Woman's chronicle. (Little Rock, Ark.) 1888-1???, 1888-09-08

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HYGIENE, Col, August 49, 1885,
Should Woman's Sphere Embrace Politics?
EDITOR WoMAN's CHRONICLE: We hear this
question so often asked and we hear this question
so often answered in the negative by some preju-
diced editor, some corrupt politician or some weak
minded citizen, who sticks first to his party, and
then to his principle and religion, that we would
like to affirm and tell our reasons for so doing,
that woman's sphere should embrace politics, and
that the very class of men who are the loudest in
protestatons against her entrance into this field of
labor and reform, are the very men who are driv-
ing her the fastest where her choice would not lead
her, if they did their duty. Every man afirms, and
no woman denies that the making of peaceful,
happy home, the care of the babies and the proper
training of her sons and daughters, so that they
will reach pure manhood and noble womanhood
is womans sphere that is, the wives and mothers
sphere. If the woman be not wife, if she is mis-
tress of no home, and is without domestic duties,
as thousands of the women of our land are, if
God has given the training of no children into her
hands, her sphere is anything she chooses to make
it, that will better humanity. Those who take
such decided ground against women "leaving the
home CIRCLE" do not say this they seem to forget
that there are those who have no home circle to
leave, and that there are others who have COM
pleted the work embraced by the so-called circle.
Now, these very men who emphasize so strongly
the necessity of women staying at home to keep
the home influence pure, and who lay so much
stress on the necessity OF her training her children
so that they will make good men and women, are
the very men who march out and legalize the thing
which is the deadliest foe to the woman. This
thing which breaks in upon her home however
well she may try to defend it, and lays waste its
peace and comfort and happiness. This thing
which clothes her children in rags and takes the
bread from their mouths. This thing which tears
the child for whom she has suffered unutterable
pain and agony, and for whom she would give her
life to save from her heart and not only ruins his
body and disgraces his life, but that sends his i'm
mortal soul to everlasting despair. This thing
which makes him who should be her protector into
a swearing, fighting iend, who threatens, abuses
and sometimes kills her. This thing which changes
him who was created in Gods own image into
weak repulsve creature lower than the brute. This
thing which turns her happiness into sorrow, her
hope into dispair and her heaven into hell. This
thing! This demon in the shape of rum, which
makes her home a pandemomlum,. which makes
her husband fend and her children beggars, and
blots all her hope from the future, is licensed and
so protected by the government which these men
make. Do these men tell us that woman's hopes
and home, andheart and children, must be sacrificed
to this Demon rum, because they have said her
sphere should be other than to save them? Dare
these men tell us that woman is leaving the limits
of her sphere when she takes any or every step
necessary to drive from her domain that greatest
of all evils which they have put therein?
If the proper care of the home, and the proper
training of the youth of our land, is woman's