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Another feature of the 1913 convention was the
new method of electing officers; by which a primary
vote was taken on nominations; and afterward a
regular ballot was cast; one officer was added to the
members of the official board; making nine instead
of eight; the former number。 The new officers
elected were Mrs。 Breckenridge of Kentucky; the
great…granddaughter of Henry Clay; and Mrs。
Catherine Ruutz…Rees of Greenwich; Connecticut。
The old officers were re…electedMiss Jane Addams
as first vice…president; Mrs。 Breckenridge and Mrs。
Ruutz…Rees as second and third vice…presidents;
Mrs。 Mary Ware Dennett as corresponding secre…
tary; Mrs。 Susan Fitzgerald as recording secretary;
Mrs。 Stanley McCormack as treasurer; Mrs。 Joseph
Bowen of Chicago and Mrs。 James Lees Laidlaw of
New York City as auditors。
It would be difficult to secure a group of women
of more marked ability; or better…known workers in
various lines of philanthropic and educational work;
than the members composing this admirable board。
At the convention of 1914; held in Nashville; several
of them resigned; and at present (in 1914) the
‘‘National's'' affairs are in the hands of this in…
spiring group; again headed by the much…criticized
and chastened writer of these reminiscences:
Mrs。 Stanley McCormack; first vice…president。
Mrs。 Desha Breckenridge; second vice…president。
Dr。 Katharine B。 Davis; third vice…president。
Mrs。 Henry Wade Rogers; treasurer。
Mrs。 John Clark; corresponding secretary。
Mrs。 Susan Walker Fitzgerald; recording secretary。
Mrs。 Medill McCormack; }
} Auditors
Mrs。 Walter McNabb Miller; of Missouri }
In a book of this size; and covering the details
of my own life as well as the development of the
great Cause; it is; of course; impossible to mention
by name each woman who has worked for us
though; indeed; I would like to make a roll of honor
and give them all their due。 In looking back I am sur…
prised to see how little I have said about many women
with whom I have worked most closelyRachel
Foster Avery; for example; with whom I lived happily
for several years; Ida Husted Harper; the historian
of the suffrage movement and the biographer of Miss
Anthony; with whom I made many delightful voy…
ages to Europe; Alice Stone Blackwell; Rev。 Mary
Saffard; Jane Addams; Katharine Waugh McCul…
lough; Ella Stewart; Mrs。 Mary Wood Swift; Mrs。
Mary S。 Sperry; Mary Cogshall; Florence Kelly;
Mrs。 Ogden Mills Reid and Mrs。 Norman White…
house (to mention only two of the younger ‘‘live
wires'' in our New York work); Sophonisba Breck…
enridge; Mrs。 Clara B。 Arthur; Rev。 Caroline Bart…
lett Crane; Mrs。 James Lees Laidlaw; Mrs。 Raymond
Brown; the splendidly executive president of our
New York State Suffrage Association; and my bene…
factress; Mrs。 George Howard Lewis of Buffalo。 To
all of them; and to thousands of others; I make my
grateful acknowledgment of indebtedness for friend…
ship and for help。
XVI
COUNCIL EPISODES
I have said much of the interest attending the
international meetings held in Chicago; London;
Berlin; and Stockholm。 That I have said less about
those in Copenhagen; Geneva; The Hague; Budapest;
and other cities does not mean that these were less
important; and certainly the wonderful women
leaders of Europe who made them so brilliant must
not be passed over in silence。
First; however; the difference between the Suf…
frage Alliance meetings and the International Coun…
cil meetings should be explained。 The Council
meetings are made up of societies from the various
nations which are auxiliary to the International
Councilthese societies representing all lines of
women's activities; whether educational; industrial;
or social; while the membership; including more
than eleven million women; represents probably the
largest organization of women in the world。 The
International Suffrage Alliance represents the suf…
frage interest primarily; whereas the International
Council has only a suffrage department。 So popu…
lar did this International Alliance become after its
formation in Berlin by Mrs。 Catt; in 1904; that at
the Copenhagen meeting; only three years later;
more than sixteen different nations were represented
by regular delegates。
It was unfortunate; therefore; that I chose this
occasion to make a spectacular personal failure in
the pulpit。 I had been invited to preach the con…
vention sermon; and for the first time in my life
I had an interpreter。 Few experiences; I believe;
can be more unpleasant than to stand up in a pul…
pit; utter a remark; and then wait patiently while it
is repeated in a tongue one does not understand; by
a man who is putting its gist in his own words and
quite possibly giving it his own interpretative twist。
I was very unhappy; and I fear I showed it; for I
felt; as I looked at the faces of those friends who
understood Danish; that they were not getting what
I was giving them。 Nor were they; for I afterward
learned that the interpreter; a good orthodox
brother; had given the sermon an ultra…orthodox
bias which those who knew my creed certainly did
not recognize。 The whole experience greatly dis…
heartened me; but no doubt it was good for my
soul。
During the Copenhagen meeting we were given
a banquet by the City Council; and in the course of
his speech of welcome one of the city fathers airily
remarked that he hoped on our next visit to Copen…
hagen there would be women members in the Council
to receive us。 At the time this seemed merely a
pleasant jest; but two years from that day a bill
was enacted by Parliament granting municipal suf…
frage to the women of Denmark; and seven women
were elected to the City Council of Copenhagen。
So rapidly does the woman suffrage movement grow
in these inspiring days!
Recalling the International Council of 1899 in
London; one of my most vivid pictures has Queen
Victoria for its central figure。 The English court
was in mourning at the time and no public audiences
were being held; but we were invited to Windsor
with the understanding that; although the Queen
could not formally receive us; she would pass
through our lines; receiving Lady Aberdeen and
giving the rest of us an opportunity to courtesy
and obtain Her Majesty's recognition of the Cause。
The Queen arranged with her chamberlain that we
should be given tea and a collation; but before this
refreshment was served; indeed immediately after
our arrival; she entered her familiar little pony…cart
and was driven slowly along lines of bowing women
who must have looked like a wheat…field in a high
wind。
Among us was a group of Indian women; and
these; dressed in their native costumes; contributed
a picturesque bit of brilliant color to the scene as
they deeply salaamed。 They arrested the eye of
t