AT THE WORLD’S CONVENTION.
In September, Mrs. Bloomer attended the two great temperance conventions held in that month in the city of New York. During her stay of ten days she was the guest of Mrs. L. N. Fowler, where for the first time she met her old correspondent, Mrs. Frances D. Gage, between whom and Mrs. Bloomer there existed for many years and until Mrs. Gage’s decease the warmest friendship. She also here again met her old co-laborers in temperance and other reform work, Miss Lucy Stone and Miss Antoinette L. Brown. When the World’s Temperance Convention met in Metropolitan Hall a most bitter wrangle at once commenced over the question of admitting women to seats in the convention, and after one or two days spent in its discussion it was decided in the negative. The Whole World’s Temperance Convention then followed, over which Rev. T. W. Higginson presided. To this convention both men and women were admitted as delegates, and the proceedings throughout were intensely interesting. A public meeting held in the Tabernacle was interrupted to some extent by a noisy demonstration whenever a man attempted to speak, but the women were listened to without interruption. Among the speakers were Miss Stone, Miss Brown, Mrs. Gage, and Wendell Phillips. Mrs. Bloomer was an intensely interested participant in all these meetings, and in a quiet way took part in them, speaking briefly from the platform in Metropolitan Hall. She also delivered a temperance address in Broadway Tabernacle to a very large audience, Miss Emily Clark and Mrs. Mary C. Vaughan being the other speakers. While in the city Mrs. Bloomer also attended the Crystal Palace exhibition then open to the public. It was a very interesting presentation of the progress of the world up to that time in the several departments of human skill, industry and the fine arts, but has been far exceeded in extent and variety in subsequent years. One of the curious things occurring at these gatherings was a vegetarian banquet held in the Metropolitan Hall in which, it was said by the newspapers of the day, were gathered all the reformers of every description then in the city. The table was abundantly supplied with all kinds of fruit and vegetable productions, but every form of animal food was strictly excluded. Some speeches were made; but, on the whole, the affair was not esteemed a very great success. On the following day Rev. Miss Brown delivered a sermon from the platform in the same hall to a fair congregation on that old subject, “The exceeding sinfulness of sin.”
Of the Whole World’s Temperance Convention Mrs. Bloomer wrote as follows:
“It was largely attended, and passed off most happily. There were no old fogies present to raise a disturbance and guy the speakers; no questioning the right of each individual, whether man or woman, to utter his thoughts on the great subject which they had met to consider. All was peace and harmony and it did the heart good to be there.
“There were delegates present from some twenty states and Canada and Europe, and a more earnest and intelligent set of men and women were never met together. We had the pleasure of meeting and taking by the hand many of our friends and co-workers to whom though personally unknown we had long been attached.
“The time allotted to the convention was too short to allow so full and free an interchange of sentiment as was desirable. Many who had come up hither with hearts burning with zeal for the good cause, many from whom it would have been pleasant and profitable to hear, were obliged to forego the privilege of speaking on account of the limited time which had been fixed upon for the convention. The ‘whole world’ could not possibly be heard in two days, yet all appeared satisfied with the rich feast that had been furnished them; and we trust that those who were not heard in New York have gone home strengthened and better prepared to make themselves heard and their influence felt in the coming contest.”
Returning home Mrs. Bloomer issued another number of her paper, and then with her husband started on a Western trip. Of the first part of this tour, Mrs. Bloomer herself gave the following report: