THE TRUTH ABOUT THE SUFFRAGE.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 135, 14 July 1914, Page 4

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE SUFFRAGE.

•, Last night, before a packed audience of men and women in the Alexandra Hall, Lady Stout gave a stirring address on '' The Truth about the Suffrage Movement," and at the conclusion of her Yemarks showed a number of pictures of leaders of the njjovement in England, and also of the men who are helping the cause along. Previous to Lady Stout's address Miss Pullen-Barry spoke briefly on "Woman's Work in the Empire." She gave some interesting details as to what women are doing in science, in art, in medicine, in agriculture, and in filling many positions that once were as closed doors to them. "Women are doing many things to-day that our grandmothers would have heartily disapproved of,'' she said, adding quaintly "but it is not always possible to consult one's grandmother." She paid a high tribute to the work of the Plunket Society in New Zealand, and said that when she returned to England she would not omit to tell the people at home of the wonderful work the Society was accomplishing in the preservation of infant life.

Lady Stout, who spoke for about two hours, hel<! the close interest of her big audience from commencement to finish. She commenced by tracing the beginning of the suffrage movement ill 1792, when a woman author w T rote a book that fired the first shot in the cause. In 1851 the first women's suffrage conference took place in Chicago, and the ' rights that women asked for then were still withheld from them —equal guardianship of their children with their husbands was one thing. She traced the movement up to the present day, showing a steady growth, and an increasing membership of those who believed, with the suffragettes, that the only remedy for many national wrongs and evils lay in granting votes to women. She referred scathingly to Mr Asquith, and detailed the way in which he had broken faith with the suffragettes towards the end of 1911. After pointing out ,that. the second reading of the Bill to grant votes to women had been carried by the largest majority that the Government had had during that particular session, Lady Stout told her audience how Mr Lloyd George had 1 boasted that the Bill in which the women of the British Isles were so much interested would be torpedoed, f'rior to this announcement the suffragettes had been very quiet—a truce had been declared, —but when they found that the Government had been only playing a game with them, tlrere was a smashing of windows indeed! But, the speaker said, all the broken windows were nothing, when compared with the shame of the Prime Minister's broken word to the women. She spoke of the many-societies, militant and non-mili-tant, that are working in the cause, and the way in which the suffragettes are being helped 4>y the clergy, no less than 590 clergymen and six bishops being pledged to the cause. She spoke again of the great causes underlying the women's demand for the vote, and made an eloquent appeal to all who were present to help, as far as possible, their sisters overseas in their great light. Lady Stout received a most sympathetic hearing, applause being frequent. Both ladies were accorded votes of thanks at the conclusion of the meeting.