104 O n the Campus 



association, no doubt felt disappointed at lack of even 

 mention of what was, at that time, called "woman's 

 rights"; but her day was not yet. As a matter of fact, 

 the organizers of Sorosis were ladies of literature. One 

 could not expect much militarism from people who used 

 such pen-names as Grace Greenwood, Jennie June, or 

 Fannie Fern. Perhaps had George Sand, or George 

 Eliot, or George Craddock been citizens then, the comit- 

 tees had been named more to the taste of Mrs. Livermore 

 and Mrs. Stanton; but the issue, as we see it now un- 

 folded, had never been so fine, nor had women been con- 

 fronted, as now, with the opportunity for public service, 

 which is increasingly their own. Some women expected 

 an organization to do things, but the field of battle gave 

 place almost entirely to the charm of study and the 

 pursuits of peace. 



Nevertheless, the idea of doing something practical in 

 the commonly accepted sense of the word was not omit- 

 ted, and has been more or less prominent in the pur- 

 pose of many a similar organization throughout the 

 country since. Every club worthy of the name starts 

 with the idea of some special service, but often passes 

 on to ambitions of a different sort. Sorosis attempted 

 to ameliorate the condition of the working women in 

 New York City, and in so doing touched, as it seems to 

 me, after all, the greatest of our national, shall I say 

 human, problems, both of that time and at this moment, 

 the question of poverty, the question of sufficient wage, 

 the question of human homes, the question of the chil- 

 dren. This question, as we shall presently see, faces us 

 now in tremendous fashion, and its issues draw on apace ; 

 its solution, however, seems far off as ever. 



