National Republican., 1888-02-15
Pantaloons VS.. Petticoats. .

EDITOR NATIONAL REPUBLICAN,. Perhaps
the relative merits of pantaloons and petit
coats, or the advantage offs one over the o.hcr,
have never been more clearly defined than
they were in an editorial article which Ap'
peafeo in the Thursdays Issue OF the PIS'.
The wrllcr observes: When the pcLticoat
plunges into po ilics IL does So at an nlnnant
rlsR OF contamination and Win scarcelya pHsi'
the political siustiOn." II other words, that
which soils and h.grimes the peIticoa Is the
natural element OF the paualOons.
1t Is riuin tnst in his attempt 10 deal with
the question OF sex III politics this eviIcntly
youlhinl anu inexperienced writer 6cSnOSl
edges more than he iutGudrd, aud when. in
iiourCeiipG about TO make himself lu1ii, he
Il, clares that he does "uDt mean to say or iuti.
Mate that tile work Oi the politician Is nGlss.
sally unclean, as viewed from the masculine
STANDPOINT" he admits all that his biltgrest
opponents could desire, aud, to Use his own
not hltoGttner elegant expression, he sim ply
makes mess Ot it,
lfiha;which is unClean when observed from
the point of view Ot the feminine element ia
society becomes clean wnen viewed from the
masculine standpoint, surely there must b. IN
The very natures OF women and men III N a
fundamental and radical difference that he
Olmer can scarce afford 10 entruSt their
dearest interests aud the safeguards watch
involve the highest good OF their chllirrn To
The task of alluding TO the distinctive 1utll.
ties oi women and men in this particular
manner is by no means pleasant one, yet the
fgct VIII doubtless be perceived that in 50
doing we have only traced the propositions
contained in the Posts editorial to their legiti.
mate conclusions.
This writer says further; I'VE do not dispar.
age wOmans intellect when we say that She Is
altogether unfit for the business OF practical
poliiics.n Now, the question at once arises
why Is she unit, and what Is the significance
of The term practical politics for which BY
nature and instinct women are totally un-
suiteo? Plain politics we know is only the
machinery by which the highest interests OF a
people are promoted, hence the pSefulue,s Of
no individual could possibly be lessenel By
an interest or even by participation therein.
Practical politics, however, must be something
altogether different from this, aud since Il is
from WOman's standpoint alone that this d!f.
ference seems TO be pcrceptible, or that practi-
tical politics is seen to be unclean, clearly 1t
must be through her influence that the sources
Of legislation must eventually become
He SAYS: ~ Legislation inrelatlon to the llquJr
trahic is politics, and not OF the most cxa ted
ih kind But snoI @ legislation ever ne other
clearly due TO the exclusion from legislative
iuuctons the one element in hrman society
which has no affinity for the filth in which
may with imppnity revei2
II makes little difference as to what may be
ones individual opinion concerning the
methods Of the association known as the
Womans Christian Temperance Union. When
we consider the past OF wOmen's history, II
would be quite remarkable II I've did not ilnd
them in q certain degree narrow, unreBSOn.
able, and even ianatical; yet when we remem.
ber that even in these respects they compare
no, untavorab)y with the opposite sex, our
criticisms on lhcm shSuld he temDered win
moderation, and especially so when we re,l. Gt
that as a unit they are working gconScientiOl,lv
Tor what they believe TO be the highest good
oi mankind.
That the agitation Of the liquOr question is
wholly Que 10 the influence and eI'nts Of
women 10 one will deny, and aS Il is to their
increasing power and independence that a
sentiment IN nvOr of temperance is being
slowly created II would seem that even b,yS
should be taught 70 treat them with that re-.
spCct which ordinary courtesy demands Of NJ
least, which common decrncy might suggest
ELI.A II. EAMn--r