The Women’s Club.

Fair Play, Volume I, Issue 11, 13 January 1894, Page 18

The Women’s Club.

SAIBEY SNODGINS ELECTED PBESIDENT.

“ Well, Sairey, how did you get on at your meetin’ this afternoon ?” says Snodgins, on the evenin’ of the day on wich I had been advercatin’ a Women’s Club, an’ I s’pose was not lookin’ very jubeelant over the result, for he went on, “ You don’t look as if you ’ave had it all

your own way, old girl,” he says. “Mr. Snodgins,” I says, “I ’ave not had it all my own way,” I says. “ The fact is, my deer, women are not edicated up to the idea of formin’ a Club yet,” I says, “ an’ one poor woman fainted on heerin’ some of my perpositions, wich ’as somewhat disheartened me, Snodgins,” I says. “ Never say die, Sairey,” he says, “ as there was never a step taken in the way of leform yet, but had a battle to fite,” he says, “ an’ as time rolls on, it may be after you are ded an’ gone, you may be numbered among the pieoneers of reform in the nineteen century, Sairey,” he says. “Thank you, my deer,” I says, “I shall go next Wednesday, an’ if every woman in the room faints, I shall ’ave my say,” I says. “ Do, Sairey,” he says, “ an’ I hopes as you’ll convert all the women there to your way of thinldn’, Sairey,” he says. An’ so, Mr. Heditor, Wednesday, the 10th inst., found me once more in Mrs. Blank’s pretty drawrin’-room, on the Terrace, an’ in the presence of the same ladies as last week, includin’ the Hopposishunist.

“ Good afternoon, ladies,” I says, cheerfull, to wich they respondered, an’ then the “ egsileratin ” tea was passed round. Soon after, Mrs. Blank came over to me an’ says “ I hopes you’ll be able to finish your address to-day, Mrs. Snodgins ?” “ I shall be pleesed to, if agreerble to all present,” I says, smilin’. For reply she went to the top of the room, an’ stud on her little stool, an’ sayed “ Ladies, I am sure we are ail very anxshus to heer Mrs. Snodgins finish he admireable address, still if there is any other lady as would like to perseede, I am sure Mrs. Snodgins will be pleesed.” “ Then I think I should like to say a word or two before Mrs. Snodgins begins,” says the strate-backedlady, with the green goggles and big umbreller, an’ the woman I thort would be a Woman’s Bites woman —an’ I was rite, for after we had all nodded in happroval of her request she began: “ Ladies, I hopes you ’ave come perpared to beer strong views (looking meeninly at Mrs. Bobinson, the Hopposishunist, an’ the lady as fainted) for my vews are strong on this subjeck, an’ I meens to state them fully an’ clerely. (Down went the umbreller with a bang onter the floor, and cries of Heer heer.) In the first place I would ask then—Why

‘ should not women ’ave a club as well as men ? Are we not men’s eqals—nay are we not his sooperiors, for now we ’ave got the franchise are we not going to patch up an’ improve some of the laws he ’as made,' an’ make some as he ’as not made, because he ’as had neither brane mor wit enough to make them. Why, if women had hall the hopportunities for educatin’ themselves as men ’ave had, they would not only be eqals but hjmmensely sooperiors. (Down went the umbreller agen amid loud erplause.) Men our sooperiors, indeed! Men our lords and masters, indeedl mastersl (though seein’ a smile' go round) I mite ’ave been married once, and indeed am still sort after, for I’m not too old to marry yet. But no: no thort of marriage or anythink els'e shall enter my head, for I believe I ’ave a mission in life, and that mission, ladies, (an’ here the umbreller was swung round, until Mrs. Blank looked in a perfect frite about her brick-a-brak an’ vases on the chimney piece) is to be a Leader of Women. I wish to be the bearer of the tidins’ to my poor sufferin’ sisters—that a better an’ happier time is in store for them. Men our sooperiors indeed ! Why the thort makes me wild (and down - came the umbreller with such a bang that it shook everybody and. everythink in the room. She stopped a minit to wipe the heeds of prespiration from her face an’ then continude in a milder tone) I am afrade you will think I ’ave been wanderin’ from the subjeck-we are heer to discuss, but I wanted to show how absurd it is for women to objeck to a Women’s Club, when it is a skeme for their own advancement and benefit. In conclusion, let me say that I am strongly in. favour of a Club, (heer, heer) that I coinside with all Mrb; Snodgins ’as said, and that I am ready and willin’ to devote both time an’ money in promotin’ the openin’ of a Club, wich shall promote the interests and benefit the condition of the Women of Wellington. (Loud applause.) Thankin’ you for your attention I will not take up more of your time, but will ask Mrs. Snodgins, who is so much better able to deel with this subjeck, or indeed any other subjeck than I, to continner her admireable address of last Wednesday.” (Heer, heer, and loud clappin’ of. hands as I stud hup and began): “ Well, ladies, I was a little doobious as to wether it would be wise for me to continuer my address of last week for I am not the woman as likes to shock any- • ones feelins (at which the Hopposishunist nodded and smiled grashusly, wich gave me hopes of winnin’ her over), but after a little conversathun with my husbing, who showed me that to acheeve an end we must egspect hopposishun, an’ must fite for that end, even at the risk of everythink, specially when we knows it will benefit the very people who hoppose it most strongly. (Heer, heer, an'- a loud thump of the big umbreller.) So, now, I think we are neerly all agreed as to. the nesessity of a Women’s- Club—(cries of “ Yes, yes ”) —so I will state as breefly as posserble a few of the most important

matters to wich we must give our undivided attention. Last week I spoke ol one of the laws as is not enforaed. Now, I am goin’ to speek of a law wich is at present a law for the pertection of men only, but wich we meen shall be a law for the pertection of women also —I meen the Divorce law. I don’t know if any of you read Mr. Paterson’s artikle on Divorce, wich appeered in Fair Play a week or too ago. (Some vices “Yes, yes; no, no.”) Well (I went on) all of you should make a pint of doin’ so, for it was a relevation to me, an’ may be to you, for I dont think I am alone in my ignorance of the difference between the Scotch an’ English (an nesessarily Colonian) marragelaws. Now the difference between the Scotch an’ English law is this, I will qote Mr. Paterson, “ while a single trespass on the part of a wife will entitle him, the hushing, to seek a decree of divorce, the grossest immoralaty on the part of the hushing may not avale to releese the hingered wife.” Then Mr. Paterson goes on to tell us that from “time immermorial” this offense has been eqeely punishable, whether on the part of hushing or wife. An’ this is as it should be,

ladies (cheers) nay this is as it ought to ’ave been years ago, an’ praps in that proud England of ours, an’ in these English Colonies too, there would not be so many hart-broken wives (sighs of simpathy). An’ this my sisters must be one of the first subjecks to discuss in our new club (yes, yes, an’ heer, heer) for why should a woman be branded for one trespass of the law of moralaty, an’ a man may commit as many as he likes, an’ yet be recergnised as a decent member of Sassiety—nay, he may even be a deacon of one of our State Churches or a class leader of one of the Wesleyan Churches an’ not one word of reproach or scorn from anyone, an’ every day may grasp the hand of honest men an’ pure women, who know nort of this base livin’ (grones an’ cries of shame). Yes, shame indeed, but this shall not be, Let men tremble I for we meen to ’ave eqal rites an’ purer laws (“we will”). Then I think we must advercate divorse in cases of desershun. Here again the Scotch law is in advance, for a divorce may be obtained by a woman, who ’as been deserted by her hushing (save the name) for a term

of four years, but. by our law, if she is deserted for twenty-four, she is his wife. So this law, too, we must fite for, as I think it is on a charge of desershun, far oftener than immoralaty, that our laborin’ class of women will need divorce, for I beleeve the laborin’ man is the purest livin’ man. Then a word as to the custody of childeren, in cases of separashun. I think lam rite in statin’ that as

the English law now stands when a order for separashun is granted- the hushing is always given the custody oithe childeren, whether he is a fit an’ proper person or not. This in some cases may be just, hut in other cases it is most unjust, If the hushing is a good man, an’ the wife a bad woman, then most certingly the hushing should ’ave the charge of the childeren, but should the wife be a g'ood woman (wich is oftener the case) an’ the hushing

bad, then the wife should ’ave the childeren, an’ the hushing be made to properly manetane them. (Heer, heer). Now I think, ladies, as I ’ave given you material enough to commense reel hard work upon, in your new olub that is to be, an’ if we thresh out these questions wich I ’ave so imperfeckly put before you (No, no) an’ we let our newly elected members of Parliament (specially them as is lawyers) know our vews on these subjecks, who knows but before another year ‘as passed that these laws ’as ’ave been made by men for men, may be altered by men for women, an’ if they are not, well let men look to there lorals, for as soon as we ’ave a hopportoonity we shall put one of our own seo inter the ’Ouse (cries of “ You, Mrs. Snodgins,” I only shuke my head an’ smiled and then went on) I must draw my remarks to a close by wishin’ “ long life an’ success to the Wellington Women’s Club,” (I sat down amid such a chorus of erplause as I had never receeved in my life before). Then the little thin-faced woman got hup an’sayed: “I will not detane you long laches, for I am well aware of myinabillity to add anythink to what our Mend, Mrs Snodgins,” as sayedexceptto intermate to her that she ’as made a convert of the strongest Hopposishninst to the Club. I refer to Mrs. Robinson, who was bo overcome by Mrs. Snodgins grafick descripshun of the posishun of some wives, that she slipped out unnotissed, but before doin so, slipped a note inter my hand in wich she states] that if those are the objecks of a Women’s Club, she is one with us. (Loud cheers). An’ in recergnition of this' convershun I should like to perpose Mrs. Snodgins as President of the Wellington Women’s Club. (Heer, heer. . an’ cheers)* Then hup gets our hostess, an’ says “ I am more than delited to second that perposition, for Mrs. Snodgins ’as proved herself not only an able lecturer, but a simpatbisin’ frend.” She sat down, and by this time I was all of a tremble, for this was such an unegspected honor. At last I got hup and sayed: “Ladies, you do me too much honor, so much honor that I reely cannot ackept it (cries of “yes you must.”) Well, not until you see if you cannot find one more worthy than I.” More tea was then handed round, an’ after all jinin in singin’ Auld Lang Syne we parted, each determined to do her best tords startin’ at an early date a Women’s Club for Wellington, with latchkey included, Mr. Heditor. Yours presidentially,