Mrs. Warren's Daughter: A Story of the Woman's MovementJohnston, Harry
General
Mrs. Warren's Daughter: A Story of the Woman's Movement
Johnston, Harry
Feminism -- Fiction; Mothers and daughters -- Fiction; Women's rights -- Fiction
Vivie after her Easter holiday took an increasingly active part in
these manifestations of usually good-humoured insurrection. As
Vivien Warren she was not much known to the authorities or to the
populace but she soon became so owing to her striking appearance,
telling voice and gift of oratory. All the arts she had learnt as
David Williams she displayed now in pleading the woman's cause at
the Albert Hall, at Manchester, in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Countess
Feenix took her up, invited her to dinner parties where she found
herself placed next to statesmen in office, who at first morose and
nervous--expecting every moment a personal assault--gradually
thawed when they found her a good conversationalist, a clever woman
of the world, becomingly dressed. After all, she had been a third
wrangler at Cambridge, almost a guarantee that her subsequent life
could not be irregular, according to a man's standard in England of
what an unmarried woman's life should be. She deprecated the
violence of the militants in this phase.
But she was Protean. Much of her work, the lawless part of it, was
organized in the shape and dress of Mr. Michaelis. Some of her
letters to the Press were signed Edgar McKenna, Albert Birrell,
Andrew Asquith, Edgmont Harcourt, Felicia Ward, Millicent Curzon,
Judith Pease, Edith Spenser-Churchhill, Marianne Chamberlain, or
Emily Burns; and affected to be pleas for the granting of the
Suffrage emanating from the revolting sons or daughters, aunts,
sisters or wives of great statesmen, prominent for their opposition
to the Women's Cause. The W.S.P.U. had plenty of funds and it did
not cost much getting visiting cards engraved with such names and
supplied with the home address of the great personage whom it was
intended to annoy. One such card as an evidence of good faith would
be attached to the plausibly-worded letter. The _Times_ was seldom
taken in, but great success often attended these audacious
deceptions, especially in the important organs of the provincial
press. Editors and sub-editors seldom took the trouble and the time
to hunt through _Who's Who_, or a Peerage to identify the writer of
the letter claiming the Vote for Women. No real combination of names
was given, thus forgery was avoided; but the public and the
unsuspecting Editor were left with the impression that the
Premier's, Colonial Secretary's, Home Secretary's, Board of Trade
President's, or prominent anti-suffragist woman's son, daughter,
brother, sister, wife or mother-in-law did not at all agree with the
anti-feminist opinions of its father, mother, brother or husband.
If the politician were foolish enough to answer and protest, he was
generally at a disadvantage; the public thought it a good joke and
no one (in the provinces) believed his disclaimers.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account