h Avenue rooms Mrs. Pankhurst made her first visit to
America, and we gave her a reception there. This, however, was before
the adoption of the destructive methods which have since marked the
activities of the band of militant suffragists of which Mrs. Pankhurst
is president. There has never been any sympathy among American
suffragists for the militant suffrage movement in England, and
personally I am wholly opposed to it. I do not believe in war in any
form; and if violence on the part of men is undesirable in achieving
their ends, it is much more so on the part of women; for women never
appear to less advantage than in physical combats with men. As for
militancy in America, no generation that attempted it could win. No
victory could come to us in any state where militant methods were tried.
They are undignified, unworthy--in other words, un-American.

The Washington convention of 1910 was graced by the presence of
President Taft, who, at the invitation of Mrs. Rachel Foster Avery,
made an address. It was understood, of course, that he was to come
out strongly for woman suffrage; but, to our great disappointment, the
President, a most charming and likable gentleman, seemed unable to grasp
the significance of the occasion. He began his address with fulsome
praise of women, which was accepted in respectful silence. Then he got
round to woman suffrage, floundered helplessly, became confused, and
ended with the most unfortunately chosen words he could have uttered: "I
am opposed," he said, "to the extension of suffrage to women not fitted
to vote. You would hardly expect to put the ballot into the hands of
barbarians or savages in the jungle!"

The dropping of these remarkable words into a suffrage convention was
naturally followed by an oppressive silence, which Mr. Taft, now wholly
bereft of his self-possession, broke by saying that the best women would
not vote and the worst women would.

In his audience were many women from suffrage states--high-minded women,
wives and mothers, who had voted for Mr. Taft. The remarks to which
they had just listened must have seemed to them a poor return. Some one
hissed--some man, some woman--no one knows which except the culprit--and
a demonstration started which I immediately silenced. Then the President
finished his address. He was very gracious to us when he left, shaking
hands with many of us, and being especially cordial to Senator Owens's
aged mother, who had come to the conve