The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1914. MISS PANKHURST’S REFORM.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 280, 24 November 1914, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1914. MISS PANKHURST’S REFORM.

After her period of exile on the Continent of Europe, Miss Christabel Pankhurst returned to Loudon under the political amnesty which has been granted, and celebrated her return by ■addressing a very big meeting in the London Opera House. A pleasing feature of the meeting was the fact that Miss Pankhurst made a sound recruiting speech, upholding the action of Britain in this groat war of Right against Might, It was made very plain by Miss Pankhurst that the truce, so far as she is concerned, will be thorough. It is certainly satisfactory from every standpoint to lin'd tiiat the better sense of these women has asserted itself in this time of stress for the Empire. There could not have been more amazing proof of the complete change brought about by the war than the use by Miss Pankhurst of such phrases as the following“ln the English-speak-ing countries under the British flag and the Stars and Stripes woman’s influence is higher, she has a greater political radius, her political rights are more extended than in any other part of the world.” And again: “I agree witli the Prime Minister that we cannot stand hy and see brutality triumph over freedom.” This last remark startled her followers mto laughter such as greets a. particularly bold piece of repartee. Miss Pankhurst occasionally fell, as if by force of habit into the sarcastic vein, and then her followers felt they were on familiar ground. It was obvious that the Christabel Pankhurst who returned to London radiant from exile is not quite tbe same lady as sbe wlio fled to France so long ago. For cue tiling, she seemed to have lost a good deal of her fluency of speech ; for another the whole tone and temper of her speech wore so entirely different, and there seemed to lie no more reason that it should have been made >n a woman’s social and political platform than on any other. The anger and indignation which used to he turned against the Government she directed against Germany, for in Germany she thinks women’s position is “the lowest and the most hopeless.” She ended with a vigorous appeal to the men to go and join the army, her

argument being that militant women ought to be able to do something to rouse the militant men. There is more hope to-day for Miss Panlcliuvst and for the cause she advocated for years so unwisely than ever before in England’s history. The women’s action at such a time will go far to winning what mere violence could never compel.