thusiasm prevailed. The morning session was devoted to business and the election of officers.[1] In order not to conflict with a meeting of the State Temperance Association, no afternoon session was held, and, in return, the State Temperance Society gave up its evening meeting to enable its members to attend the suffrage convention.
Speeches were made by Henry B. Blackwell of Boston, Rev. Ellen Gustin of Mansfield, Mary Eastman of Lowell, and others. Resolutions were passed pledging the association not to cease its efforts until the unjust discrimination with regard to voting is swept away; that in the election of president, and of all officers where the qualifications of voters are not prescribed by the State constitution, the experiment should be tried of allowing women to vote; that in view of the large amount of money which has been expended in Maine for the exclusive benefit of the Boys’ Industrial School during the past twenty years, it is the prayer of the ladies of Maine that the present legislature vote the sum asked for the establishment of an Industrial School for girls.
In 1874 we find notices of other onward steps:
Editors Journal: Woman's cause works slowly here, though in one respect we have been successful. Our county school-superintendent is a lady. She had a large majority over our other candidate, and over two gentlemen, and she is decidedly “the right person in the right place.” She is a graduate from the normal school, the mother of four children, q widow for some six years past, and a lady. What more can we ask, unless, indeed, it be for a very conscientious idea of duty? That, too, she has, and also energy, with which she carries it out. The sterner sex admit that women are competent to hold office. But some say we are not intelligent enough to vote. What an appalling amount of wisdom they show in this idea! It would be “unwomanly” in us to suggest such a word as inconsistency.
In Searsport a woman was elected one of the two school superintendents of the town. The following advertisement appears in the local newspaper :
Searsport School Notice.—The superintending school-committee of Searsport will meet to examine teachers at the town library, April 17 and May 1, 1874, at 1 o'clock p. m.
John Nichols,
S. S. Com. of Searsport.
- ↑ President, Benjamin Kingsbury of Portland; Secretary, Miss Addie Quimby of Augusta; Treasurer, Mra. W. K. Lancey of Augusta. Among the vice-presidents are the Hon. S. F. Hersey of Bangor, and John Neal of Portland. An Executive Committee was elected, which included John P. Whitehouse, Hon. Joshua Nye, Neal Dow, jr., and other leading citizens.
