Sword and shield. (Clinton, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1885-07-04

dice is slowly giving way, and the
day is not far distant when woman's
morals, tastes and intelligence in
iected into the ballot-box, will cOun-
teract the vices and brutality and
drunkenness of men"
God forbid that the day should
ever come in this land "when wo-
mans morals, tastes and intelli-
gence" will be ''injected into the
ballot box," less they should stick
there so fast that she would never
be able to get them out again.
Experience has proven that the
ballot-5ox has become a dirty thing,
around which many temptations and
vices of various characters cluster.
And history proves that woman IS
just as easily tempted, led astray
and corrupted as man is, when they
are both placed in the same situa-
ton. Woman's safety and purity
lie in her being shielded from temp
tation and vice. So far from it be-
ing an elevating of woman to place
the ballot in her hand, it will be de-
grading her from her high and
heaven-appointed sphere, and bring
ing her into contact with all the pol
itic vices and corruptions of the
age. As sure as ''evll c0mmunlca-
tions corrupt good manners, 50
sure will woman be corrupted by
the privilege of the ballot, if she
ever attains it. When two streams,
the one clear and the other muddy,
run and mingle together, instead of
both waters becoming clear, they
both become muddy; so it will be
with man and woman around the
ballot-box. Woman's God-given
sphere lies in the household, and
only by attending to the duties
within this sphere can she ever sue
cessfully inculcate polite morals
and religion. and be instrumental in
raising and sending to the ballot
box a wiser and better class of
voters.
What man of correct principle
and thought would be willing to
have his wife, sisters or daughters
exposed to all the temptations that
men have to meet in the outer life !?
We feel that our women are not to
be allowed to come in contact with
many of the dirty things of the
outer world, but that they are to be
protected and kept safe and pure
within the sacred home circle. At
least, this is the way that [ feel
about it, and whenever my wife
starts to the ballct-box | propose to
take the babies and migrate to some
foreign CLINE, where woman suffrage
has never been heard of, and leave
her to follow at her leisure, after the
election returns come in.
say Of Prohibition, "Now and
forever" but OF woman suffrage,
"Never, no never" am determin-
ed to never have any of it i'll mine,
and as | do not see how women of
proper reflection and judgment can
desire the ballot, am skeptieal on
such being the fact.
1t is not prejudice, as intimated
by Z. U. v, that has heretofore
shielded woman from the ballot, but
the dictates of a sound judgment,
enlightened and led by the teach
ings of nature and revelation in re-
gard to the relative positions and
duties Of the two sexes and in pro-
portion as these positions and duties
are understood and appreciated by
the two sexes will the privileges and
dangers Of the ballot in the hands of
women be considered undesirable,
and consequently be the farther re-
moved.
SO far from the approach of woman
to the ballot-box being an indica-
ton of the dawning of better day
for her in special and humanity in
general, it will be the reverse, as be-
ing an evidence OF a disregard Of the
relative position OF the two sexes as
set forth in the divine law, evidenced
both by nature and revelation, and
and any departure from this can not
fail ultimately to be detrimental to
the best interests of humanity. no
matter what may be its promise or
what may be the seeming good that
may at first be reaped from such de-
parture. r. G. HEWLETT.