Carrie Chapman Catt (Carrie Lane at the time) retired from teaching after the end of the 1884 school year and married Leo Chapman, publisher and editor of the Mason City Republican newspaper, in February 1885. In the March 5 issue of The Republican, Catt’s name appeared in the masthead as co-editor of the paper with Chapman, and on March 19, the first installment of her new column, “Woman’s World,” was published.
The Mason City Public Library has microfilm of every issue of The Republican from 1885 except one, and Catt’s column appears nearly weekly through early November. The Chapmans sold the newspaper in April 1886, and there are no extant copies of the paper from that year.
The most notable gathering of woman ever held West of the Mississippi, was the annual session of the Women’s Congress at Des Moines last week. It was a notable meeting not only because of the ability, character, and fame of many of its members, but also on account of its highly moral and intellectual aim. It was not a convention of mannish women, or men-haters, who met to bewail their fate in-common, as many Iowa people seemed to suppose, but an Association, the superior of which, in point of intellectual quality and praiseworthy achievements, does not exist. It contains among its members those who have won laurels in the fields of literature, science, art, mechanics and education; those to whom the world readily accords the honor of fame. It contains the strongest, best-educated, most-earnest, broad-minded and philosophical women in the United States.
Its president, Julia Ward Howe, is one of the most illustrious of American women. A poet and author of wide repute, a scholar with but few equals, a comprehensive thinker, a distinguished speaker, and a philanthropical reformer, she justly deserves her illustrious name. The secretary, Miss Ella C. Lapham, is a young woman whose name is familiar as a writer and lecturer. The treasurer, Mrs. Wolcott of Mass., is distinguished as an authority upon Forestry. Her name is also closely associated with the progress of all reforms. She has been an officer for many years of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in her State. Among the vice-presidents are numbered many persons of note in various lines of work.
The object of this Congress is the advancement of women. But as the advancement of women is complicated with many theories and principles of political and social economy, its object is more properly the solution of any political, social, moral, sociological or psychological problem which may come before it. While it is not to be supposed that its deliberations have secured a final settlement of such problems as it has taken under consideration, it has, nevertheless, shed much light upon these subjects and produced much valuable argument, which will aid in such solutions.
In additional to the accomplishment of much toward the objects for which the Association was organized thirteen years ago, a stimulus and incentive toward improvement and good works has been given to its members and visitors at each annual session, the value of which cannot be ascertained. No woman could listen to the masterly papers and able discussions without forming a higher ideal of life and receiving a strength to help her realize it.
A better idea of the scope and object of this Congress than words can convey, will be found in the report of its doings, which we publish as fully as space will permit.
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Each morning, during the three days the Congress was in session, was given up to the business transactions of the Association. The afternoons and evenings were devoted to the reading and discussing of papers and which the public were invited to attend. The first public session was held Wednesday afternoon. It was opened by an address from the president, Mrs. Julia Ward Howe, in which she reviewed the work of the Congress in the past and prophesied as to its future influence. She explained minutely the aim of the Congress and demonstrated its vast scope and sphere of work. It was a learned and eloquent address and won a delighted applause from her audience. Mrs. Howe is a grand woman, tall and slender, with a crown of grey hair. She is sixty-seven years of age but no evidence of infirmity was about her. Her enunciation was perfect and her address was delivered with a grace of manner and an air of self-possession rarely exhibited on the platform by either men or women.
At the close of her address, Mrs. Howe introduced the treasurer of the Congress, Mrs. Wolcott, who read a paper upon the “Work of the World’s Women.” The paper displayed much careful research after the facts it contained and was a full compendium of the occupations open to women, wages received, the difficulties encountered by working women and their various modes of life. It was replete with information and surprised many a listener with the vastness and variety of the fields of labor open to the woman desirous to become a self-supporter. At the close of the paper, Mrs. Elizabeth Boynton Harbert, editress of the New Era, in Chicago, was called upon and responded with a neat and much applauded speech in which she advanced the idea that the greatest need of the age was “a great free paper above all party obligation and prejudice and which shall treat all subjects as they tend to influence the advancement of all the people.” Dr. Jennie McCowen, of Davenport, was next called upon and gave a review of the work being done by Iowa women.
At the close of the discussion Mrs. Bascom, of Madison, Wis., was introduced and read an able paper from the pen of Frances E. Willard, on “Organized Work as Illustrated by the Methods of the W. C. T. U.” As the title indicates it was a summary of the work accomplished by the W. C. T. U. since their organization. It was followed by a discussion opened by Mrs. J. Ellen Foster and closed by Miss Abbie May, the first woman ever on a school board and now a member of the State Board of Education in Massachusetts, who gave an entertaining account of the temperance work accomplished in the schools of the old Bay State.
This closed the afternoon session, after which the visitors repaired to the vestry where supper was served. A social time followed in which everybody was introduced to everybody else, and all made happy.
When the time came for opening the evening session, the secretary, Miss Ella C. Lapham, was introduced, who read a paper on “A Plea for Purpose”, prepared by Dr. Alida C. Avery of Denver, Col. This excellent treatise was a strong argument for girls to have a purpose in life. The subject was treated first, to show the value of an aim in life to the girls themselves, and second, in the economic relation to the remainder of humanity, of wage-working women. It displayed a knowledge of social and political economy unusually thorough. The writer paid considerable attention to the change of public sentiment sure to accompany passing time and demonstrated that the time would soon come when there would be no more room for useless young women than for useless young men.
At the close of the paper Rev. Mrs. Sunderland, a Unitarian minister of Ann Arbor, Mich., was called upon and responded with an earnest argument for giving girls and boys equal chances for education and occupation. Dr. Abbie May, Dr. Jennie McCowen and Mrs. Wolcott were each called and responded with neat speeches upon the subject under discussion.
Dr. Julia Holmes Smith was then introduced and read a paper upon “Necessity for an Adjustment between Social and Business Life”. This able paper was a strong plea for more hygienic lives and a variation of work by needed rest. She enumerated various employments and demonstrated with scientific skill, the particular conditions which tended toward the ruin of health. She presented with forcible clearness the economic evils sure to attend the failure of the health of the majority of the people of a nation and plead for a more careful consideration of hygienic laws. The paper was not discussed owing to the lateness of the hour.
The Secretary then read some statistics upon the health of women college graduates which proved beyond question that the requirements of college life do not impair the health of women students.
At the close of this paper the Congress and visitors adjourned to the home of Mrs. Judge Wright where a reception was tendered them. This gave an opportunity for the ladies to meet some of the best people in Des Moines society and was thoroughly enjoyed by all the guests.
The exercises on Thursday afternoon were opened by the introduction of Dr. Anna B. French of New York, who read a paper, full of earnest thought, on “The Comparative Effects on Health of Professional, Fashionable and Industrial Life.” The lady demonstrated in a lucid manner, both by argument and statistical facts, that among women professional life has been accompanied by better health, than fashionable or industrial life. In the course of the treatment of her subject, Dr. French showed many of the causes which lead to rapidly failing health among American people and especially explained how the environments of working women are conducive to ill health. The paper was discussed by Dr. Smith, of Chicago, Mrs. Prof. Crown, of Iowa College, Miss Abbie May and Dr. Jennie McCowen.
Rev. Mrs. Sunderland, of Ann Arbor, was then introduced and read a philosophical paper upon the theme, “Is the law of Progress one of Harmony or Discord” from the pen of Rev. Antoinette Brown Blackwell, one of the most gifted ministers in the United States. The object of the paper was to show how all things great or small, discordant or otherwise with what appeared to be the law of progress, yet combined together to form a perfect harmonious whole. It was one of the ablest papers before the congress and the enthusiastic applause which greeted it betrayed the appreciation of the audience. Mrs. Judge Adams, of Dubuque, was called upon and was heartily applauded as she appeared upon the stage, as she is well known for the depth of her researches and limitless information. She endorsed the sentiment of the paper and added further proof that harmony must result from all things. Mrs. Herbert of Chicago, Mrs. Caroline M. Brown, president of the Woman’s Club of Chicago, and a writer of considerable note, and Miss Clara Colby, editor of the Woman’s Tribune, followed with short speeches.
The evening session was opened by a paper, written by Dr. Leila G. Bedell, of Illinois, and read by the secretary. The subject was “Human Parasite” and was an economical treatment of the labor and capital question, and the proper adjustment of wages. It was one of the most entertaining articles read and was followed by a still more entertaining discussion, opened by Rev. Ada C. Bowles, of Boston, who spoke upon the labor agitation in California in opposition to the Chinese which called forth the frequent bursts of applause.
Miss Ada C. Sweet, of whom the news-papers have had so much to say for the last few months, was then introduced and read a fine paper upon “The Ministry of Labor.” The best of the treatise was to show the important place labor holds in the upbuilding of new institutions and civilization, how it may be unrecognized but yet forms the mite which helps to make a great sum. The able paper was heartily applauded as the audience was highly entertained by its valuable thoughts.
At the close of the evening’s program the convention adjourned to the Capitol, where the Governor gave a reception to the city’s guests. An address of welcome was made by Judge Wright and to which Mrs. Julia Ward Howe responded. A carefully selected choir then beautifully rendered Mrs. Howe’s “Battle Hymn of the Republic” after which Miss May Rogers, of Dubuque, delivered an address of welcome from the women of Iowa to the Congress. The remainder of the evening was spent in viewing the magnificent Capitol which was brilliantly lighted for the occasion.
The afternoon session on Friday was opened by a report of committees upon various phases of work and research of the Congress. Among them was one on science, by Prof. Maria Mitchell of Vassar College and one on Education from Mary F. Eastman.
A paper was then read upon “Justic, not Charity, the need of To-Day,” from the gifted pen of Mrs. Mary E. Bagg, of New York. It was an able paper and presented many decidedly new ideas which demonstrated that there was too much charity for crime, immorality and ignorance, when if justice were done there would be a much purer social and political atmosphere. At its close, Mrs. Lucy Stone, who had just arrived and was a guest of the Congress, was invited to the platform. As everyone in the audience was thoroughly acquainted with her life and good works, a long and loud burst of applause arose as she appeared upon the stage. She made a brief speech upon her favorite subject, woman’s suffrage, and quoted as a basis of her remarks, a saying of Wendall Phillips, that “it is always best to take a stand with the abstract right and trust God to guide the outcome.”
Dr. Jennie McCowen, a physician at Mt. Pleasant Insane Hospital, then read a paper upon “Women Physicians in Hospitals for the Insane.” It contained a history of the experiment of women physicians in such positions and presented a strong plea that woman physicians were the only proper persons to attend their own sex at such places. Dr. Abby Cleaves, of Des Moines, Dr. Julia Holmes Smith and Dr. Abbie May briefly discussed the question.
The evening session was opened by the greatest treat the Congress had to offer its guests, in the address of Rev. Augusta Cooper Bristol, upon “The Present Phase of Woman’s Advancement.” It was a grand and beautiful tribute to woman’s work and influence and so spell-bound did she hold her audience, the dropping of a pin could have been heard at any during the three-quarters of an hour she occupied. She closed with an exquisite poem of her own composition. Her audience were fairly wild over her when she had finished and she was obliged to come forward and acknowledge the honor shown her.
The last paper of the Congress was read by Mrs. Sale, of Boston, open “The Religion of the Future.” It was prepared by Mrs. Imogene C. Fales, of New York. It was a liberal, Utopian treatment, grand in its scope and beautiful in its expression. At its close Rev. Ida Hulton, of Algona, gave a brief, but eloquent, speech which won for her the hearty esteem of all her audience.
Mrs. Howe was invited to recite her “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” which she did in a manner truly grand. At its close she formally adjourned the Congress with words to impressive as to produce a marked effect upon the audience and brought tears to many an eye.
Some time during the year the Board of Directors of the Congress will meet and decide upon the next place of meeting and program to be followed.
Chapman, Carrie Lane. 1885. “Woman’s World.” Mason City Republican, October 15.
PDF version, courtesy of Mason City Public Library
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