THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S CONGRESS.

(SECOND ARTICLE.)

(From Our Special Correspondent.)

CIVIL DISABILITIES, LABOUR LEGISLATION AND THE SERVANT QUESTION.

THE FUN OF THE FAIR

WHAT THE CONGRESS ACCOM-

PLISHED.

LONDON, July 14.

The programme of the Congress was too comprehensive, eight to twelve papers was the allowance for the morning's work, and this meant that each paper could touch but briefly on its subject, that the audience was given too great a variety of topics to digest, and that insufficient time was left for general discussion. hewer and fuller papers on a smaller variety of topics and a more thorough threshing out of the views expressed wotucl have been more to the point. Often the papers were bald statements of facts from which no inference was drawn, and no indication afforded o± the reform desired. CIVIL DISABILITIES. Thus in the "Civil Disabilities" section, which atracted a large audience and dealt Avith evils that need remedying badly very little practical result Avas accomplished. We gathered that Avhile in Russia a married woman has equal rights Avith her husband under the property laws; in Germany and France her property, broadly speakin"-, passes under the absolute control of° her husbaand, that in Belgium, France, and some other countries, all enquiry into the paternity of an illegitimate' child is forbidden, that in many Continental countries a married woman cannot be guardian of her OAvn child; and then Aye jumped about from sex slavery to divorce laws of NeAv South Wales, and then on the avoman's incapacity for many legal acts, Avithout ever arriving at any conclusion as to the reforms needed or the causes for which divorce should be granted, except that the causes for divorce should be the same for the man as the woman. A UNIFORM MORAL STANDARD The necessity for an equal moral standard for men and womenlike general social questions attracted a great deal of attention, and so many ladies sent up their names that each speaker had but three minutes. Extracts were read from Mrs Josephine Butler's Writings, and Mdlle. de St. Croix voiced the general opinion in her frank paper, in which she declared that Avomen themselves accepted the vicious double standard, and closerl their eyes to the three claims on behalf of morality, liberty, and justice, the abolition of regulated prostitution, the inquiry into the paternity of illegitimate children, and the responsibility of the father in cases of infanticide. So far only one country —Norway—lias sought to remedy the iniquity of the laAv on these, last tAvo points, and^it also punishes parents, masters ahcl persons in authority, who, by refusing to provide a female of their household with ifecessary assistance during pregnancy and confinement, cause her to sink into such wretchedness as leads her to commit a punishable act imperilling the health or life of her child. This meeting at all events resulted in definite aims, and an agreement upon the reforms required. "THE SERVANT." The scientific treatment of domestic senlce was another successful section. The vexed questions of domestics and ladies in service Avere thrashed out and general sympathy expressed for the lot of the maid of ail work, the remedy suggested being the living out of the servant and her "coming in for the day to do the work required. Here too Fran Lina Morgenstern, the founder of the Berlin Peoples Kitchens, read her paper describing'these admirable institutions which supplied wholesome, Avell cooked food to the Avorkers, and had an elevating effect upon those Avho visited them. The Education Section I never visited, but I was told by a contemporary who was assigned, to it that the experts on parental responsibility and the training of children seemed nearly all spinsters. JOURNALISM FOR WOMEN. Journalism was distinctly popular, and the dominant tone was given to the discussion by the young Duchess of Sutherland as chairman, when she urged women to. strive to raise the tone of journalism in this country. Mrs Ida Husted Harper, whose clever amusing paper on the multitudinous qualities essential to the successful journalist the audience insisted on her finishing, concluded by urging Avomen never to sneer at Avomen, treat their foibles with flippancy, or disparage the pioneers who had made the first rift in the Avail of prejudice, and made it possible foA the young journalist to \ folloAv. Other speakers condemned the scandal, vulgarity, and tittle-tat-' ; tie and the 'rubbish about complexions, furniture, and the rest of it." One caused much amusement by her crafty suggestions as to how ruthless editors, apparently infallible, could be managed and circumvented by artful women journalists so as to further women's causes. Ml-s Femvick Miller having dropped a pathetic tear over the reference to the death of her j reform, paper, the "Woman's Signal," \ pulled herself together sufficiently to move a resolution that some efficient method of communication by meaus of the press be adopted by the International Council and between the different national councils; that a list of suitable neAvspapers throughout the Avorld be drawn up, and that the editors be approached Avith a vieAv to inserting items of International Council neAvs in their papers. The Agricultural and Horticultural sections, which should have been breezy, were dull as ditchwater; save for three compact little papers on dairying by Lady Georgina Vernon, Poultry Farming by Mrs Wilson, and Ostrich Farming by Mrs Hirst Alexander. THE PROFESSIONAL WOMAN. "The Professions Open to W 7omen" was distinguished by Miss Bates' fine paper on Law, Mrs Femvick Miller's capable analysis of the pros and cons for the continuance of her profession by a married Avoman, her advice to the professional wife not to be the mother of many children, and her

Avarning against the danger of a husband living on his professional wife, and Mrs Bedford Femvick's counterblast, agreeing, that all girls should be afforded opportunities equal to those given to their brothers, so as to I be independent in case of need, hut regarding it as unquestionable that the professional wife cannot serve two masters, and advising the mere man not to marry the brilliant exception, | The papers of the foreigners were— as Avas so often the case —too full of generalities. COOKERY AND DRESS. The Council glanced from heaven to earth and earth to heaven in a desire to put,houses of all kinds in order, but there were tAvo departments i entirely overlooked and essentially feminine—cookery and dress. Never | a word upon the ethics of husband feeding, never a suggestion, of the evils of tight lacing, feet squeezing, the loav bosomed evening dress, and the pavement sweeping, germ-collect- ' ing train, but a cursory reference to the matinee hat, when a demand Avas made that the ladies in front should take off their hats, and one innocent little pork pie Avas removed. Alas, ye dress-reformers, never a boomer for the bloomer! Two practical steps are being taken by the Congress in the establishment of an International Bureau of Information concerning women's Avork, position and progress in all countries, and in the asking of the National Councils of all countries to consider the nature of the laAvs concerned Avith the domestic relations in all civilised countries. These are certainly steps in the right direction, THE FUN OF THE FAIR. It Avould be wrong to leave the impression that everyone sat solemn as owls. There was abundance of hu- .. mour and fun at the Congress. For instance at the discussion on the effect upon domestic life of the admission of Avomen to professions, several speakers combated the views expressed by Mrs Fenwiek Miller that a woman could continue to work at her profession after marriage without detriment to her motherhood. Upon the platform jumped a fresh looking v girl and exclaimed, "I only want to say that 1 am a professional woman's daughter and Mrs Femvick Miller is my mother," and therewith she kissed her mother. This little Avomanly de-- - monstration was, you may imagine, received with mingled laughter and if applause. Some of the announcements made from the chair were very entertaining. In the middle of one' meeting the chairman rose and said, "I have here a card that has been sent up j with Tarn here. M. Tin' on it. I. : r don't know Avhat this mystic message means, but make the announcement.'* .j: Mrs Kendal kept her meeting on the v drama in a continual smile •by her dramatic by-play and asides. "Silence' must be presetted," she began, and then, after a pause, "Fancy that among a lot of women!" At the con- , elusion, Avhen no one rose to discuss the papers, "I hope," said Mrs Kendal, 1 "that you are not suffering from the 9 first thing that assails a young act-' ress, nervousness." Much laughter j greeted this'sally, and then Mrs Ken- 1 dal asked, "Are there no aspirants i Avho would like to make a remark, or , M —Avith an effective pause—"do you all ,- wish to go on the stage?" PRACTICAL RESULTS. It is being asked, what good will come of the Congress? To begin with, the meeting has been, an admirable object lesson to men, and women, too, for that matter. It has proved that ;'| women, who are often described asi M'\ non-stayers, ready to begin, but not to carry their work through to a sue- ■' cessful issue, can organise and man-. 11 age a vast gathering such as the Con- - gress quietly and efficiently without 11 fuss or flurry. It has shown' that | women can be businesslike, punctual, .! and obedient to discipline; that they : can talk—and hold their tongues;) that they can differ in opinion Without losing their tempers; and that al, meeting of women conducted by women. need ne neither a bear garden nor a mutual admiration society. In fact, there I Avas far less waste of time in compli- . mentary remarks and votes of thanks ; to the chair than in the majority of - men's meetings. It has justified women's claim tot ? have all professions opened to them a by manifesting the superiority in " clearness of intellect, and method of the trained professional woman, whe- ■•'. ther she be laAvyer, doctor, or factory inspector, over her untrained amateur sister. The few men who were present at the meeting have told me that ■ it was so easy to pick out at once the '•■! women Avho did something and knew what they Avere talking about; Nothing was more marked than the. perpetual advice of one speaker after another, whether referring to nursing, the disabilities under which women labour., the need for factory reforms,' education, or social purity, to the audience to insist upon the Parliamentary suffrage, for then they would'have j the means in their OAvn hands of curing these evils and bringing ahouii: these reforms. However members of the Congress might differ on other' subjects, they Avere practically unani- '~- f mous on this point. ,| It is evident from the Congress that the leaders of the women's movement are in no antagonism to men. They., wish rather to co-operate with men in f : . the alleviation of every kind of misery. Nor does the neAv AA'oman in this ' woman's age Avant to break up the happy home and be a free lance spin- I ster. Again and again it Avas reiter- I ated from the platform that women j recognised that .their first duty was , j as the. mother in the home. And I think they will find no lack of wives \ and mothers among the professional women Avho have been most prominent in the Congress. But, of course, the chief value of the Congress will be : educative. It must have aroused many women from their easy going way of looking at things and made them realise how much work there is for them to do, beginning in their OAvn immediate 'neighbourhood. It has emphasised1 the responsibilities of Avomen in insisting on purity ip every walkof life and every calling, and it has provided 1 (to quote the words of its President), "a common centre for women Avorkers of eA'ery race, faith,'and party. Avho are associating themselves in the endeavour to leave the Avorld better and more beautiful than they found it."