Page:History of Woman Suffrage Volume 6.djvu/855

 THE INTERNATIONAL WOMAN SUFFRAGE ALLIANCE 839 national president was escorted to the Lower House by a body of women that crowded the galleries. After a stormy debate the bill to enfranchise the women of Sweden received a majority vote. In the midst of the applause Mrs. Catt was hurried to the Upper Chamber, the stronghold of caste and conservatism. Her presence and that of the flower of Swedish womanhood did not save the bill from the usual defeat. The congress opened with representatives from twenty-four affiliated National Associations and two Committees, those of Austria and Bohemia. The government of Norway sent as its official delegate Dr. Kristine Bonnevie. The list of delegates filled seven printed pages, the United States, the Netherlands and Sweden having the full quota of twelve delegates and twelve alternates, Germany lacking only three of the latter, while Great Britain, France, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Hungary had twelve or more. Six were present from Russia; Bulgaria, Servia, Switzerland, South Africa, Iceland and Canada had representa- tives. Of fraternal delegates from other organizations there was no end about seventy men and women among them members of five Men's Leagues for Woman Suffrage in the United States, Great Britain, Netherlands, Hungary and Sweden. In addition to the spoken words letters and telegrams of greeting were read from societies and individuals in twelve different countries. The distinguished guests of the occasion were Dr. Selma Lagerlof of Sweden, who had recently received the Nobel rat ure Prize, and Miss Helena Westermarck of Finland, the eminent writer and publicist. Among prominent speakers were Mayor Carl Lindhagen and Krnest Beckman, M. P., the Rev. K. II. (. von Schccle, Bishop of Visby, and the Rev. Dr. Samuel I, The ushers and pages were women students of the uni- ties. On the Sunday afternoon preceding the convention the- pi dent of all past ages was broken when Dr. Anna Howard Shaw preached in the ancient State Church of Custa Vasa. When tin- Swedish women asked for the use of ilu- church they were told thai ;ld be granted only to a minister of the same demoiii- nation but they ' ;hat hen a minister from ain ilher coun- try wafl visiting Sweden the pastor of the church might invite