LNA Executive Committee minutes

  • This material is held at
  • Reference
      GB 106 3JBL/38/56
  • Dates of Creation
      25 Nov 1897
  • Physical Description
      1 item

Scope and Content

Typewritten copy of the minutes of the meeting of Executive Committee of the LNA held at Bristol on 25 Nov 1897.

JB in the Chair

This was the LNA annual meeting held on 9 Jul.

The Exec Committee re-elected Miss Willard as President, Lady Henry Somerset as Vice President, JB as Superintendent of the Purity Dept.

'Notes from America' (in the Shield Dec 1897 p 58)

'The Committee begged Mrs Butler to edit a small periodical containing such appeals, which she kindly agreed to do'

JB got to work at once on the new project and the first was published Jan 1898, under the title of the 'Storm-Bell', international in character.

'The meeting of the LNA at Croydon ... was well attended'

'In connection with the Croydon Branch of the National Union of Women Workers, and by kind permission of that body, the LNA held a public meeting in the small Public Hall, Croydon on 28 Oct'

Mrs James Stuart occupied the chair.

Lady Carlisle, Mrs Tanner, Mrs Sheldon Amos, Mrs Bunting, Miss Whitehead, Mrs Solly and others. (Shield Nov 1897 p 56)

Administrative / Biographical History

Letters dealing with JB's activities on her return home from the Continent early in Mar 1897 may be found in her correspondence from that date to the presentation of a Memorial signed by over 60,000 women and presented to Lord George Hamilton at the India Office 30 Jul 1897.

See especially letters of 15 May, 21 May, 1 Jun, 25 Jun, 28 Jul, 1 Aug.

[See notes about (1) 'Truth before everything on page 3, (2) Meeting of the LNA at Croydon]

'Sir James Stansfeld's speech at St Martin's Hall'

The speech from which extracts are given in the 'Shield' Jul 1897 p 25 was printed in full in pamphlet form, and could be obtained at the Office 17 Tothill St, SW.

'Mrs Andrew and Dr Bushnell's reply to Lady Henry Somerset's letter on India'

A summary of this reply is given in the 'Shield' Oct 97 p 45.

'The committee is glad to find from the Report of the Convention at Toronto that there was ... sympathy with Mrs Butler and faith in our principles'

In the Shield Dec 1897 p 58 we read in 'Notes from America' - The World's WCTU met at Toronto and on Oct 26 a Resolution, condemnatory of Regulation was unanimously passed.

[See next page for continuation of these 'Notes']

3 Women's Conventions recently held in America

* Toronto of the Canadian WCTU 22 Oct passed a strongly worded resolution against the Regulation of Vice in the Military Cantonments in India.

* Toronto of the World's WCTU 26 Oct a resolution opposed to any system of license or Regulation

* Buffalo of USWCTU Nov 2 opposed to the slightest legal recognition of prostitution

Harold Frederic's 'scurrilous cablegram' sent from London to New York Times, included in the minutes is also printed in 'Notes from America' Shield Dec 1897 p 59. Also printed is 'Letter from Mrs JE Butler to Miss Willard, 29 Nov 1897 in which she declines the office to which the Convention re-elected her (see above).

Pamphlet: 'Truth before everything'

The substance of this was the letter JB wrote on the occasion of Lady Henry Somerset's letter to the 'Times' (21 Apr 1897) addressed to Lord George Hamilton which embodied 6 propositions outlining a scheme for Regulation 'more repellent than that previously in force'

JB was unable to attend the meeting called to consider the situation by the LNA, so wrote a letter to be read to the meeting. This was produced as a pamphlet entitled 'Truth before everything'. There was nothing new in it to those who had read her earlier pamphlets but was written with her accustomed fire.

(For further comments on 'Truth before everything' see letter of 7 Aug 1997 JB to Miss Priestman)

Biog: Mrs James Stuart, Lady Carlisle, Dr Agnes McLaren, Mrs Solly, Miss Leppington, Mrs Amos, Miss Whitehead, Mrs Benson, Mrs Tait, Lady Frederick Cavendish, Miss Leigh Brown, Mrs Bunting, Miss Willard, Mrs Pease, Mrs E Backhouse, Rev Price Hughes, Mr Maurice Gregory, Mr Cope, Mrs Andrew and Dr Bushnell