WOMEN'S RIGHTS

Dunstan Times, Issue 1213, 29 May 1885, Page 4

WOMEN'S RIGHTS

’ W. Omen’s lighters in‘Germany (says the Pall Mall Guzeite) have begun to agitate against legislative restrictions on woman’s work. Few and far be tween are the promoters of the’,emancipation of women in Germany, but such as they are they form a vigorons little community, not to be put down even by tyra nical men. Countess Fohack is one of their most shining lights. At her hist large meeting at Berlin she exhorted an audience of some 2000 men and women of all classes to address a protest to the Reichstag against the proposed restriction ot female labour in factories and elsewhere. Countess Pchack was supported by nearly all the well-known Socia'ist, heroines of the capital. After the meeting had been opened with an energetic'plea for the liberty of female workers, the lady president was followed by several enthusiastic speakers of her own sex, all of whom were listened to with the greatest attention. The mild protest of Herr von Vollman, the promoter of the Bill which roused the female wrath, that he only endeavored to check women’s work in so far as it was rendered necessary for reasons of health, fell utterly flat, and a dozen of women arose after him to refute and denounce the utterances of Vhomme Vennemi. The last speaker was a woman from the working classes, whose whole speech, perhaps more ebquent and more to the point than ■any, consisted in a few words Give us higher wages.” she said and disappeared. In spite tf freq”ent intemptions from the male part of the audience the women carried the day, and after forming a Mutual Help Association, which was joined by about ,200 women, the leaders of the party took their departure, accompanied by a band playing the “ Laborer’s Marseillaise”