There were no formal preliminaries. Raising her hand for silence, she began to speak, and her first sentence was well chosen and arresting:
"The Amazon is the greatest river in the world!"
Puzzled glances were exchanged, and here and there was heard a wondering titter. Were they in for a lecture on geography?
The speaker went on without a pause, and swiftly undeceived them:
"The Amazon flows from the Andes with such stupendous force, in such enormous volume, that its waters are carried unmixed into the Atlantic Ocean."
They now had a dim idea of what was coming, and the impression was speedily confirmed:
"There are other mighty forces in the world besides that river, and I for one, speaking for the sex to which I belong, would glory in the name of Amazon. Call us Amazons, if you will. Let those laugh who win; women are winning all along the line!"
Shrill applause went up from hundreds of women in the audience. The men, in a minority, were silent and uneasy.
"The time has come for facing facts, for examining claims and titles. Man's title to be Lord of Creation is full of flaws, and we dispute it."