, 1880-02-29
School Suffrage.

10 the Edti0T O! lNE lAacQgo 4F1VA4ae~
CHICAGO, Feb y7.-That Illinois may not be
behind other leading States Of tho Union in
working for the advancement of the interests Of
education, a wel-organized effort to secure
school suffrage to that large clnss of her unrep-
resented citizens who are SO vitality and practi-
caly interested in the success Of schools has al-
ready been iuaugurated- That act OF tho Lesas-
lut,lre Of 1873 which made woman eligible to any
Office under the School laws nus proved W1se M
and eninently satisfactory enactment. Ihe
women who have been raised to official position
in accordance with this law have. without exccp-
Workers. :s % and have in each case elevated tho
standard of educational excellence, and n q
creased the interest Of the People in schools in
Women, therefore, are success as school
officers Thut they are eminently fitted for
tcAchers has long been admitted by all Ihat "
and that every mother is IN educator, are ae.
guments to prove that women, equally at least
with mcn, alive to the best interests oI ettl-
cution, and aro therefore capable OF Intelligent
aggression upon ull questions relating to schools,
and notubly the choice Of school officers
That women are out Of politics Is one OF the
best arguments in favor of school sulr TOE
women. The crying need Of our educationA n
tcrests is thAt school affairs be wrestcd from tho
hands Of politicians. Even the power to choose
schools is sometimes prostituted to the base con-
sideration OF tho number OF voting relnt1onsn Il
candidate Tor such position may hAvc, res11fd-
rnct @ thut women arc not political fnctors
1nlkes them all the moro desirable as
voters upon all school questions. There
fore tho fuct must appeal to every Wom-
IN, especially to mothers and to teachers. that
she has work to do in securing school suffrage
to women purely for the sake Of the q. navahee h
above the reach of political barter and sale.
If Chjc,ago women need additional argument.
surely they will nd T. in = 70 ecs1om eonea o.
teachers marrying. 1t broader experience OF OF
life dist,unllties n woman for the position OF
teacher there stu remains class o. no ra ,u
are spotlesly Innocent Of either experience or
practical gut,d sense, from which to choose the
teachers Of the public schools.
The form Of the petition for school suffrage,
which has been adopted by the State Central
Committee, Is rs follows:
II the Honorable tmhsr, q ths @ Sxnas and AZ H9,s Ss
Hnderss,,e cttzens of the State OF Illinois earnest.
T. 1es n sn sts m noaS %
stltutiors winch shall all wonen citizens of
tessis s2s he S eps e Il n
the right to vote for school officers nnd upon & AZ
questions pertaining to our public schools nna edu-
We M p ahe a1
S;s declared thntany woman: married ar single Uf
ns as n Tss: a 6
oes under LEA tue 70 81 ss n IN
Counties women aEe serving acecptably Us County
VIII tie EDUCATION Ut children In the homo and the
school room exclusively delegated to wgmen;
nnn not be safe nnd wise allow this experience
to crTstaiiize into the State the Suite being
merely an aggregation Of families:
However much interest teachers mny feel tn
the mutter OF school suffrage, nothing will be &c,
c6mplishcd without pcrstlnal effort Printed
copies OF petitions, ready for signatures, may be
had by application to any member OF tae s.asc 10
formed thro lghout tho Suite for work, but II ts
Of great importance that all such work should DC DC
,rhnm nre rs follows: Elizabeth Boynton Har-
bart. Evanston; Dr.. Leila 6. Bcdcli. No. a5t
North Ia Sale street, Chicago; louise Il. Ward
NOR. Anna: Sar&h 3. Raymond, Bloomington;
Hnrbar1l ii. Prince. Bloomington; Mrs. a: 4
Vnllettj, No. lii C.ark street, Chicago: Kris. Z. H.
White, Hyde Park. ,4.
which hnTts for tt1cir object the advancement Of
social science, education. or philanthropy would
do well to take hold OF this work officially, Us has
alrcadv been done BY some of tho best orgnnzl-
tious. notably Blythe Illinois branch Of the A. A.
u 49, - L. G. BEpELL-