"The Intruders" - April 12, 1917
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THE INTRUDERS At the close of the business meeting while the chairman is still on her feet, she will make some reference to the Chamber of Commerce. This reference to the Chamber of Commerce will be the cue for the door-keeper. D.K. Madame Chairman, there is a stranger here who insists upon entering although she has no ticket. Ch. You say a stranger is there who insists on entering? D.K. Yes, Madame Chairman. Ch. And she has no ticket? D.K. No ticket, Madame Chairman, but she says you will welcome her. She says she is the Spirit of Equality. Ch. The Spirit of Equality? And you call her a stranger --at the meeting of the Equal Suffrage League? Heaven forbid! By all means usher her in. (Spirit of Equality enters and after walking a few paces stands opposite Chairman. Music: Marsellaise). Welcome, Spirit of Equality. Of course, the Doorkeeper did not mean what she said. You are never a stranger when this organization is assembled together, although never before have we had the honor of beholding you in bodily form. To the kind fate that brings us the benizon of your presence we are indeed grateful. You are more than welcome. This seat of authority is more truly yours than mine. Please take it. Mrs. Blank and Mrs. Blank will you escort the honored guest to the chair? Sp. of E.(Takes chair). Ladies of the Equal Suffrage League: A few minutes ago your Doorkeeper referred to me as a stranger. Now that I am in your council chamber, I am sure that neither she nor any other of
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[page 2] you will regard me as a stranger. I certainly do not feel one whit alien, so many times have I been in your midst although not manifest in the flesh. To-day I deemed it wise to appear in this form and to greet you face to face. I have taken advantage of your gathering together in this chamber to transact a bit of business of my own. In a few minutes I expect to welcome the Missouri Woman, who will make a report to me and to you of what happened during the recent session of the General Assembly at Jefferson City. Also what she has reason to hope will happen at Jefferson City in 1919. It has been said by cynical observers that Missouri will be the last State in the Union to grant to women the right to vote. The Missouri woman is astute. We will ask her opinion of future prospects. D.K. (Rings bell). A guest has arrived and wishes to enter. Sp. of E. Ah, there she is. I am sure it is the Missouri woman. By all means let her enter. D.K. It is not a woman; it is a man. Sp. of E. A man? What man? D.K. The gentleman gives the name of Lloyd-George. Sp. of E. Ah, the Prime-Minister of England. No fitter person could crave admittance. Enter and welcome. (Lloyd-George enters to the tune of Tipperary. He is at once conducted to the seat at the right of the Spirit of Equality). Sp. of E. Sir, we welcome you with open heart--you, our freshest and most powerful convert. Long and despairingly have we prayed for your advent into our fold. How is Mrs. Pankhurst? Ll-G. Mrs. Pankhurst should now be in fine feather. She stands in close succession to a high honor. Should we Britons win this war against
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[page 3] our Teutonic Cousins, half the credit will belong to Mrs. Pankhurst. She and her daughters used to be fully as obnoxious as submarines and Zeppelins. They inured us to the hardships of war. If we had not served our apprenticeship in fighting Emmeline, Christobel and Sylvia, long ago the Kaiser would have conquered us. Oh, Spirit of Equality, should we give Mrs. Pankhurst an iron cross, a peerage, or shall we pin a rose on her? Sp. of E. Give her an iron cross, a peerage, and also pin a rose on her. But don
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[page 4] Sp. of E. Surely there will be no further delay. Is it the Missouri woman? D.K. Stung again. It is not a woman. It is a man. His Excellency, the President of China. (President of China enters to music. Takes place next to Lloyd-George). Sp. of E. We are, indeed, honored by your presence. P. of C. Lee honk I wonk tonk. Wack a lou shink a lack. Sank wonk wee wah. Sp. of E. (Who has listened attentively.) He has paid me a compliment. He says I look very ancient indeed and my wrinkled face reminds him of his grandmother who is ninety years old. P. of C. Honk i chonk chonk wonk jug gu gu jam. Wee wah wu sam lam see mah gah. Mee zu ri ra. Pe kin go ha sing tau wah how. Tung ting hu. Sp. of E. Now he has paid a compliment to Missouri. He says our State is well known in the peacock walks of the tea gardens of the celestial Republic. From the temple eaves in Peking the fame of Missouri is wafted to the Locust groves beloved of humming-birds on the southern shores of Tung Ting Hu. P. of C. Sing fat see wah. Cal u met a wong tong. Ching lang wau. Sing wee ko too. Sp. of E. By way of showing their great love, they have organized a foreign missionary society and will send missionaries to Missouri next summer who will engage in the work of trying to convert the men of Missouri to the virtue of Woman
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[page 5] methinks the women of this great commonwealth will be endowed with that capacity to which by right and by merit they are so abundantly entitled--the capacity of taking part in the active functionings of democratic government. I come from a state where women are the true partners of men, not only in making happy and healthful homes, not only in causing the golden citrus to spring as by the touch of Midas from the fertile soil, but also in sitting in the solemn and sacred halls of legislation and in swatting the Southern Pacific Railway in the solar plexus. I want you to know that I have friends among the women of the Progressive Party. I have friends among the women of the women of the Republican Party, and I have friends also among the women of the Democratic Party. In 1920 it is not to be expected that the amorous professor will be chosen to succeed himself as President of the United States. In 1920 the bearded lady will be forgotten. In 1920 the strenuous Teddy will be even more discredited than at present. In 1920 I ask you all to remember your Uncle Hiram who believes in larger dressing rooms for ladies on the Pullman cars. D.K. (Rings bell). Hold! Here she is. Here she comes, the Missouri woman. (Enters to music of Hound Dog song. Takes seat in front of table.) M.W. Am I late? So sorry. The men in my family are just crazy about fresh onions. I
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[page 6] your life it wasn
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[page 7] He got his laugh. And then some Senator objected to the consideration of such a foul bill. When they tried to call us down for this
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[page 8] was sent on from there to Jefferson City to address the members of the Legislature. Senator Morton of Richmond had announced that ninety percent of the women of Missouri were opposed to Woman
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[page 9] M.W. In our official capacity as an Equal Suffrage League, unhappily we have never been able to say truthfully,
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The St. Louis Times [stamp] St. Louis [Missouri April] 12 7- PM 1917 T. Williams Play Mrs. George Gelhorn 4366 McPherson Avenue Saint Louis
Details
| Title | "The Intruders" - April 12, 1917 |
| Creator | Unknown |
| Source | Unknown. "The Intruders". 12 April 1917. Edna Gellhorn Papers. Washington University Libraries, Department of Special Collections, St. Louis, Missouri. |
| Description | Small sketch given by the Ladies of the Equal Suffrage League at the end of their business meeting. The sketch was to promote Women's Suffrage and encourage the women to keep fighting even though the Missouri Legislature did not grant them the right to vote in 1917. Mrs. Edna Gellhorn was an active civic leader and reformer. She became a leader in the women's suffrage movement and in 1920 became a founder and first vice president of the National League of Women Voters. |
| Contributing Institution | Washington University Libraries, Department of Special Collections |
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| Language | English |