Women -- Suffrage -- History; Women -- Suffrage -- United States -- History; Women's rights -- History; Women's rights -- United States -- History
An eight-weeks' summer campaign of open-air meetings was conducted
through the great industrial cities of eastern Massachusetts, with
from four to six regular and occasional special speakers. Three
Englishwomen, Miss Margaret G. Bondfield, Miss M. M. A. Ward and Miss
Emily Gardner, reinforced the American speakers, Miss Foley, Mrs.
FitzGerald, Mrs. Glendower Evans, Miss Emily Pierson of Connecticut,
and others. In each city, besides the outdoor meetings, there was some
special feature; in two, garden parties; in Brockton, the women joined
the circus parade, driving in a decorated team and giving out fliers.
In Fall River they got two popular stores to wrap a colored flier in
every parcel. In Taunton they had an evening band concert on the
Common, accompanied with red fire and speeches. In Lawrence Miss Foley
made a balloon ascension and showered down rainbow literature upon an
eager crowd. Several times the women spoke from the vaudeville stage
and showed colored lantern slides. They spoke in parks and pleasure
resorts and outside the factories as well as in the streets and at one
Yiddish and one French meeting. They held 200 meetings and talked to
about 60,000 persons. Afterwards they held outdoor meetings in and
about Boston and sent an automobile of speakers and literature to the
Aviation Meet. A fall campaign of open-air speaking followed. Mrs.
Park came home from a tour around the world and lectured on the women
of different countries. Mrs. A. Watson-Lister of Australia and Mrs.
Dora B. Montefiore of England addressed a number of meetings.
A week of meetings took place in Springfield, State speakers
cooperating with the local suffragists, among them Mrs. Henry
Phillips, president of the suffrage league; Mrs. McDuffie and Mr.
Myrick, publisher of the "Farm and Home" and "Good Housekeeping."
Headquarters were opened in a vacant store with daily meetings and
teas; addresses were given before the Board of Trade, the teachers,
the Woman's, the Mothers', the Socialist and the College Clubs, the Y.
M. C. A. training school and other groups; colored slides of suffrage
events were shown and prominent local women opened their homes for
social affairs. Much interest was aroused and permanent Springfield
headquarters were opened soon afterwards. Boston started to organize
by wards and invitations were printed in various languages. The first
meeting, in Ward 8, arranged by Mrs. Leonard, was attended by nearly
1,000 women and there were speeches in English and Yiddish. A class to
train suffrage speakers was started. A suffrage club was organized in
the College of Liberal Arts of Boston University. The suffragists sent
Alfred H. Brown to help the campaign in the State of Washington.
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