A WOMENS' CLUB IN PARIS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VI, Issue 193, 16 August 1871, Page 4

A WOMENS' CLUB IN PARIS.

O " Clubs," says the Times' correspondent in Paris, '• are cropping up on all sides — clubs for discussion of political affairs, clubs for disseminating inflammatory and irreligious sentiments, clubs for men and clubs for women. There have appeared in corners of several Red newspapers of late short notices, that places of meeting would shortly be established where * citoyennes might congregate,' and let off tbe steam of their enthusiasm. Within the last week the plan has taken a tangible form ; certain ladies made a circuit of the different arrondissemmts, laying down their articles of faith, and inviting all women to join in a common cause." The writer invaded one of the assemblies of women : — " I got into a carriage yesterday evening with a friend accompanied byafemalenewsvendor, who occupies one of the kiosks upon the Boulevards, her mission being to smuggle us into the place under her protection, and defend us from rabid * citizenesses ' in case of danger. The meeting was to be held on the Boulevard d'ltalie, in the lowest quarter of Paris, some distauce beyond Montrouge. After a drive of threequarters of an hour we reached a kiod of outhouse, surmounted by a red flag, and, through the carefully-closed shutters of which came murmurs of subdued voices, and long streams of light spreading across the road. We entered the building without knocking, and found ourselves in a filthy room, reeking with evil odours, aud crowded with women and children of every age. Most of them appeared to belong to the lowest order of society, and wore loose untidy jackets, with white frilled caps upon their heads. At the end of the room was a table littered with papers aud books, and behind it sat a row of women, with red scarves over their shoulders and red belts about their waists. None took much notice of tbe intrusion at first, being tod much occupied with the oratory of a fine-looking young woman, with streaming black hair and flashing eyes, who dilated upon the rights of women amid ejaculations and shaking of the head, and approving pinches of snuff from the occupants of the benches near us : — " * Men are laches/ she cried ■ ' they call themselves the masters of creation, and are a set of dolts. They complain of being made to fight, and are always grumbling over their woes — let them go and join the craven band at Versailles and we will defend the city ourselves. We have petroleum, and we have hatchets and strong hearts, and are as capable of bearing fatigue as they. We will man the barricades, and show them that we will be no longer trodden down by them. Such as still wish to fight may do so side by side with us. Women of Paris, to the front ! ' She sat down out of breath and rather confused, having had to bear up against considerable tittering on account of the imperfection of her French and the strangeness of her similes ; but she looked very handsome, and might have sat for the portrait of one of the heroines of tbe First Revolution ; but there was that in her eye which made me think,- as I looked at her, that I should not like to be her husband." The next speaker degenerated into rant, attacking tne priesthood generally, aud the confessional, mimicking the action, used at mass amid the. laughter and bravoes of the throtfgi - One old lady became ecstatic, and continued digging me violently in the back with her elbow, until, the tears ran down her face and mixed with the- snuff that lay scattered oyer her' countenance. „. '-,;,.;' ■ A-J AJi"' y /'''•' : ''~' *»"''""'

* Ab, those priests ! ' murmured another from under the heavy frills of her cap* a lady of a serious turn of mind, who nodded her head slowly from side to side, as though it were a pendulum. ' Those priests ! I have seeu them too closely* la canaille ! "