ABSTRACT
Miss Ernma Brook, by a "self-denying ordinance" waived the chairman's right to speak, and thus left more time for the discussion. "The General Relation of Women to Literature," by Mrs. Flora Annie Steele, opened the proceedings, and this was followed by Mrs. Stopes, who had been requested to speak on the bistory of wh at wornen had done in literat ure in this country -a wide subject, truly, for abrief ten-minutes paper. But Mrs. Stopes knew how to put the maximum of matter into the minimum of space, and she brought into clear light the. point that while one man's name counted for one, a wornan's name gave mea.ning and power to many, who were thereby raised from impossible to possible cre!1tors of literature. There is no use saying anytbing is impossible to women if one wornan has done it. Whatever woman has done in the past is of more value than wbat man has done, for it has been achieved in the face of tremendous odds. Men have always been protected against wornen, up
T he Congress 0/ Women to the last half-century at least. Many male writers have recorded their opinion that wornen have no originative faculty, no fire, no pathos, no hurnour, no philosophy, no exactitude. She disproved these assertions on every point. The first universally popular book printed in this country was written by a wornan, and women had initiated several distinct styles in literature. The most pathetic, warlike, and humorous of the Scottish songs were written by women, the most philosophical of the English novels. A wornan is forced to be exact, as she is always judged by a more severe standard. The representa,tives of th.e various Enropean countries gave reports of their wornen writers: Madame Dick May of France, Fraulein von Nidde of Germany, Mrs. Heinemann (Kassandra. Vivaria) of Italy, Madame Aino Malmberg of Finlfind. Madame Tonkmanoff frorn Russia did not come forward. Fru Ernma Gad, the dramatist, represented her countrywornen, and Mrs. Kapteyn spoke for Holland. Lady Lindsay's paper on "The Art of Poetry in Relation to Wornen," was foUowed bya discussion in which Mrs. Meynell, Mrs. J. R. Green, tbe historian, Mrs. Rbys Davids and otbers joined.
