Weekly Trinity journal., 1871-11-04
WOMEN AND POLITICS.

to all the political or other functions at present
discharged solely by men. 1t is objected that
various grave incoGveniences, arising out of the
mere fact of sexual difference, would follow such
change; that women themselves would be
losers by it in many respects, and that the best
of them would suffer in their purity and refine
ment by being mixed up in some of man S ruder
avocations To this the answer is, that the
introduction of women as an active participant
will purity politics, transform trade and reform
society generally. Women being the better ele-
ment, will put down the worst element as soon
as she gets fair play.
Allow that the mass of female morality in
this or any other country is far beyond the mass
of male morality, Ga proposition which is by no
means an axiom. and might be made the theme
of much discussion it does not ut all follow that
the universal combination of the two forces will
produce an improvement. When we pour GER
tain quantity of cognac into certain quantity
of water, we can tel exactly what percentage of
alcohol our grog will contain. When we take
definite proportion of cobalt and definite pro.
portion of gomboge, we can tell precisely what
shade of green will be produced by the mixture.
But we cannot settle moral combinations be-
forehand on this tangible and mechanical basis
An innocent young man who consorts with vicious
associates is in danger of being corrupted by
them. Few parents would like to run the
chance of his converting the others the expert
ment would be too risky. On the other hand,
let vicious boy enter select school he may
be reformed there, or he may damage the whole
establishment. Any of US who have had expert
ence in these matters know how careful teachers
of first-cass schools are to weed out their black
sheep for fear of the harm they may do. 1t is
not an absolute question of number. Suppose
there is small percentage of women in excess
| of men throughout the country, and that the
women are (by our first assumption) more moral
than the men, it does not follow that their in
fusion into politics or trade will render politics
or trade less corrupt. For, in the first place,
women more aristocratic and exclusive than
men and even ii we assume that this difference
is not natural, but result of custom aud legis-
lati0n, it is result now so fixed that much
time will be necessary to reverse it, More wo-
of politics and the routine OF business, and the
denquents will be women Of the better class ;
so that the female sex will have, on the whole,
worse representatives in active life than the
male sex. Secondly, it may well be asked
whether portion at least of those virtues in
which women are supposed peculiarly to excel
may not be due to their freedom from certain
temptations to which men exposed. A monk
or prisoner is incapacitaled for committing
many sins because he cannot obtain the material
and opportunity for them in his convent or pris-
on. A gentleman living on his means, be they
large or small, has not the same temptation to
falsehood and dishonesty as n lawyer, accord
ing to the present standard of lawyers) shop
keeper, stock broker, an editor, a member
of Congress professional politician of any
kind. Throw women into the political arena,
and some of the Girest features of their moral
superiority will be exposed to a rude and peril
Gus test.-"Popuin Faltaeies," By cart Benson,
in Gala1y for November.
The WORKMAN AHEAD.-A good story is told
of prominent railroad gentleman in Phiadel-
make ard take joke. A railroad employee,
whose home is in Avon came on Saturday night
to ask pass down to visit his family:
You are in the employ of the railroad2' in
quired the gentleman alluded to.
| eyes"
"You receive your pay regularly ~
| eyes"
WE'LL now, suppose you were working for q
farmer instead of railroad, would you expect
your employer to hitch up his team every Satur-
day night and carry you to your home Y'
This seemed poser, but it was not.
"No," said the man promptly, "l would not
expect that but if the farmer had his team al
ready hitched up, and was going my way, |
should call him darned mean cuss if he would
not let me ride"
Employee came out a minute afterwards with
pass " good for twelve months"
The MIsERs BooTs.-They tell good story
of an od-fashoned miser. He was never known
to have anything in the line of new apparel but
once then he going on journey, and had
to purchase new pair Of boots. The stage left
before day, and so he got ready and went to the
hotel to stop for the night. Among a whole
row of boots, in the morning he could not find
the old familiar pair. He had forgotten the
new ones he hunted and hunted in vain. The
stage was ready, and SO he looked carefully
round to see that he was not observed, put on a
nice pair that fitted him. called the waiter and
told him the circumstance giving him ten shil-
lings for the owner. The owner never called.
The miser bought his own boots
YOUNG British officer in India, who was
shockingly mutilated and disfgured in battle,
after mature reflection, requested comrade to
write to his betrothed, in England, and release
her from the bridal engagement. Her noble re-
nm