The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-09-01
BELLE kEARNEY
SPOKE YESTERDAY
Woman Journalist and Suffrage
Worker Was Speaker at keo-
kuk chautauqua Friday
Afternoon.
woMAN's SIDE OF WAR
Miss kearney Was a co-worker Of
Frances WiIIard-TeIIs Of
Many interesting
Things.

Miss Belle Kearney, a woman OF
wide reputation through twenty-eight
years OF public work, was the SPEAK
er at the chautauqua yesterday aft
ernoon. In the days, a quarter Of
century ago, when Frances Willard
was organizing the women of Amer
lea in the w. G. T. u, Miss Kearney
was closely related with her. she
says she has been working all her
life for woman suffrage. She was
born and reared In Tennessee. out
recently has taken up her residence
in Kansas in order that she may vote.
She is a woman of strong personal
ity, and has a voice of wonderful
CARRYING qualities. She is perfectly
fearless in what she says, as DEM
onstrated by a number of things she
. said Yesterday. She went to Europe
in the autumn of 1914 as correspond
ent for great eastern newspaper
syndicate. When she. arrived, some
Of the conditions had changed, the
laws of censorship were SO exactlns
that she wrote of conditions OF wom-
en- and children, rather than cabeling
to America war news.
Her lecture in no way covered the
scope of Captain Vickers' lecture OF
the day before. His was the mans
view, hers the woman's; his story
was that of British subject, hers
the story Of an American.
Miss Kearney said that when she
left America, everything was normal
here, but as soon as she landed at
the dock at Queenstown she saw
that women were doing the work IN
England. Women were everywhere,
;- nrf ~ in which
women are not engaged. they have
gone from their regular work and
are keeping the industries of Europe
in action and with the greatly In
creased work in the munition fac
tories are carrying heavier physical
burden than was carried by the
men before the war. She told OF the
blue cross hospitals. which are
depots for caring for the horses used
In the army. The women groom and
care for the horses, they have learn
ed to be veterinarians. She gave
graphic description OF recruiting
station in Trafalgar square in Lon
DON This is the spot in London
where all out of doors demonstra-
trations are made. She said British
officers would stand on the base Of
the Nelson monument and shout
What women are willing to give
their husband to the war; or What
mother here will give her sons to
the army" The method and the re-
suits were very different from our
impersonal method of recruiting.
She said there were no tears among
the women of England and France
Too many awful things have been
done to tho women and children by
the invading army, there Is only
grim determination written on the
faces of the women.
comradeship Of Women.
It has been said that in England
the women walk behind the men, In
France they walk beside them ana
in America the women walk bit in
advance. Because of this comrade-
ship between the men and women Of
France, the work of the French
women has been much more efficient
than that Of the English women;
they have long known what their men
were doing and how they were do
ing it and this knowledge OF bust
ness affairs is now Of greatest value
to them and to France, She told OF
the great work which the rich Am
erican women married to titled for
eigners are doing. The Duchess Of
Marlborough, Lady Borden-Turner.
and many others have established
field hospitals which they equipped
and maintain. A granddaughter OF
General Grant and daughter OF
Grover Cleveland have established a
hospital for blind soldiers and 5000
were there when Miss Kearney visit
ed It,
These American women have form
A. oil nf
committee and have established ma
ternity hospitals to take care OF the
women and the war babies. She
said both the British and the Ger
mans spoke with much contempt of
the Americans because they did not
enter the war The Germans said
we were towards and the English
said we cared only for money. This
attitude of mind has Of course been
changed since America joined the
allies. She said that England has no
right to call herself a democracy so
long as she has an established
church. She went into the Irish home
rule trouble, and said that although
she herself is protestant, she believ-
ed that from things she saw and
heard in Ireland during the last up
rising in Ulster, that the Irish ques-
uon Will never ne sellieu uhtll lue
maintaining of an established church
Is overthrow.
Autocracy Is Doomed.
She said the royalty in England
realize that aristocracy is doomed il
the allies win this war. She spoke
of the weakness Of the crown prince
Of Germany, and said the marvel Of
the age was how SO strong man as
the kaiser should have such an eff
Terminate, immoral weakling for a son.
She spoke Of the awful atrocities
which the women have suffered, in
comparison with which death would
be Joyous. She said that the suffer