Saturday, March  19, 1898.
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FOR EQUALITY
Geneva Club Meeting in the Opera House.
ADDRESS BY JOHN M ROB       ERTSON.
AND OTHER INTERESTING PROCEEDINGS ----LIVELY AND PLEASANT MEETING—A HELPFUL    OCCASION.
A meeting held on Saturday evening by appointment of the Politiea ¦ Equality Club of Geneva, in the Smith Opera House, to hear John M. Robertson, of London, discuss the question " The Vote of Woman ", was well attended, and highly interesting throughout.
On the stage were the honorary president, Mrs. Elizabeth Smith Miller; the president, Miss Annie F. Miller; the second vice president, Mrs. Caroline Hemiup Perkins; the recording secretary, Miss Louise Bunn; the corresponding secretary, Miss Elizabeth Root; the treasurer, Mr. J. E. P. Butls; Mr. and Mrs. Bibb, Mrs. Maria Hemiup; Mrs. A. Baldridge; Mrs. Robert A. Catehpole; Mrs. C. F. Leonard: Mrs. M. A. Clapp; Hon. S. H. VerPlanck; C. N. Hemiup, esq;O. J. C. Rose, Dr. F. A. Greene, and Mr. Webster. Representatives of the Phelps Political Equality Club occupied one of the boxes. The president made the address of welcome very pleasantly, referring to the club as a precocious infant of a few weeks, but embracing '88 members, who had undertaken an excellent work, some features of which, she said, would be explained later.
Miss Root read the minutes   of the
I last meeting. Mr.  Hemiup   made  a   brief   statement to the effect that he would   by request    conduct    a   study   class   in kvics, at the Y. M. C. A.   parlors, on lines not  yet   developed,  but   to   be 1 decided with reference to the interests ,
i  of thosp who «1n«"lA /*f-t'«o the claSS.
.The first meeting woul4 j^, .^.i^   -*
¦  the_evening of the 21st instant.
i Mrs. Baldridge read a paper on the j plans in progress for organizing a i class in parliamentary procedure, the 1 object of which was to facilitate   dis-
¦ eusskm and make it useful to^ali.    ___
The president then introduced   the speaker of the evening, in well-chesen words, in which, in reference   to   the common    opinion.     that     American women were the freest women   in the, i world, she   said   that   the  women   of England   and  of  her   colonies,   had ! long exercised some of the privileges of suffrage, which the speaker, whom the i club was fortunate   in   having, would I better elucidate, in  the course of   his I remarks on the main issue, the   argument for woman suffrage.
Mr. Robertson spoke extempora- • neously and rapidly, nearly an hour, tnd very attractively throughout he held the rapt attention of all. We cannot, in. our space, undertake to cover his points consecutively. He said that in the subject given him, he was expected to speak of the Vote "of " Woman, which would seem to relate to the voting they had exercised in the past; when in fact the real question was, the vote for j woman, now asked for, as to the past. ! In antiquity women had enjoyed rights and privilege in public affairs, . that did not come down to them in this age, but for the last 300 years, from which he might call progressive barbarism, she had steadily advanced as to her individual rights. In England, women who are owners or occupants of real estate, or pay annual rental of four pounds sterling. arc entitled to vote on questions of J the schools, municipal affairs, and for representatives of the -county; but there their franchise ceased. They were not heard in national politics, in parliamentary elections, They had no part in these, except in canvassing for votes for men; who while denying the privilege 'of personal representation to women, were very glad to avail themselves of women's persuasion, and even of threatening, in their (the men's) behalf. Mr. Robertson said the ante-election appeals were much like those of men, and often more effective; whether they were more honest, he would not undertake to say; but certainly, as much acquaintance with public issues was shown by the women canvassers, as by the average man; proving conclusively that the women could, if they had opportunity, act with all necessary intelligence, for themselves. In many cases, the tests of reasoning, educationally, and on public questions, in public as well as private gatherings, showed that there is absolutely no sex in   mind;    and   while   women