The History of Woman Suffrage Volume V Part 53

The culminating feature, arranged by Mrs. Richard E. Edwards, was a living "ratification valentine." On the stage was disclosed a big heart of silver and blue and in the opening appeared one after another the faces of the presidents of the States whose Legislatures had ratified and they recited caustic but good humored rhymes at the expense of the women whose States were still in outer darkness. It was a hilarious occasion greatly enjoyed by the younger suffragists and those who had come late into the movement. Many memories were awakened, however, in those older in years and service of the days when conventions were largely a time of serious conferences and impa.s.sioned appeal; a time when one banquet table was all sufficient but those who gathered around it were very near and dear to each other as they consecrated themselves anew to continue the work till the hour of victory, which seemed very far ahead.

The 14th of February was the seventy-third birthday of Dr. Shaw, who had died the preceding July 2, and the 15th was the one hundredth of Susan B. Anthony, falling on Sunday this year, but it was arranged to have the memorial services for Dr. Shaw on the afternoon of this day.

The following program was carried out:

MEMORIAL TO DR. ANNA HOWARD SHAW Fourth Presbyterian Church Corner Lake Sh.o.r.e Drive and Delaware Place Dr. Stone, pastor of the church, presiding.

Sunday, February 15, 1921.

"She was a genuine American with all the qualities which in fiction collect about that name but which are not so often seen in real life; an American with the measureless patience, the deep and gentle humor, the whimsical and tolerant philosophy and the dauntless courage, physical as well as moral, which we find most satisfyingly displayed in Lincoln, of all our heroes."--New York _Times_.

Organ Prelude, "In Memoriam."

Anthem by Choir, "How blest are they."

Invocation.

Anthem, "Crossing the bar."

Scripture Lesson, Bishop Samuel Fallows, D.D., LL.D.

Greetings and Communications, Miss Caroline Ruutz-Rees.

Address--Memory Pictures, Mrs. Florence Cotnam.

Anthem--The Shepherds and Wise Men. (Composed for this occasion by Witter Bynner and A. Madely Richardson.) Address--The Courageous Leader, Mrs. James Lees Laidlaw.

Address--Reminiscences, Miss Jane Addams.

Address--Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt.

A Closing Word, Rev. John Timothy Stone, D.D., LL.D.

The Last Farewell, Dr. Caroline Bartlett Crane.

Hymn--"My Country 'Tis of Thee."

Benediction.

Choir Refrain.

Organ Postlude--Toccata.

Eric Delamater, formerly director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, was the organist. It was a most impressive occasion with many evidences of deep feeling, and, although it was a church service, the audience responded with warm applause as Mrs. Catt closed her eulogy with this beautiful comparison: "A significant ceremony is performed each Easter in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. In the wall that encloses the tomb of Christ there is an opening which on Easter Sunday is surrounded by priests of the shrine carrying unlighted candles. It is believed that the candles are touched into flame by a holy fire emanating from Divinity through this opening.

Also provided with candles are the worshippers who throng the church, the nearby receiving their light from the priests and pa.s.sing it on until every candle is aflame. Men nearest the door hasten to light the candles of hors.e.m.e.n outside who speed away on the mission of torchbearer to every home, so that by nightfall the candles on every altar burn with a new brightness that has been transmitted from the holy fire. Likewise the fire of inspiration, kindled in the great soul of Anna Howard Shaw, touched into flame the zeal and courage of her messengers, who in turn reached the homes throughout the nation with her fervor and power."

[Dr. Shaw had given forty-five years of consecrated devotion to the cause of woman suffrage and this was the first national convention for nearly thirty years without the inspiration of her presence. She first met Miss Anthony at the International Council of Women in Washington in 1888 and from that time gave her the deepest affection and truest allegiance. While the years went by she became nearer and dearer to Miss Anthony and was loved by her beyond all others. As an orator she played upon the whole gamut of human emotions, lifting her audiences to intellectual heights, touching their sentiment with her exquisite pathos, convincing them with her keen logic and winning their hearts with her irresistible humor. People not only admired but loved her, and this was true not alone in the United States but in all parts of the world, as she had addressed international congresses in most of the large cities of Europe. She lived to see the submission by Congress of the Federal Suffrage Amendment and to render most valuable a.s.sistance to her country during the World War as chairman of the Woman's Committee of the Council of National Defense, and she died in its service.]

There was considerable discussion in the convention of a suitable memorial to Dr. Shaw and finally a resolution was adopted that the a.s.sociation establish an official joint memorial--at Bryn Mawr College a Foundation in Politics and at the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania a Foundation in Preventive Medicine--as a fitting continuation of her life work;[128] that a committee be appointed to carry out the project by appealing to the women throughout the country and that this committee be incorporated and a.s.sume the financial responsibility.[129] The Chair presented as the first donation towards the fund a check of $1,000 sent by Mrs. George Howard Lewis of Buffalo, in memory of Dr. Shaw on her birthday. The gift was accompanied by an eloquent tribute from Mrs. Lewis, an intimate and devoted friend of nearly twenty years, in which she gave beautiful quotations from Dr. Shaw's letters and an extract from her charming autobiography, The Story of a Pioneer.[130]

As had long been the custom the officers of the a.s.sociation gave an informal reception to the delegates and friends on Sunday evening.

This took place in the Congress Hotel and they were a.s.sisted by the local committee of arrangements.

The final report of the Oversea Hospitals maintained by the National a.s.sociation, as given by Mrs. Charles L. Tiffany, chairman, and Mrs.

Raymond Brown, general director in France, is in the chapter on the War Work of Organized Suffragists.

A brief report of the Leslie Bureau of Education was made by Miss Young who said: "The Leslie Bureau was founded by Mrs. Catt in 1917, as administratrix of the fortune left to her to promote the cause of suffrage by Mrs. Frank Leslie. Mrs. Catt cherished the view that if the public were thoroughly educated on the subject of suffrage it would be wholly in favor of it. She proposed to set aside a large part of the Leslie fund for use in channels of education. I was appointed director of the bureau and departmentalized it under the following heads: News, Field Work, Features, Research.... The _Woman Citizen_ was termed "an adventure in journalism." Miss Young was editor-in-chief and business manager and Miss Mary Ogden White was a.s.sociate editor. "The great body of testimony shows," she said, "that the service of the magazine has been at all times indispensable."

Miss Esther G. Ogden, president of the National Woman Suffrage Publishing Co., supplemented Mrs. Shuler's report of its dissolution, paid a tribute to its board of directors and said: "In reviewing the six years of the company's existence a few facts come to my mind which I think may interest you. We have printed and distributed over 50,000,000 pieces of literature. Besides supplying suffrage material to practically every State in the Union we have filled orders from Switzerland, France, Italy, Great Britain, Norway, Canada, Philippine Islands, Hawaiian Islands, Porto Rico, Argentina, China and j.a.pan.

Recently we have been asked to send a complete line of our publications to the new American Library in Rome, Italy, and nearly every day we receive requests for pamphlets from libraries all over the United States and from universities for their extension courses.

My correspondence and a.s.sociation with suffragists over the country through the Publishing Company will ever be among the happiest memories of my life."

Almost every State president submitted a report of vigorous work either to secure the suffrage or where this had been done to organize and put into operation a League of Women Voters. Never before in the history of the National a.s.sociation had so much interest and activity been manifest in the States.

The Pioneer Suffrage Luncheon with Mrs. McCormick presiding brought together many of the older workers, whose rejoicing over the final victory after their long years of toil and sacrifice such as the younger ones had never known, was lessened by the thought that this was the last of the love feasts which they had shared together for many decades. The response to the leading toast--What the Modern Woman Owes to the Pioneers--was made by the Rev. Olympia Brown, now eighty-four years old, whose excellent voice was not equalled among any of the younger women. Songs, reminiscences and clever, informal speeches contributed to a most delightful afternoon.

It had been a keen disappointment that the Jubilee Convention of the preceding year--March, 1919--which marked the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the a.s.sociation, could not have celebrated the submission of the Federal Suffrage Amendment but this had to await a new Congress. Now it was almost unendurable that this commemoration of Miss Anthony's one hundredth birthday could not have been glorified by the proclamation that this amendment was forever a part of the National Const.i.tution. However, by the time another month had rolled by, this culmination of her life work awaited the ratification of only one more Legislature and it was so universally recognized as near at hand that this last meeting could appropriately be termed the Victory Convention. Following is the program of the celebration of her centenary:

SUSAN B. ANTHONY CENTENARY CELEBRATION.

"To me Susan B. Anthony was an unceasing inspiration--the torch that illumined my life. We went through some difficult times together--years when we fought hard for each inch of headway gained--but I found full compensation for every effort in the glory of working with her for the cause that was first in our hearts and in the happiness of being her trusted friend."--Anna Howard Shaw.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1920, 2 p. m.

What Happened in Ten Decades Briefly Told:

1820-1830--The Age of Mobs and Eggs.

Mrs. E. F. Feickert, president of New Jersey.

1830-1840--The First School Suffrage.

Mrs. Desha Breckenridge, president of Kentucky.

1840-1850--The Dawn of Property Rights.

Mrs. Walter McNab Miller, former president of Missouri.

1850-1860--The First High School for Girls.

Miss Alice Stone Blackwell, president of Ma.s.sachusetts.

1860-1870--The World's First Full Suffrage.

Dr. Grace Raymond Hebard, professor of Political Science, University of Wyoming.

1870-1880--The Negro's Hour.

Mrs. Henry Youmans, president of Wisconsin.

1880-1890--The First Munic.i.p.al Suffrage.

Mrs. William A. Johnston, president of Kansas.

1890-1900--Suffrage Spreads.

Mrs. Ida Porter Boyer, former press director of Pennsylvania.

1900-1910--Ridicule Gives Way to Argument, Indifference to to Organization.

Mrs. Harriet Taylor Upton, president of Ohio.

1910-1920--The Portent of Victory.

Mrs. Raymond Brown, national vice-president.

Miss Anthony--An Appreciation, Mrs. Harriette Taylor Treadwell, member of the Illinois board.

Miss Anthony--A Historical Recognition, Mrs. Helen H. Gardener, national vice-president.

THE SUFFRAGE HONOR ROLL.