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About The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903 | View Entire Issue (March 25, 1899)
THE COURIER. H... s r MS fl h" .4 Hliould sec, but we should not long see the W. 0. T. U., for that would pass swiftly out of existence in a tumult of popular execration." Itwutild scarce ly pass away, in spite of what Mr. Martin says, for that deathless con viction which animates tlioW.O.T. U. is of the same quality that the in quisition tried toobllterate and failed. Nothing is so hopelessly pereunlal as that same spirit. A popular outbreak against it would encourage the mem bers and but deepen their belief that the world has gone wrong from drink Hut neither temperance, nor unsel fishness, nor ehastity, nor honor, can if they can kill a queen first. But Queen Victoria's health demands th,.t she shall not spend Marcli in England so she has spent it in the south of France for many years. Being a woman as well as a queen, she is not easily thwarted nor turned aside from a custom she has set her royal seal of approval upon. So she is now in the Riviera, preceded, followed and Hanked by sleuths with a special train ing in anarchists and assassins. It is said of the French detective that he can invariably pick out an anarchist from other vagabonds, and aided by the laws of Franco, whlnh. likn Mmsn j .. ---.., ...BV VB4VUVS Susan B. Anthony, vice president-at large. At the close of the three years' term Mrs. May Wright Sewall was elected president and preeided over that memorable woman's congress at the world's fair, whose daily sessions were attended by 10,000 people Mary Lowe Dickens was elected third president, but failing health compelled her to resign, and Mrs. Sewall was again elected, and took upon herself the herculean duties of the office, ably assisted by the Rev. Anna Shaw, vico presidentaMargo. bo legislated into a neonln. Tim :ikv. nt Unuui., . un..i..ii.. .w lums and penitentiaries of Maine and tect society from anarchists, the good Iowa arc as full as those of anv other nunnn i mnUv in mn ,i - - - .....J ... 1IUUIU UttllUI. state, though the prohibitionists claim on the platform that nine-tenths of the lunacy and ninety-nine one hundredths of crime is the direct re sult of tlie whiskey habit. It is the same thing as the question of our childhood: If God is good and He made us and if He hates sin, why is It easier to do evil than good? Not being a connoisseur in virtue, the child has no especial repugnance to a penitentiary goodness for fear of pun ishment and because evil 1ms been made impossible. The poor child, whose liberty and free will is con stricted all the time, does not detect the fine flavour of a virtuous action performed while the devil is close at hand offering bribes for the choice of evil. Even goodness to be of worth must be of free will and temperance, which is only part of goodness, must be from choice. If the prohibitionists would consent to use some of their energy on the saloonkeeper who breaks the law by selling to minors and at unlawtul hours, the communiiy could be dragged sooner to that point where the evil could, by common consent, be removed from onr midst. But all the tremendous and irrepressible, but not so far, irresistible energy, lias ex pended itself without strategy on the points of greatest strengtli and the results are meagre. They will not do the good they can because of what they would. The execution of Mrs. Place for a cold-blooded murder was shocking, but if tiie deatli penalty is justifiable at all, it was in her caso. If Governor Roosevelt had pardoned her on the score of her sex, such an action would have been condemned by ail women who are not controlled by supersenti mentalism, and, after all, they are not many. She was not insane when she mur dered her stepdaughter but she was crazed bjr jealousy and rage. The long months of reflection in a cell have re lined her and the sheriff entered to lead her to the horrible chair, she took his arm without a murmur, and with an unaccustomed gentleness. It was impossible to keep from reading ot the terrified woman's walk to the chair clinging to the sheriff's arm And in reading it to be overcome with pity of her terror and anguish and to be glad that there were women there who also looked upon her pityingly. Municipal ownership of public fran clilscs is a principle held by as many republicans as f usionlsts. The owner ship of the streets and the highways used to be vested in the king and the king was the people in one annointed person. The king's highway is, in America, the people's highway, and they cannot give away their rights in perpetuity to an individual or corpo ration because highway rights are strictly entailed. They descend from one generation to another and pur chasers must take their own risks of the next generation objecting to the sale. HIIIHI z Ml I MM (SLEB8- LOUISA L RICKETT8. mm in Following are the officers of the Gen eral Federation of Women's clubs: President Mrs. Rebecca D. Lowe Atlanta, Ga. Vice President Mrs. Sarah S. Piatt, Denver, Colo. Recording Secretary Mrs. Emma A. Fox, Detroit, Mich. Corresponding Secretary Mrs.George W. Kendriek, Philadelphia, Pa. Treasurer, Mrs. Phillip N. Moore, St. Louitj, Mo. Auditor Mrs. C. P. Barnes, LouiB ville, Ky.. State Chairman Mrs. Louisa L. Rick etts, Lincoln, Nebr, Officers of the State Federation of Women's clubs; President Mrs. S. 0. Langworthy, Seward. Vice President Mrs. Anna L. Apppr son, Tecumseh. Recording Secretary Mrs.F. H. Sack ott, Weeping Water. Corresponding Secretary Mrs D. G. McKillip, Seward. Treasurer Mrs. H. F. Doane, Crete, Librarian Mrs. G. M. Lambertson, Lincoln. Since the organization of the National Council of the Uhited States national councils have been formed in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, Ger many, New Zealand, New South Wales, Sweden and Great Britain. Tho Coun cil of Canady, now including twenty two councils of local character and several national societies, was organized in 1893. That of Germany, composed of sixty-five federated societies, was or ganized in 1894; those ot New Zealand and New South Wales and Sweden, re spectively, in 1896; that of Great Britain in 1897. In Denmark, Holland, Fin land and Italy councils are forming. The president of the international council has received word that steps are being taken in Hawaii toward forming a council, and the King of Siam has, through a royal ambassador of that country, officially communicated to the president ot the national council of the United States, who is vice president-at large of the international council of women, his desire that a council of women be organized in his coantry. There is no individual membership in these national organizations, except that by the payment of $100 a man or woman may become a life patron with full privileges, excepting that the man pays bis money to listen. He can't talk and he cannot vote. The list of such patrons is long, comprising tha names of nearly a 150 wealthy and influential men and women. The Courier has been sent free to those secretaries of clubs reporting the meetings to the paper. Hereafter it will be sent only tj the regular subscribers, though wo shall be very glad to receive and print reports fiom club secretaries. IEd. Courier Since the empress of Austria's The National Council of Women held its third Triennial Council in Washing ton February 1.3-18th inclusive. The third week in February Washington waB the Mecca of American women. Three of the largest organizations of the country held tneir national conven tions there last week. The largest and most representative was the National Council of Women and in spile of the severity of the weather it was one of the most notable in the history of the move ment. The National Council for Wom en or the United States as sassination Queen Victoria lias been nervous about her own safety. She has gone to the Riviera surrounded by detectives and policemen, and has been re-enforced there by French chiefs of police. Nevertheless, assas sination has got on her nerves and she is, for the first time in her life, afraid of shadows, footsteps and the muflled Knunrla minnnanrt tn lin ttttirln I,.. . i. n.;;i ;;..rr.: .''. ""neuniteu States was formed in The French government was not will-' tieth anniversafyoM'he first woLJs ing to accept the responsibility of nro- rioM .. ' V7 . l 7 . " B tecting her from anarchists and the Seneca Falls N r y In imJ-- i 'n a purpose for the betterment of the cut throats who hold their life cheap E. Willard . J " ,, nCB! eTi' CODditlonB under which humanity "" f"-""""" uu imorBioaay. u Drings simplicity and The question is so often asked, "What is the National Council and what good purpose does it serve?'' We quote the following from its ex-president, Mrs. May Wright Sewall: "It is an organization composed ot na tional associations, stato councils and local councils," Mrs. Sewall explained. "Its objects are manifold. FirBt, to make better known to the general pub lic the magnitude and variety of wom an's work for humanity, to the end that public sympalhj with the same may be increased and a more generous public support secured; to avoid the multipli cation of organizations, each with a special object, and thus to secure re sults at less extravagant expenditure of time, money and force; to bring together women of all lines of work, to the end that each may be more intelligent re specting all the others, and consequent ly more sympathetic with all others; to give the united influence of all tese women to such general lines of work aB all can hoartilyagree upon. "The national council never interferes with the special lires of work of the organization which constitute it, beyond that of suggestion and smypathy, so that no society voting to enter this coun cil thereby renders itself liable to be interfeered with in respect to its com plete organic unity, independence, or method of work. "To sum it all up," said Mrs. Sewall, in conclusion, "the advantages of the council idea to womanhood and humani ty, are: Greater unity of thought, sympathy and purpose, among women who find inspiration, breadth and re lease from limitations, through the re spect tbey learn to feel for work differ ing radically from their own, yet like it directness in the application of organiz ed effort to any work that may be un dertaken; a conservatism of strength and time and an economy of expendi ture. It has an advantage by the means it provides for availing itself of the help of men, which will lead to the ultimate union of men and women in all organ ized endeavors for tho improvement of human conditions. I am firmly of the opinion that the council idea, in its state, national and international applica tion, is the climax in the organization of the moral forces of society by women." The constitution of the national coun cil provides that its triennial meetings shall consist of two "houses." The presi dent of each affiliated state council is a member of the upper council (or houBe,) in which originate ail measures relating to national work. The one delegate allowed to each state council sits in the lower council (or house,) in which ori ginate all measures relating to local interests. Thus the state council be comes a link between the national or ganizations in the upper house and the local councils in the lower house. The council holds two kinds of meet ings public sessions to discusB ques tions of general interest in the lines of work represented by the members of the council, and business sessions, which are open only to the president and one representative from each of the national organizations and from each state and local council constituting the National Council, to the general officers of the National Council, to the members of the cabinet, to the members of all standing committees and to the patrons. While the council has passed certain resolutions in favor of certain reforms of national Import, it cannot pledge it self to any one cause. "The eligibility to membership is wide, for it takes in all organizations of wom en which are national in either scope or value. Many of the national organiza tions are composed of both men and women. They are all acceptable, but no man can speak in the council delibera tions, Becret or open. Seventeen na tional organizations, two state councils and six local councils, now comprise the membership in the national organiza tion. These represent something over 700,000 women, and they in turn, repre sent religious, educational and social reform, moral reform and civic reform organizations. The national council was not formed to promote either of these causes, or any other one cause, nor can it possibly be made to do so. Each organization enrolled haB two votes, no matter ho large or how small its individual membership. The coun cil can no more be committed to tern perance or woman suffrage than it can ' be committed to the tenets of the Free Baptist church, or to thoee of the repun lican parly, though the Woman's For eign Missionary society of the Free Baptist church and the Woman's Re publican association of the United StatoB are members of the council. "An organization is benefitted by en tering the council chiefly through bring ing its work before much larger audi ences than it can if it works on alone. The public meetings of each organiza tion attract the attention only of those interested in its objects, while the tri ennial meetings of tho council bring to gether audiences composed of moat in telligent and devoted women working along all lines. It is true, however, that the national council of women has ofll cially expressed itself upon soveral sub jects. They have passed resolutions in favor of equal educational advantages for men and women, including the ad mission of women to all existing institu tions of learning, the provision of equal opportunities for industrial training for --,- uu K.nt) ana tae admission of women to equality with men in the work of the church of whatever denomina tion, ' v MBBCSr?4tt,1!-
