第19章

类别:其他 作者:Olive Schreiner字数:9556更新时间:19/01/07 15:11:14
servativeCreolefamiliesandotherfamilieswhosewomenwereunwillingtovoteinpublic,andshecollectedtheirproxieswhileincidentallysheshowedthemwhatpositiontheyheldunderthelaw。 Witheachproxyitwasnecessarytohavethesigna— tureofawitness,butaccordingtotheLouisianalawnowomancouldwitnessalegaldocument。MissGordonwasdrivenfromplacetoplacebyhercoloredcoachman,andaftershehadsecuredtheproxyofhertemporaryhostessitwasusuallydiscoveredthattherewasnomanaroundtheplacetoactasawit— ness。ThiswasMissGordon’sopportunity。Withasmileofgreatsweetnessshewouldsay,``IwillhaveSamcomeinandhelpusout’’;andthecoloredcoachmanwouldgetdownfromhisbox,andbyscrawlinghissignatureontheproxyofthearisto— craticladyhewouldgiveitthelegalvalueitlacked。 InthiswayMissGordonsecuredthreehundredproxies,andthreehundredveryconservativewomenhadanopportunitytocomparetheirlegalstandingwithSam’s。Thedrainagebillwascarriedandin— terestinwomansuffragedevelopedsteadily。 ThespecialincidentoftheBuffaloconventionof1908wasthereceiptofanotewhichwaspasseduptomeasIsatontheplatform。WhenIopeneditacheckdroppedout——achecksolargethatIwassureithadbeensentbymistake。However,afteraskingoneortwofriendsontheplatformifIhadreaditcorrectly,IannouncedtotheaudiencethatifacertainamountweresubscribedimmediatelyI wouldrevealasecret——averyinterestingsecret。 Audiencesareascuriousasindividuals。Theamountwasatoncesubscribed。ThenIheldupacheckfor$10,000,givenforourcampaignworkbyMrs。 GeorgeHowardLewis,inmemoryofSusanB。An— thony,andIreadtotheaudiencethecharmingletterthataccompaniedit。Themoneywasusedduringthecampaignsofthefollowingyear——partofitinWashington,whereanamendmentwasalreadysubmitted。 InapreviouschapterIhavedescribedtheestab— lishmentofourNewYorkheadquartersasaresultofthegenerousofferofMrs。O。H。P。BelmontattheSeattleconventionin1909。DuringourfirstyearinthesebeautifulFifthAvenueroomsMrs。 PankhurstmadeherfirstvisittoAmerica,andwegaveherareceptionthere。This,however,wasbeforetheadoptionofthedestructivemethodswhichhavesincemarkedtheactivitiesofthebandofmilitantsuffragistsofwhichMrs。Pankhurstispresident。TherehasneverbeenanysympathyamongAmericansuffragistsforthemilitantsuffragemovementinEngland,andpersonallyIamwhollyopposedtoit。Idonotbelieveinwarinanyform; andifviolenceonthepartofmenisundesirableinachievingtheirends,itismuchmoresoonthepartofwomen;forwomenneverappeartolessadvan— tagethaninphysicalcombatswithmen。AsformilitancyinAmerica,nogenerationthatattempteditcouldwin。Novictorycouldcometousinanystatewheremilitantmethodsweretried。Theyareundignified,unworthy——inotherwords,un—Ameri— can。 TheWashingtonconventionof1910wasgracedbythepresenceofPresidentTaft,who,atthein— vitationofMrs。RachelFosterAvery,madeanaddress。Itwasunderstood,ofcourse,thathewastocomeoutstronglyforwomansuffrage;but,toourgreatdisappointment,thePresident,amostcharmingandlikablegentleman,seemedunabletograspthesignificanceoftheoccasion。Hebeganhisaddresswithfulsomepraiseofwomen,whichwasacceptedinrespectfulsilence。Thenhegotroundtowomansuffrage,flounderedhelplessly,becameconfused,andendedwiththemostunfortunatelychosenwordshecouldhaveuttered:``Iamop— posed,’’hesaid,``totheextensionofsuffragetowomennotfittedtovote。Youwouldhardlyexpecttoputtheballotintothehandsofbarbariansorsavagesinthejungle!’’ Thedroppingoftheseremarkablewordsintoasuffrageconventionwasnaturallyfollowedbyanoppressivesilence,whichMr。Taft,nowwhollybereftofhisself—possession,brokebysayingthatthebestwomenwouldnotvoteandtheworstwomenwould。 Inhisaudienceweremanywomenfromsuffragestates——high—mindedwomen,wivesandmothers,whohadvotedforMr。Taft。Theremarkstowhichtheyhadjustlistenedmusthaveseemedtothemapoorreturn。Someonehissed——someman,somewoman——nooneknowswhichexcepttheculprit—— andademonstrationstartedwhichIimmediatelysilenced。ThenthePresidentfinishedhisaddress。 Hewasverygracioustouswhenheleft,shakinghandswithmanyofus,andbeingespeciallycordialtoSenatorOwens’sagedmother,whohadcometotheconventiontohearhimmakehismaidenspeechonwomansuffrage。IhaveoftenwonderedwhathethoughtofthatspeechashedrovebacktotheWhiteHouse。Probablyheregrettedasearnestlyaswedidthathehadmadeit。 In1912,atanofficialboardmeetingatBrynMawr,Mrs。StanleyMcCormackwasappointedtofillavacancyontheNationalBoard。Sub— sequentlyshecontributed$6,000towardthepay— mentofdebtsincidenttoourtemporaryconnec— tionwiththeWoman’sJournalofBoston,anddidmuchefficientworkforus,Tome,personally,theentranceofMrs。StanleyMcCormackintoourworkhasbeenasourceofthedeepestgrati— ficationandcomfort。IcantrulysayofherwhatSusanB。Anthonysaidofme,``Sheismyrightbower。’’AtNashville,in1914,shewaselectedfirstvice—president,andtoaremarkabledegreeshehassincerelievedmeoftheburdenofthetechnicalworkofthepresidency,includingtheoversightoftheworkatheadquarters。Tothisshegivesallhertime,aidedbyanexecutivesecretarywhotakeschargeoftheroutineworkoftheassociation。Shehasthusmadeitpossibleformetogivethegreaterpartofmytimetothefieldinwhichsuchinspiringopportunitiesstillconfrontus——campaignworkinthevariousstates。 ToMrs。MedillMcCormackalsoweareindebtedformostadmirableworkandenthusiasticsupport。 AttheWashington(D。C。)conventionin1913shewasmadethechairmanoftheCongressionalCom— mittee,withMrs。AntoinetteFunk,Mrs。HelenGardnerofWashington,andMrs。BoothofChicagoasherassistants。Theresultstheyachievedweresobrilliantthattheywereunanimouslyre—electedtothesamepositionsthisyear,withtheadditionofMissJeannetteRankin,whoseenergyandservicehadhelpedtowinforusthestateofMontana。 ItwaslargelyduetotheworkofthisCongress— ionalCommittee,supportedbythelargenumberofstateswhichhadbeenwonforsuffrage,thatwesecuredsuchanexcellentvoteintheLowerHouseofCongressonthebilltoamendthenationalCon— stitutiongrantingsuffragetothewomenoftheUnitedStates。Thismeasure,knownastheSusanB。Anthonybill,hadbeenintroducedintoeveryCongressforforty—threeyearsbytheNationalWomanSuffrageAssociation。In1914,forthefirsttime,itwasbroughtoutofcommittee,debated,andvoteduponintheLowerHouse。Wereceived174votesinfavorofitto204againstit。Thepreviousspring,inthesameCongress,thesamebillpassedtheSenateby35votesforitto33votesagainstit。 ThemostinterestingfeaturesoftheWashingtonconventionof1913werethelabormass—meetingsledbyJaneAddamsandthehearingbeforetheRulesCommitteeoftheLowerHouseofCon— gress——thelatterthefirsthearingeverheldbe— forethisCommitteeforthepurposeofsecuringaCommitteeonSuffrageintheLowerHousetocorrespondwithasimilarcommitteeintheSen— ate。Formanyyearswehadhadhearingsbe— foretheJudiciaryCommitteeoftheLowerHouse,whichwassuchabusycommitteethatithadneithertimenorinteresttogivetoourmeasure。Wethere— foreconsidereditnecessarytohaveaspecialcom— mitteeofourown。ThehearingbeganonthemorningofWednesday,thethirdofDecember,andlastedfortwohours。Thentheanti—suffragistsweregiventime,andtheirhearingbeganthefollowingday,continuedthroughoutthatdayandduringthemorningofthenextday,whenourNationalAssociationwasgivenanopportunityforrebuttalargumentintheafternoon。Itwasthelongesthear— inginthehistoryofthesuffragemovement,andoneofthemostimportant。 DuringthesessionofCongressin1914anotherstrenuouseffortwasmadetosecuretheappoint— mentofaspecialsuffragecommitteeintheLowerHouse。Butwhensuccessbegantoloomlargebe— foreustheDemocratswerecalledincaucusbytheminorityleader,Mr。Underwood,ofAlabama,andtheydownedourmeasurebyavoteof127againstitto58forit。ThiswasevidentlydonebytheDemocratsbecauseofthefearthattheunitedvotesofRepublicanandProgressivemembers,withthoseofcertainDemocraticmembers,wouldcarrythemeasure;whereasifthiscaucuswerecalled,andanunfavorablevotetaken,``thegentlemen’sagree— ment’’whichcontrolsDemocraticpartyactioninCongresswouldforceDemocratsinfavorofsuffragetovoteagainsttheappointmentofthecommittee,whichofcoursewouldinsureitsdefeat。 Thecaucusblockedtheappointmentofthecom— mittee,butitgavegreatencouragementtothesuf— fragistsofthecountry,fortheyknewittobeatacitadmissionthatthemeasurewouldreceiveafavor— ablevoteifitcamebeforeCongressunhampered。 Anotherfeatureofthe1913conventionwasthenewmethodofelectingofficers,bywhichaprimaryvotewastakenonnominations,andafterwardaregularballotwascast;oneofficerwasaddedtothemembersoftheofficialboard,makingnineinsteadofeight,theformernumber。ThenewofficerselectedwereMrs。BreckenridgeofKentucky,thegreat—granddaughterofHenryClay,andMrs。 CatherineRuutz—ReesofGreenwich,Connecticut。 Theoldofficerswerere—elected——MissJaneAddamsasfirstvice—president,Mrs。BreckenridgeandMrs。 Ruutz—Reesassecondandthirdvice—presidents,Mrs。MaryWareDennettascorrespondingsecre— tary,Mrs。SusanFitzgeraldasrecordingsecretary,Mrs。StanleyMcCormackastreasurer,Mrs。JosephBowenofChicagoandMrs。JamesLeesLaidlawofNewYorkCityasauditors。 Itwouldbedifficulttosecureagroupofwomenofmoremarkedability,orbetter—knownworkersinvariouslinesofphilanthropicandeducationalwork,thanthememberscomposingthisadmirableboard。 Attheconventionof1914,heldinNashville,severalofthemresigned,andatpresent(in1914)the``National’s’’affairsareinthehandsofthisin— spiringgroup,againheadedbythemuch—criticizedandchastenedwriterofthesereminiscences: Mrs。StanleyMcCormack,firstvice—president。 Mrs。DeshaBreckenridge,secondvice—president。 Dr。KatharineB。Davis,thirdvice—president。 Mrs。HenryWadeRogers,treasurer。 Mrs。JohnClark,correspondingsecretary。 Mrs。SusanWalkerFitzgerald,recordingsecretary。 Mrs。MedillMcCormack,} }AuditorsMrs。WalterMcNabbMiller,ofMissouri} Inabookofthissize,andcoveringthedetailsofmyownlifeaswellasthedevelopmentofthegreatCause,itis,ofcourse,impossibletomentionbynameeachwomanwhohasworkedforus—— though,indeed,Iwouldliketomakearollofhonorandgivethemalltheirdue。InlookingbackIamsur— prisedtoseehowlittleIhavesaidaboutmanywomenwithwhomIhaveworkedmostclosely——RachelFosterAvery,forexample,withwhomIlivedhappilyforseveralyears;IdaHustedHarper,thehistorianofthesuffragemovementandthebiographerofMissAnthony,withwhomImademanydelightfulvoy— agestoEurope;AliceStoneBlackwell,Rev。MarySaffard,JaneAddams,KatharineWaughMcCul— lough,EllaStewart,Mrs。MaryWoodSwift,Mrs。 MaryS。Sperry,MaryCogshall,FlorenceKelly,Mrs。OgdenMillsReidandMrs。NormanWhite— house(tomentiononlytwooftheyounger``livewires’’inourNewYorkwork),SophonisbaBreck— enridge,Mrs。ClaraB。Arthur,Rev。CarolineBart— lettCrane,Mrs。JamesLeesLaidlaw,Mrs。RaymondBrown,thesplendidlyexecutivepresidentofourNewYorkStateSuffrageAssociation,andmybene— factress,Mrs。GeorgeHowardLewisofBuffalo。Toallofthem,andtothousandsofothers,Imakemygratefulacknowledgmentofindebtednessforfriend— shipandforhelp。 XVI COUNCILEPISODES IhavesaidmuchoftheinterestattendingtheinternationalmeetingsheldinChicago,London,Berlin,andStockholm。ThatIhavesaidlessaboutthoseinCopenhagen,Geneva,TheHague,Budapest,andothercitiesdoesnotmeanthatthesewerelessimportant,andcertainlythewonderfulwomenleadersofEuropewhomadethemsobrilliantmustnotbepassedoverinsilence。 First,however,thedifferencebetweentheSuf— frageAlliancemeetingsandtheInternationalCoun— cilmeetingsshouldbeexplained。TheCouncilmeetingsaremadeupofsocietiesfromthevariousnationswhichareauxiliarytotheInternationalCouncil——thesesocietiesrepresentingalllinesofwomen’sactivities,whethereducational,industrial,orsocial,whilethemembership,includingmorethanelevenmillionwomen,representsprobablythelargestorganizationofwomenintheworld。TheInternationalSuffrageAlliancerepresentsthesuf— frageinterestprimarily,whereastheInternationalCouncilhasonlyasuffragedepartment。Sopopu— lardidthisInternationalAlliancebecomeafteritsformationinBerlinbyMrs。Catt,in1904,thatattheCopenhagenmeeting,onlythreeyearslater,morethansixteendifferentnationswererepresentedbyregulardelegates。 Itwasunfortunate,therefore,thatIchosethisoccasiontomakeaspectacularpersonalfailureinthepulpit。Ihadbeeninvitedtopreachthecon— ventionsermon,andforthefirsttimeinmylifeIhadaninterpreter。Fewexperiences,Ibelieve,canbemoreunpleasantthantostandupinapul— pit,utteraremark,andthenwaitpatientlywhileitisrepeatedinatongueonedoesnotunderstand,byamanwhoisputtingitsgistinhisownwordsandquitepossiblygivingithisowninterpretativetwist。 Iwasveryunhappy,andIfearIshowedit,forI felt,asIlookedatthefacesofthosefriendswhounderstoodDanish,thattheywerenotgettingwhatIwasgivingthem。Norwerethey,forIafterwardlearnedthattheinterpreter,agoodorthodoxbrother,hadgiventhesermonanultra—orthodoxbiaswhichthosewhoknewmycreedcertainlydidnotrecognize。Thewholeexperiencegreatlydis— heartenedme,butnodoubtitwasgoodformysoul。 DuringtheCopenhagenmeetingweweregivenabanquetbytheCityCouncil,andinthecourseofhisspeechofwelcomeoneofthecityfathersairilyremarkedthathehopedonournextvisittoCopen— hagentherewouldbewomenmembersintheCounciltoreceiveus。Atthetimethisseemedmerelyapleasantjest,buttwoyearsfromthatdayabillwasenactedbyParliamentgrantingmunicipalsuf— fragetothewomenofDenmark,andsevenwomenwereelectedtotheCityCouncilofCopenhagen。 Sorapidlydoesthewomansuffragemovementgrowintheseinspiringdays! RecallingtheInternationalCouncilof1899inLondon,oneofmymostvividpictureshasQueenVictoriaforitscentralfigure。TheEnglishcourtwasinmourningatthetimeandnopublicaudienceswerebeingheld;butwewereinvitedtoWindsorwiththeunderstandingthat,althoughtheQueencouldnotformallyreceiveus,shewouldpassthroughourlines,receivingLadyAberdeenandgivingtherestofusanopportunitytocourtesyandobtainHerMajesty’srecognitionoftheCause。 TheQueenarrangedwithherchamberlainthatweshouldbegiventeaandacollation;butbeforethisrefreshmentwasserved,indeedimmediatelyafterourarrival,sheenteredherfamiliarlittlepony—cartandwasdrivenslowlyalonglinesofbowingwomenwhomusthavelookedlikeawheat—fieldinahighwind。 AmonguswasagroupofIndianwomen,andthese,dressedintheirnativecostumes,contributedapicturesquebitofbrilliantcolortothesceneastheydeeplysalaamed。TheyarrestedtheeyeoftheQueen,whostoppedandspokeafewcordialwordstothem。Thisgavetherestofusanexcellentopportunitytoobserveherclosely,andIadmitthatmyEnglishbloodstirredinmesuddenlyandloyallyasIstudiedtheplumplittlefigure。Shewasdressedentirelyandverysimplyinblack,withaquaintflatblackhatandablackcape。Theonlybitofcoloraboutherwasablack—and—whiteparasolwithagoldhandle。Itwas,however,herfacewhichheldme,foritgavemeawhollydifferentimpressionoftheQueenfromthoseIhadreceivedfromherphotographs。Herpicturedeyeswerealwaysrathercold,andherpicturedfaceratherhaughty;buttherewasaverysweetandwinningsoftnessintheeyessheturnedupontheIndianwomen,andherwholeexpressionwasunexpectedlygentleandbenignant。 Behindher,asapersonalattendant,strodeanenormousEast—Indianinfullnativecostume,andcloselysurroundingherweregentlemenofherhouse— hold,eachinuniform。 Bythistimemythoughtswereonmycourtesy,whichIdesiredtomakeconventionalifnotgrace— ful;butnaturehasnotmadeiteasyformetodoubletotheearthasLadyAberdeenandtheIn— dianwomenweredoing,andIfearIaccomplishedlittlesaveanexhibitionofgoodintentions。TheQueen,however,wasgettingintothespiritoftheoccasion。ShestoppedtospeaktoaCanadianrepresentative,andshewould,Ithink,haveendedbytalkingtomanyothers;but,justatthepsycho— logicalmoment,awomanrushedoutoftheline,seizedHerMajesty’shandandkissedit——andVic— toria,startledandpossiblyfearingageneralon— slaught,hurriedlypassedon。 AnotherpictureIrecallwasmadebytheDuchessofSutherland,theCountessofAberdeen,andtheCountessofWarwickstandingtogethertoreceiveusatthefootofthemarblestairwayinSutherlandHouse。Allofthemliterallyblazedwithjewels,andtheCountessofAberdeenworethefamousAber— deenemerald。AtLadyBattersea’sreceptionIhadmyfirstmemorialmeetingwithMaryAndersonNavarro,andwasabletothankherforthepleasureshehadgivenmeinBostonsolongago。ThenI reproachedhermildlyfortakingherselfawayfromus,pointingoutthatagreatgifthadbeengivenherwhichsheshouldhavecontinuedtosharewiththeworld。 ``Comeandseemybaby,’’laughedMadameNavarro。``That’sthebestargumentIcanoffertorefuteyours。’’ AtthesamereceptionIhadaninterestingtalkwithJamesBryce。HehadrecentlywrittenhisAmericanCommonwealth,andIhadjustreadit。 Itwas,therefore,thefirstsubjectIintroducedinourconversation。Mr。Bryce’scommentamusedme。Hetoldmehehadquitechangedhisopiniontowardthesuffrageaspirationsofwomen,becausesomanywomenhadreadhisbookthathereallybelievedtheywereintelligent,andhehadcometofeelmuchmorekindlytowardthem。Thesewerenothisexactwords,buthismeaningwasunmistak— ableandhismentalattitudeartlesslysincere。And,onreflection,IagreewithhimthattheAmericanCommonwealthissomethingofanintellectualhurdlefortheaveragehumanmind。 In1908theInternationalCouncilwasheldinGeneva,andhere,forthefirsttime,wewereshown,asentertainment,thedancesofacountry——thescenebeinganespeciallybrilliantone,asallthedancersworetheirnativecostumes。Also,forthefirsttimeinthehistoryofGeneva,thebuildingsofParliamentwereopenedtowomenandawoman’sorganizationwasgiventhekeytothecity。AtthattimetheSwisswomenweremakingtheirfightforavoteinchurchmatters,andwehelpedtheircauseasmuchaswecould。To—daymanySwisswomenarepermittedtoexercisethisright——thefirstpoliticalprivilegefreeSwitzerlandhasgiventhem。 TheInternationalAlliancemeetinginAmster— damin1909wasthelargesthelduptothattime,andmuchofitssuccesswasduetoDr。AlettaJacobs,thepresidentoftheNationalSuffrageAssociationofHolland。Dr。Jacobshadsomewonderfulhelpersamongthewomenofhercountry,andsheherselfwasanidealleader——patient,enthusiastic,andtire— less。ThatyearthegovernmentsofAustralia,Nor— way,andFinlandpaidtheexpensesofthedelegatesfromthosecountries——ahearteninginnovation。OneoftheinterestingfeaturesofthemeetingwasacantatacomposedfortheoccasionandgivenbytheQueen’sRoyalBand,underthedirectionofawoman——CatharinevanRennes,oneofthemostdistinguishedcomposersandteachersinHolland。 Shewrotebothwordsandmusicofhercantataanddirecteditadmirably;andthemusiciansoftheQueen’sBandenteredfullyintoitsspiritandplayedlikemeninspired。Thatnightwehadmoremusic,aswellasanever—to—be—forgottenexhibitionoffolk— dancing。 Thesameyear,inJune,weheldthemeetingoftheInternationalCouncilinToronto,and,asCanadahasneverbeeneagerlyinterestedinsuffrage,anun— successfuleffortwasmadetoexcludethissubjectfromtheprogramme。IwasaskedtopresideatthesuffragemeetingsontheartlessandobvioustheorythatIwouldthusbekepttoobusytosaymuch。 IhadhopedthattheCountessofAberdeen,whowasthepresidentoftheInternationalCouncil,wouldtakethechair;butshedeclinedtodothis,oreventospeak,astheEarlofAberdeenhadrecentlybeenappointedViceroyofIreland,andshedesiredtosparehimanyembarrassmentwhichmightbecausedbyherpublicactivities。Werecognizedthewisdomofherdecision,but,ofcourse,regrettedit;andIwasthereforeespeciallypleasedwhen,onsuffragenight,thecountess,accompaniedbyheraidesintheirbrilliantuniforms,enteredthehall。 Wehadnotbeensurethatshewouldbewithus,butsheenteredinherusualcharmingandgra— ciousmanner,tookaseatbesidemeontheplatform,andshowedadeepinterestintheprogrammeandthegreatgatheringbeforeus。 AsthemeetingwentonIsawthatshewasgrow— ingmoreandmoreenthusiastic,andtowardtheendoftheeveningIquietlyaskedherifshedidnotwishtosayafewwords。Shesaidshewouldsayaveryfew。Ihadputmyselfattheendoftheprogramme,intendingtotalkabouttwentyminutes; butbeforebeginningmyspeechIintroducedthecountess,andbythistimeshewassoenthusiasticthat,tomygreatdelight,sheusedupmytwentyminutesinacapitalspeechinwhichshecameoutvigorouslyforwomansuffrage。Itgaveusthebestandtimeliesthelpwecouldhavehad,andwasagreatimpetustothemovement。