THE BARNSVILLE GIRLS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5686, 3 October 1896, Page 3

THE BARNSVILLE GIRLS.

THEIR POLITICAL " A^D SELF-iM- . PROVEMENT LEAGUE' "I don't , believe in women being' so dependent:" Katie' Brown said this, in her most emphatic matter. Her head nodded, and her eyes 'fairly blazed with, wrath. " What i 3 the good of having the franchise if -we are to ask our lathers and brothers how to ro'vO? Why, its simply giving them a double vote. I declare, I feel inclined to stamp when I hear Nellie talkingsuch utter rubbish. Ha 3 tho girl no brains of her own that she must borrow other people's ?" ' ' '" . " Don't be cross, Eatie," laughed Nellie Scott; "I merely say I know and care nothing about politics, and when the election comes on a&ain I shall ask father who is the best man, and vote for him. I'm sure to be right." " Nonsense," stormed Katie." Why, girl, if you know nothing about politics, can't you learn. Why don't you go to some of the meetings ? Why don't you read the . .papers ? Why don't " " "I don't go to the meetings, my dear, because my father doesn't approve of them. He can't bear these women's leagues and things, and he says wq should be much better off without the vote." " Your father is a stupid, slow-going old Conservative," retorted Katie rudely, " and you are just about as niueli behind the times as he is. I have it girls ! Lefs start a' league just among ourselves ; not allow anyone over thirty to belong to it. We might meet once a week, or of tener, and talk over all the questions of the day. We don't want to know what Mr 3 Quirk or that stupid old Miss Hastings think about things, and they take up nearly all the time at the Women's League. Of course, Nellie, your father couldn't mind your meeting with us girls to talk over things." . " Oh, no ! It's the publicity he dislikes ; . having it in the papers, and all that," said Nellie. " Yes, I know," . said Katie contemptuously. "Ho is one of those who talk about the. 'shrieking sisterhood/ and. aU v that sort of thing. However, girls, I must fly to my music. Shall we meet hero to-morrow afternoon, and arrange about the rules and -what day to meet ? " This suggestion appearing to meet with general approval, "Well, all come tomorrow at three o'clock," cried Katie, " and think of some good rules meanwhile, and ask the Jaeksons and Carra to come." * * « * * The place of meeting was the Browns' breakfast-room, which was seldom used by the famtty during the day, nnd so the girls were secure from interruption. "Whether callers come or not," said Eatie, "Ann, if anyone calls and asks for me, say I'm particularly engaged." "Now, girls, for business," she continued. "Letfs have a chairwoman and everything done properly. . I think, perhaps, I'd better take the chair myself today," she added, naively. " All right," said Nellie Scott, and no one dissented. " But we must have a proper election ; ] someone must propose and second me." "I propose that Miss Katie Brown take the chair," said Lena Gfray, giggling. " I have much pleasure in seconding the motion," said Nellie Scott gravely. "Now you're elected, Katie, and must go and sit at the end of the table." " I haven't put it to the meeting yet," said the would-be chairwoman in a stately voice. "Is there any amendment H Well, then, all in favour signify by saying ' Aye/ and the others • No.' The ayes have it. Girls, if you can't be sensible and stop laughing it's of no use going on. What's the good of meeting to improve our minds and all that, and wasting all the time giggling and laughing. Now, the firs b thing is who is to be eligible for membership ? Shall we say, as I said yesterday, any girl under thirty. . ■ ' \ ",Mustn'twe fix on the name of the i sLeague first ?" asked somebody. . VAfter a good deal of .discussion, "The Bamsville' Girls' Political and Self-Im-provement League "was fixed on. "It's rather long 1 ," said the president, thoughtfully, "but as we are not going to confine ourselves entirely to politics, we had better keep the "self -improvement," I think. We can call it the " 8.G.P.5.1.L. " for short, like the Y.W.C.A. or W.C.T.U., though that seems a bit long, too.- Oh, well, when wo talk of it, the ' Girls' League ' will be quite sufficient. Now, who shall we admit as members ?" , "It's no use having people under twentyone, who can't vote, is it?" asked someone. " Oh, yes ; they have to be educated. But we don't want children — let us say girls between fifteen and thirty. Then, that horried Miss Carter wiLl be wanting to join, and if weletherin it will spoil everything. She will want to manage the whole thing. Lefs say between iifteen and twenty^eight ; that .will exclude her, and when any of us are twenty-eight we can extend the age, as by that time she will be over thirty. The next thing is to decide the amount of oar subscription." ■ " Must we have any siibscription ¥' " Oh, yes, they all do. Let's say a shilling a quarter." , "But what ia.it for?" objected Annie Carr. ' , . . "Well, I siippose it is generally for rent of the room they meet in, and gas and all that. Of course avo haven't anything of that sort, but there might bo postage or lots of things." " I am going to move as an amendment that it be a shilling a year. There are fifteen of us, and we shall get more, and I am sure we shan't want more that fifteen shillings for postage," said Annie. " You can't more an amendment ; there isn't any motion," said the Chairwoman crossly. " Well, I want to proposo it -, what am I to do?" " Just move it *bf course." "You said I couldn't. I move as an amendment that the subscription be a shilling a year — What's wrong- now, Katie?", "It is not an , amendment," said the despairing leader. . . The motion was at last' pnt and carried unanimously, as were all that.' followed, everyone being too polite to vote against a sroposal. The election of officers followed : Kate <s»wn was made president, Annie Carr . ■ :■ "»■.■■•• ■•:■ - •.■■..■■•.7-'.^-.,'« '•■^j*''--' '■ ' -■ .s~ry~**w4-t-=

vice-president, Ethel Boss, secretary and Nellie Soott treasurer. The entrance of Ann, with afternoon tea, broke up the meeting, which first, however, appointed a sub-committee of three members to draw tip a programme of subjects for discussion at the meetings during' the next three months. ***** On the members meeting on the following Wednesday it was fonnd that seven new members wero anxious to join, thus bringing the number up to twenty-two, of whom all were present. The president took th« chair, and, rapping on the table, said, "Well, girls, the first thing is to .read the report of the Subjects Committee. I will proceed to do so." As she rose with great dignity, one of the members objected—" Ought not the secretary to read it ?" ■ • "No, .she is. sure to make a hash of it; I'd.rathec read it myself/- •• . • •■' ' ■ - - " Eepob-t;. of Committee of the . Barnsvillo Girls' Political Social Improvement Lep,gue, ■ appointed • to consider- subjects for discussion during the forthcoming quarter:— _■.'■■ .• . . ... ■... "Your committee met several times, and decided' to recommend tbo following subjects for discussion : — 1. Socialism. 2. Is party government conducive to the welfare and progress of the country? 3. Prohibition. 4. Bimetallism. - metallism. 5. Free - trade v. protection. 6. Land nationalisation. 7. Old age pensions. iB. Tho single tax. 9. Should women serve on juries and act as magistrates. 10. The Hare system. 11. Can woman be adequately represented without a seat in tie House (" that sounds rather. funny," whispered a member). Don't interrupt, pleaso. 12. Are we, while I governed by law, responsible for our own. I actions ?— (that is an idea of my own, explained tho President complacently. My idea is that you cannot judge of a person's character by their actions, as youhave no means of knowing how they would act if free to do what they chose.) — : Signed Eth§l Bbqwn, Katie Brown and S'kakces : Scott." 1 .' ' . . ' • : The report met with a storm of criticism. " What in the world do ivoicnow about bimetallism ■•• or the Hare ' system ?" cried Nellie. . . ■•■■[. " Nothing," answered Katie," " but that's the object of meeting. We must got information."' '. ■ " But what are they? What's the use of discussing things v/hen we don't even: knoV what they mean ?" "We must find out. People always discuss bi-ruetallism. Why can't we, just as, well as ■ a set of old-fogies like the Women's League. I don't know what it is,' but I know it's ' something ' very important/ about gold or silver or something." " I move," cried a member, starting up, "that.no member be allowed to .use the word something more than ten times a minute." "Well," said the President, ignoring the interruption, '•' will someone move that the programme be adopted r" A general chorus of objections arose. " Will someone Mndly propose a better one, then/ said the President, in a heated manner. "It is ridiculous appointing us to chooso the subjects and then finding fault ; with every one." Nellio Scott, rising, thought "that it would be better to choose one subject at a time. Suppose we take the one about party government next time, and afterwards choose another subject, and let all the members read it up during the week," she suggested. A number of members were understood to say that it was all very well to talk i about reading up a subject, but they did not know what to read. Most of them seemed to think that they did not possess any books likely 'to give them much information about party government, for example. " Besides," said the President, " our society is for the purpose of educating girls ignorant of political matters, and if they have to learn all about the subjects by themselves beforehand there is not much use in holding meetings as far as I can see." Hereupon the members, who all seemed rather inclined to shirk the reading up business, unanimously agreed that the president should be asked to give them her views on the desirableness or otherwise of party government, and she consented to either write a pa})er or deliver an address on the subject at the next meeting. You will be surprised to learn that more than one hour had been taken up by this profitless discussion, so, as there seemed nothing very particular to further discuss, an adjournment to the tennis lawn was moved and carried unanimously. As a few of the girls walked home together later on, Nellie Scott said, "It seems to me a great waste of time for us to discuss such subjects as bi-metallism ; we none of us know anything about it, and if we did, what difference can our opinion on such a subject make ? It seems a pity for us to bother our brains with such things as those, when there are so many subjects really important to us on which we need enlightenment." This seemed to bo the general opinion, and Nellie was asked by the others to bring the matter forward at the next meeting, and try to get the members at the outset to agree to discuss really profitable subjects. " But how mad Katie will be if we propose not to discuss the Hare system and all the others," said someone. #«■*## When they met the following Wednesday the president read an able paper on " Party Government," which she characterised as a most iniquitous system, which was at the root of all bad legislation and abuses of every kind. No one had much to say on the other side of the question, and a resolution declaring it not conducive to the well-being of a country was carried without a dissentient. . .... • ... " Shall I send a copy of our resolution to the Premier?" inquired the president grandly. One member venturesomely murmured that she thought Mr Seddon would scarcely be likely to attempt to upheave the existing order of things because the 8.G.P.5.1.L. informed him that they thought it desirable. "What is the use," cried Katie, "of being so timid ? How can any reform be commenced if all who wish for it think it no use for them to demand it. It is the million taps of tiny little hammers such as ours, that will knock away the props which support this and. kindred evils," she concluded. "As this league was not intended to be used as a political lever," said Nellie Scott, " but as a means of educating ourselves, I move that our proceedings be regarded as of a private nature. We do not want to forward resolutions to the Premier, and bring our little league into the desirable prominence of furnishing the colony with a laughing-stock." Eva Crossley, in seconding the motion, endorsed what the previous, speaker had. said, and added that she feared her father would not let her come tq the meetings if they were going in for .such piiblic action. (" Old tyrant," interpolated the president). She thought the members ought. not to be allowed to call people names. It was very impolite, and not at all improving to anybociy. Here a confused hubbub of voices arose, and the speaker sat down. The President rose to put the motion, remarking that, tyrant was a strictly parliament expression, provided the tyrant alluded to was not present. A storm of " ayes " and only one "no " showed very clearly the opinion of members as to the desirableness of " tapping with their little hammers the props supporting the vast edifice of error.' Nellie Scott now rose to speak. She said she leaved that their league would not be a success if. they took up subjects of insufficient interest, or which,. from lack of information, they would be unable to disenss intelligently. She thought no election was ever likoly to be held in which " Oldage Pensions " or " Bi-metallism " would be rti« nil-important question. But she thought that such subjects as "Prohi-biti-in,' or ov.-n " Bible in Schools " might be made battle-cries to such a. degree thab it would be necessary for every girl to have made up her mind.

on these important subjects. It would be as well, she thought, to look into the land question to some extent, bub above all they should seek to. get an intelligent knowledge of all. questions specially affecting women and children. She, therefore, moved that . these questions should bft taken up first, and all questions which did not specially interest or concern tho members be • relegated— at first, at all events— to the background. The President indignantly put the motion after it had been duly seconded, and stated, as it was carried almost unanimously, that she would resign her office — "as there is no use in meeting to talk over simple little things which everyone understands." As no persuasions would induce her to reconsider her decision, tho despised Nellie Scott was elected 'in her place, and the meeting dispersed. ' The league continued to hold' meetings both profitable and interesting, and for the benefit of the curious I may state that our friend, Katie. Brown, after > sulking outside for some time, got over her annoyance/re; entered ; the league and was appointed secretary. I fear, however, that, much as she wishes it, she is ■ never allowed the gratification of . forwarding resolutions to the Premier. !