THE COURIER.
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MRS. MAY WRIGHT SEWALL
IN PARIS.
Paris, Aug., 23. At least one Ameri
can woman is glad she came to Paris
this summer. Just now, when all sorts
of wails are going up from American
travelers, it is pleasant to know that
Mrs. Msy Wright S?wall has been hav
ing the time of her life over here. The
noble army of club women in the Unit
ed States know who Mrs. Sewall is, but
for the information of less fortunate
beings it may be stated that she is the
president and founder of the Interna
tional Council of Women and that she
proposes to enlist thousands of women
from every country on the globe for
for well, it isn't quite clear for what,
but as some of the women already en
listed would say, "It reads lovely."
The women of the United States,
Canada, Great Britain, Germany, Italy,
Sweden, Switzerland, Tasmania and a
few other places had already joined the
Council, but the French women were
still outside the fold. Then came the
Exposition and with it came Madame
Wright Sewall. The penetrating read
er will probably euspect at once that
the lady is no other than transtlantic
Mrs. Sewall. The reader is right Mrs.
Sewall is an authorized delegate to rep
resent women's organizations at the
Paris congresses. This golden oppor
tunity to convert the French women
into members of the Council did not get
away from Mrs. Sewall. Shout the glad
tidings to Tasmania and Hoboken.
France is ours.
The American Pavillion bad a room
to spare, so the headquarters of the
council were promptly established there,
and every Tuesday afternoon there is
tea and talk in unlimited quantities,
Last week came Mrs. Sewall's last ap
pearance and it was therefore especially
moving. It was also especially interest
irg as an example of the different way
in which French women and American
women run a meeting. It was really
Mrs. Sewall's meeting, so one could only
guess what it would have been if it bad
been altogether French. More than
half the women and nine-tenths of the
men present were French and all the
speaking was in that language, but any
ebullitions of an exciting nature were
promptly repressed by Mrs Sewall.
One of the American guards on duty
at the pavillion had given the corres
pondent a little advance information
about the affair.
"Oh, no," he said, "you don't need
any card. You just go up and ask eome
lady for Mrs. Sewall and they'll think
you're her cousin or her sister-in-law.
What time do you come? Well, that
depends on bow much you can stand.
At four o'clock, when there's tea, every
body's tryin' to get in and at five o'clock
when there's speaking, everybody's try
in' to get out. They began by havin'
tea and cake and sandwiches and lemon
ade. But mercy! the people almost ate
the dishes. The next time they had
tea and cake and wafers. Last time
they had tea and waters. 1 don't know
whether they'll leave out the tea or the
wafers the next time."
They left out the wafers. Tea drink
ing is one of the English customs which
the French cultivate. That is they
cultivate it as much as they can. Tho
government does all it can to dissuade
them by putting a whopping duty on
tea, but of course if the tea is furnished
by somebody else the cost of it doesn't
matter anyway, except to give an added
zest to the enjoyment Some of the
French women there looked as if they
hadn't had tea or much of anything else
in the edible line for a week. They
were nf all kinds. A few wore good,
clothes and wore them well, but it was
not, on the whole, nearly so well-dnaa-ed
a gathering as you would find at a
meeting of American women for the
same purpose.
There were perhaps a score of men
present. AH were French and took
things with a seriousnees and an in
terest which would have astonished
American men. Three of these speak
ers were men. One was a brilliant
French editor, one a French-Canadian
lawyer and the third a Spaniard, a dele
gate to the Peace Congress at the Ex
position. Ha frankly stated at the outset that
he was what they call over here a fern
inist, that is, interested in the develop
ment of women, the bettering of the!r
condition, it possible at any rate, in
the agitation of schemes to secure
changes in the ruling order of their
affairs in the hope of bettering them.
Then he began saying things in earnest
which the American man says in jest.
It was the old French cherchez lafemvie
cropping out. He started iu by saying
that if Frenchmen are not what women
would have tbem be, it is the fault of
the women. He said the same about
French society, even about the French
Government, or rather French politic?.
"The French mother," he said, "holds
her son until he has an establishment
of. his own. She holds her daughter
until she has married her to the man of
her, th? mother's choice. The French
man and the French woman are what
French mothers make them."
Of course this is an old sentiment
but it has a significance in France
which it does not have among the Anglo-Saxon
people. It is especially true
here, and the women and men mur
mured a quick assent. Then the speak
er went on to expand his argument and
say that women were responsible for
other and less palpable results.
"They exalt love of country, or rather,
they insist upon it 00 blindly and so
narrowly, that they help to aggravate
the world's curse of nationalism. Na
tionalism is practically a synonym, in
result, for militarism."
The women began saying "No, no!''
and "Oh, that's absurd!" and "But,
monsieur " and a lot of unintelli
gible protests against which other wo
men protested in their turn.
"It's true." persisted the speaker.
"Nationalism and militarism are in
separable." The murmurs increased. Then one
woman spoke up clearly:
"It isn't necessary to discuss politics
here."
. "This isn't politics."
"But it is politics, and this isn't the
time for it."
"Pardon, madame, it isn't politics, and
anyway I shall continue to speak until
the President requests me to stop."
Thereupon Madame Wright Sewall,
who had been looking dark reproach at
the interrupter, requested the speaker
to proceed. He did, and ended by find
ing that women were responsible fcr
wars as well as pretty much everything
else. Of course, the incident, as the
French would call it, closed before it
became really exciting, but it was
enough to make one long thirstily for a
meeting of French club women where
an American sense of fair play and cour
tesy would not be on hand to suppress
rebellion.
The meeting closed with a long and
graceful speech in French by Madame
Wright Sewall, after which she was del
uged with bouquets in the shape of
speeches from various French women
present.
"Ah, Madame Wright Sewall," said
one, "you have brought us one light
only to rob us of another. You brought
us the light of progress and now ycu
rob us of yourself."
That's better than they do, except on
special occasions, at Sorosis.
"Madame Wright Sewall, here is Mile.
A., who has written some verses in
your honor. It has been a veritable
labor of love for her."
Whereupon the trembling young wo
man placed her hands upon her breast
and burst into poetry of the most fervid
variety.
"It was a beautiful thing," Mrs Se
wall said later to the correspondent.
"As fine as a bit from Victor Hugo.
But really, you know, I haven't been
able to get my packing done today be
cause there has been such a stream of
poets come to recite their sonnets to
me. I finally gave orders that even if
the reeurrected spirit of William Sbaks
pere put in an appearance I would have
to be excused. I'll be able to get out a
volume of sonnets in my honor if I stay
much longer. As it is, I've had to buy
a new trunk to carry the books which
have been given me by the authors.
These people break into poetry about
as naturally as an American woman
breaks into ordinary conversation."
"What do you think of the French
women?"
Mrs. Sewall closed her eyes with an
expression which said that really this
was beyond her. Then she rallied.
"They have all the graces and all the
charm; all the beauty and all the bril
liance," she exclaimed.
"What about the French home life?"
"It is charming. Ab for the fathers,
one of the most vivid of my impressions
of Paris is the number of men I have
seen carrying their children,
"Are the French women given to
clubs?"
"No. There is one woman's club in
Paris and only one. It is not like our
women's clubs, but like those in Lon
don. Like men's clubs, in fact. There
is no raison d'etre for our variety of
women's clubs at Paris. The reason
for their organization at home was to
bring together a number of women who
wanted to instruct their minds about
interesting things and to acquire the
ability to talk entertainingly about
these things. There is no such reason
for the existence of women's clubs in
Paris. The very working girls on the
street talk entertainingly about things
of general interest. Women over here
have broader interests. They know and
care about politics, their own govern
ment and foreign relations, the newest
and oldest things in literature and mu
sic and art. They don't need clubs to
stimulate their interest. All Paris is
one huge club."
"How about education?"
"French women are better educated
than people think they are. Of course
most Freneh girls go to convents, but
there is a great difference in these in
stitutions. In many of them a girl is
well trained in Latin and in French-
That doesn't sound very big, but it
means a good deal. Then there are
four excellent lycees in and around
Paris where the standard at graduation
is about the same as at the junior year
in one of our colleges. The girls who
attend these lycees almost always take
some course of lectures at the Sorbonne
afterward. But the French woman gets
most of her education as she goes, be
cause she reads and talks about other
things of broader interest . than the
American woman. With ub it isn't
really considered the proper thing to
mention religion in polite society. Poli
tics are tabooed and everything which
may possibly involve a difference of
opinion. The consequence iB that we
talk about our neighbors' servants,
clothes and private affairs because it's
all there is le:t to talk about. But the
great difference, at least what impresses
me as the great surface difference be
tween French and American women, is
that the French women have more in
dividuality than we have."
"How many women are coming into
the council?"
"I don't know. Two organizations
are coming in the Feminisms, Chre
tienne and the Congres des Oeuvres et
Institutions des Femmesr The first is
an organization of Catholic women
which manages a great number of
splendid works in France. The other is
composed of women of all shades of
belief and disbelief. That sort of thing v
makes no difference in the council.
However, religion plays a great part
over here and it will mean a good deal
to have all these women for those of
the Feminisms Chretienne are of the
most conservative of the conservatives
come together in the same organization.
I am more than delighted wiih the re
sult of my stay here." New York Sun.
QUENCHING THE THIRST.
At temperatures of 100 degrees and
over a gallon of drinking water a day is
fairly requisite, but the time of taking
it is all-important. The opportunity to
wash out muscular waste without too
much loss by the skin is at night.
After sunBet as much water as possible
should be taken, and throughout the
night water should always be at hand.
After freely drinking thus there is
nothing left to eliminate in the morn
ing and po need of water will be felt in
less than five or six hours of hot ex
ercise. During the dav as little as
possible should be taken, as it is lost in
perspiration. The practical point iB
that an unstinted supply should be
ready as soon as camp is. reached and
always at hand until the morning. If
after that none was allowed till noon it
would be an advantage.
The greatest safety against sunstroke
is in free evaporation from the nape of
the neck. When in good order the nape
should be wet and quite cold to the
touch in the hottest weather. If it is
not perspiring wetting it artificially will
help to start it right. So long as it iB
wet and freely uncovered no discomfort
is felt from any heat, It is obviouB
that high, tight-fitting tunics and col
lars are the worst clothing for such
conditions. Other animals, such as
camels, have also large and very active
sweat-glands on the neck at the base
of the Bkull. The application of some
obvious common sense to the difficulties
found in hot climates would save con
stant suffering and a good deal of
illness.
Professor Flinders Petrie in
London Times.
LORD RUSSELL'S QUICK WIT.
One day before the late Lord Chief
Justice took sick, he was sitting in court
when another barrister, leaning across
the benches during the hearing of a
trial for bigemy, whispeaed: "Russell,
what's the extreme penalty for biga
my?" "Two mothers-in-law," instantly
replied Russell.
On one occasion Lord Russell went to
help the Liberals in a certain campaign.
He began his speech of set purpose
with eome very badly pronounced
Scotch. After the confusion caused
by hiB apparent blunder had subsided
Sir Charles Ruesell (as he then was)
said: "Gentlemen, I do not speak
Scotch, but I vote Scotch." Tremen
dous applause followed, whereupon Sir
Charles proceeded, "and I sometimes
drink Scotch." With this his hold on
the audience was secured.
London Daily News.
"How this Bora creaks when I move
it," said Mr. Tenspot lo hie wife.
"Can't you oil the casters?"
"Th re isn't a drop of castor oil in the
house," replied Mrs. Tenspot.
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