fforts. The Birmingham
demonstration took place on February 22, 1881. It was a most
inclement night and great fears had been entertained that it would
prove a failure, but nothing had power to keep the crowds of women
away or to lessen their enthusiasm. Mrs. Crosskey, the wife of Dr.
Crosskey, one of the most respected of the Birmingham Liberal
leaders, presided. The next was in St. George's Hall, Bradford, on
November 22, and here again Mrs. McLaren took the chair, and said:

We are here to-night in the spirit of self-sacrifice. We have had
our sorrows in working on this question. We are here because we
know there are on our statute books unjust laws which subject
many women to sorrow and suffering, and the fact that we have
worked our way to such a platform proves that women are capable
of holding a political position, and ought to have a voice in our
national affairs. We cannot rest contented under the
consciousness of injustice because there are women who accept it
as their natural condition. We feel it our duty to arouse our sex
everywhere to a sense of their high destiny. The inspiration for
this work has come from a higher source than ourselves, and we
have had often to feel that God does not leave his children to
fight their battles alone.

In 1882 there were two more demonstrations. The first was in Albert
Hall, Sheffield, on February 27, Lady Harberton presiding, and it
was crowded to overflowing with women of all ranks and conditions
of society. The demonstration at Glasgow was on November 3, and no
way inferior to the other in brilliancy and interest.[552]

These demonstrations conclusively proved that the suffrage is
desired, not only by a few educated women, the leaders of the
movement, but by the great masses of the hard-working women. They
proved also woman's political capacity and organizing power. No
body of persons could possibly do more to manifest their desire for
political liberty than the women who have organized and attended
these demonstrations. So far as I am aware no such meetings
have been attempted by the agricultural laborers over whose
enfranchisement the House of Commons has been so deeply exercised,
and though the absence of interest which these classes of men have
as a whole shown in the question of the franchise is no argument
for depriving them of it, the political knowledge and aspirations
that women have shown for