Evening star., 1924-06-01

| Women continue to take politics
seriously. When American women
first displayed solemn interest in
national affairs and a strong sense OF
personal responsibility regarding the
vote a frequent comment was that
they would soon enough begin to take
| politics as a matter of course. The
| tendency appears to be quite other
| wise. Women of the Republican
party are holding campaign training
schools, or political Plattsburgs, in
different cities to prepare for the
coming election contest. and the re-
| suits indicate that the feminine poll
tician, professional or amateur, is de-
yeloping into a new and very earnest
political type.
So intensely do the women hold
their political ideas that instructors
| find it almost impossible to get
woman student to make any humor-
GUS remarks in a speech or even TO
tell a funny story In illustration OF
4 point. The woman politician can
appreciate the effectiveness of Mrs
Harriet Taylor Upton's ten rules for
woman speakers, including the IA
nous suggestions, Don't dress like
a bareback rider or tinseled circus
dancer and Don't yell at your audi
ence as If you were calling Johnny in
to lunch"
But when she comes to make her
own speeches, the amateur woman
politician is so fired by the impor-
tance of what she wants to say that
she cannot drop to the casual level
of sharing a jest with the audience.
This is little thing, but it is signifi-
cant
When one of the Republican train
Ing schools was held in this city, not
long ago, 308 women enrolled. Sena-
tors wives. club women. writer's and
women who hope to become cam
paign speakers for that party at,
tended the course. The students paid
a tuition fee and attended classes
and lectures day and night for four
days. At the end of the week 2S5 OF
the 308 students took the examina-
tion to obtain certificates.
Some Of the Questisns Asked.
Tho examination WAS not . snap.
The students were required to dis
cuss such questions as: What are
the three essential functions Of gov
ernment? State one fundamental
difference between the two parties.
What is meant by freedom OF speech
In the Constitution? What has been
omitted from this course which you
would like to have included?"
The students taking the course
were addressed by eight congress
men, three cabinet members and
other government officials. THESE
men discoursed on such matters rs
the intricacies Of the budget, taxation
problems, Immigration, the Constitu-
tion and foreign relations.
OF all the subjects presented. the
women were most interested in the
budget and the tariff. Man poll
ticians were puzzled by this interest
in the two dryest and most imper-
sonal subjects in government asn snairs, s.
clear enough. Most of them had
very Httie to do with foreign rela-
lions in their experience, but they
felt that prices on food. clothing ana
other necessities were matters tnas
directly concern tho women OF the
Besides acquiring cold facts and
arguments about party politics, the
woman students also took daily les
sons in public speaking, to enable
them to communicate their ideas.
The public speaking class, conduct
ed by Mrs. Anne Renshaw, was par
ticularly interesting to . non-partisan
onlooker. The budding campaigners
were advised not to attack the oppos-
ing party, but to concentrate on the
affairs of their own party and on its
platform. They were given three
SHnloza. Ann> >xnas kinG-Uhish. il as0i1AE.