ocates of
woman suffrage in this city who have the cause deeply at heart.
He then alluded to the authoress of the well-known hymn, "The
Battle Hymn of the Republic," Mrs. Julia Ward Howe, and
introduced her as the President of the American Woman Suffrage
Association.

The Rev. Mrs. GILLETTE, of Rochester, Mich., opened the meeting
with prayer.

The President, Mrs. HOWE, then delivered the Annual Address:

_Ladies and Gentlemen of the American Woman Suffrage
Convention:_

It is my office on the present occasion to welcome you to
this scene of our happy and harmonious meeting. In this
great country many families do not gather their members
together oftener than once in a year. When they accomplish
this they ordain a festival, and call it Thanksgiving Day.
This Association is in some sense a family, whose members
are widely scattered. East, West, North and South claim and
contain us. But when the sacred call for our Annual Meeting
is issued, distances are forgotten, business and pleasures
are interrupted. Like the wave of a magician's wand, the
touch of a common sympathy summons us and keeps us in sight.
Our first feeling, I suppose, is one of great pleasure at
looking each other in the face again. This is our Suffrage
Thanksgiving, and we hope to keep it right cordially.
Welcome, dear friends, faithful sisters and brothers.
Welcome, one and all. In this world of death we still live.
In this world of doubt we still believe in even-handed
justice, and in pure law. So, with one breath, we give God
thanks for our continued life and faith, and wish each other
and our great cause Godspeed.

But we are met for something more than a mere expression of
feeling, however cordial and timely that might be. We meet
here to take counsel for the spiritual welfare to which each
one of us stands pledged. How goes the good fight? Let each
department of our little army tell. What victories have been
achieved, what defeats suffered with patience? How shall we
improve the one? What shall we learn from the other? Oh! let
us feel that these rare moments of our meeting are precious.
Here we must