Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-06-11
CHICAGO AND GENEVA

N ~ AN IL ll''S hbOEV
"A the organizers Of the international
conference Of women at Geneva. They
sought to express Enthusiastically, in
plain terms and for the ears Of states
men and politicians especially. the aims
which arc supposed to be common to all
women in this period Of their new re-
spopsbilitics and to tell the world of
homes for world peace which they hold
as their one prize Of war. The Geneva
conference was to have been the voice
Of that half of civilization which has
remained inarticulatc, though in no way
immune, while humanity driftcd to sue
cessive disasters.
IL cannot be said that the women s
conference. representative as it is Of
newly enfranchiscd women in many of
the older countries, has done anything
to thrill the world. But the debate and
discussion is Of peculiar interest now
since it runs parallel III the news with
the turgid food Of oratory at Chicago,
where there Is one of those assemblages
in which the lords Of creation meet at
intervals to direct the affairs Of this
their earth. If at Geneva there have
been no great revelations. no mcmor-
able statements Of new and inspiring
PRINCIPLES. there has been, at least,
sincerity in an extraordinary degree.
1t is the habit Of women to think in
fundamental terms. to be impatient of
the detail which obscurCs the essential
fact, and the Geneva conference has
been notable. thCrcforc. for direct, sim
pie and moving uttCranCc.
While Hiram johnson was shaking
his fist at Europe the women's confer
ence was expressing determination to
bring the peoples Of all countries so
close together in their sympathies that
they could never again be led to slaugh-
ter. While the Chicago convention was
straining over methods of procedure,
the delegates at Geneva were consider
ing ways to save the helpless children
of one country from being flung into
destructive industrial competition with
the helpless children of another.
Many of the European governments
courteously sent representatives to the
women's conference. The representa- =
tive of France was the man who kept
count of the dead and wounded in the
French army from the moment of the
invasion through Belgium TO the day
when the armisticc was signed. He
spoke simply upon the assumption that
women have n larger stake in war and
in peace than men have, and that what
they learned in the last five years will
unity them against militarism for all
time. At about the same time influen-
tial gentlemen in Chicago we're urging
General Wood upon the country with
the announcement that we need a
Strong President.
Lady Astor. who was born in Vir-
ginia, has been one OF the most inter
cSting delegates at the I pncva confer
cncr. While she was speaking Senator
Johnson. Senator Lodge. Murray Crane,
Mr.. IOwdcn and innumerable others
were doing their best TO convince the
crowd in the Coliseum that they and
their policies represented complete per-
fc"tion in one form or another War
ought to be abolished forever" said
Lady AStor. land governments need n
lot Of reforming. But we as ncopIe
ought to remember one thing. We
cannot reform governments until we
first reform ourselves"
There is something compelling in that
simple admission of the ultimate power
of the individual conscience. And there
is something Of solid truth in the theory
that reforms must begin ia the minds of
people before they can be made pcrma =
nent in any stat" "f society. Experts
in politics arc never ready to urge 50
simple doctrine. Women are not ex
perts in politics. That, perhaps. is
why we may expect great deal from
them at som" tim" or other in the future