'I'm sorry for you that any of Miss Scammell's interesting speech was lost,' the chairman was saying. 'She was telling you just the kind of thing that you men ought to know, the kind of thing you get little chance of knowing about from men. Yet those wretched girls who die young of lead-poisoning, or live long enough to bring sickly babies into the world, those poor working women look to you working men for help. Are they wrong to look to you, or are they right? You working men represent the majority of the electorate. _You_ can change things if you will. If you don't, don't think the woman will suffer alone. We shall all suffer together. More and more the masters are saying, "We'll get rid of these men--they're too many for us with their unions and their political pull. We'll get women. We'll get them for two-thirds of what we pay the men. Good business!" say the masters. But it's bad business----' 'For all but the masters,' muttered the tramp. 'Bad for the masters, too,' said the girl, 'only they can't see it, or else they don't care what sort of world they leave to their children. If you men weren't so blind, you'd see the women will be in politics what they are in the home--your best friends.' 'Haw! haw! Listen at 'er!' '_With_ the women you would be strong. Without them you are--what you are!' The ringing contempt in her tone was more than one gentleman could put up with. 'How do you think the world got on before you came to show it _how_?' 'It got on very badly. Not only in England--all over the world men have insisted on governing alone. What's the result? Misery and degradation to the masses, and to the few--the rich and high-placed--for them corruption and decline.' 'That's it, always 'ammering away at the men--pore devils!' 'Some people are so foolish as to think we are working against the men.' 'So you are!' 'It's just what the old-school politicians would like you to think. But it's nonsense. Nobody knows better than we that the best interests of men and women are identical--they _can't be separated_. It's trying to separate them that's made the whole trouble.' 'Oh, you know it all!' 'Well, you see'--she put on her most friendly and reasonable air--'men have never been obliged to study women's point of view. But we've been obliged to study the men's point of view. It's natural we should understand you a great deal better than you understand us. And though you sometimes disappoint us, we don't lose hope of you.' 'Thanks awfully.' 'We think that if we can only make you understand the meaning of this agitation, then you'll help us to get what we want. We believe the day will come when the old ideal of men standing by the women--when that ideal will be realized. For don't believe it ever _has_ been realized. It never has! Now our last speaker for to-day will say a few words to you. Mrs. Thomas.' 'Haven't you had about enough?' said Borrodaile, impatiently. 'Don't wait for me,' was all her answer.