of the aisIss
Let no one pass. The ushers who
Stand near the door will clos. !,
Why couldn't you have done that be-.
lore; Instantly the aisles were emn.
tieo' The next speakers were heard
70 nc end with patience. What
would have happened had man been
CHAIRMAN OF that meeting? He wouId
nave roared for the sergeant-at.arm.
lhat worthy would have arrested ths
iirst man who moved. There would
asse oeen an ugly scene. Men are
experts at making life ugly.
a ooys natural element seems ~
DC NOISE; He makes a bedlam of ri.
home, When he grows no h. h.ins s
q make OF his city Tower Of Bahej
one OF woman's many arts Is ~ nu,
!he soft pedal on the uproar az e e
, nn made by men. In the hon.
s sme says "Hushr and for a little
si,ne' az least, quiet reigns. In In
CITY, which is but wider househo IA
ana IN the nation. which is a more .s
tended home, she will hold nm II.
placard of Silence" and men viii iii
srr IN. ana cease their elamor.
Inc Seventh regiment armo,v