Page:History of Woman Suffrage Volume 6.djvu/858

 842 HISTORY OF WOMAN SUFFRAGE but when I climb yon summit the river becomes a silver thread weaving its length in and out among the hills and over the plains. I see it all from its source in yonder mountain to its outlet in yonder sea. There is no more mystery." So these university professors buried in school books, these near-sighted politicians, fail to note the meaning of passing events. To them the woman movement is an inexplicable mystery, but to us standing upon the summit of international union, where we may observe every manifestation of this movement in all parts of the world, there is no mystery. From its sources ages ago, amid the protests which we know barbaric women must have made against the cruel wrongs done their sex, we clearly trace its course through the centuries, moving slowly but majestically onward, gathering momentum with each century, each generation, until just before us lies the golden sea of woman's full liberty. Mrs. Catt traced the progress of the ages until it culminated in the demand for political rights for women, told of the beginnning of the Alliance and said: "Today, seven years later, our Alli- ance counts 26 auxiliary national associations. Are these evi- dences of a wave rapidly receding? It would be more in accord- ance with facts should we adopt the proud boast of the British Kmpire and say that the sun now never sets upon woman suffrage activities. The subscribing membership in the world has in- creased seven times in the past seven years and it has doubled since the London congress two years ago. Even in Great Britain, where the opposition declared at that time very confidently that the campaign had reached its climax, the National Union, our auxiliary, has tripled its individual membership, tripled its aux- iliary societies and doubled its funds since then, and twelve independent suffrage societies have been organized. The mem- bership and campaign funds have likewise tripled in the United States and every president of an auxiliary national society has reported increase in numbers, funds and activity. ... No human power, no university professor, no Parliament, no govern- ment, can stay the coming of woman suffrage. It is a step in the evolution of society and the eternal verities are behind it. ... Of the 24 nations represented in this congress the women of 15 have more political rights than they had seven years ago." Mrs. Catt paid high tribute to the Scandinavian people and eulogized Fredrika Bremer, Sweden's great pioneer. In speaking of the progress in this country she said : " Municipal suffrage