The Labor enquirer., 1888-02-11
WOMAN'S COLUMN,
Ea,soa By nrs. 4. I. vvssAb.rs.

idly coming forward as polit-
ical factors in the impending
struggle for 'sweeter manners.
purer laws" and for the estab-
lishment of that justice guar
anteed us by the founders of our
republic. More and more do
women as they become educated
to take thought Of social ques-
tons and political issues see that
the constitution of the United
States never shut women out from
the ballot; that usages more than
laws (bad as laws are) have grad
ually remanded women to the do
main called the domestic" and
have driven men from their "ain
6resides" to cope alone with out
side forces and to settle problems
which really require the united
thought and effort of all intelli-
gent men and women. More
than this even is needed; viz; ac-
tive will-power, moral resist
ancc to immoral aggressions and
to that insidious, stealthy robbery
of our liberties that characterizes
this blood-sucking. monopolistic,
money-worshipping age. What
has been always our privilege has
now become a sacred duty, to
keep ourselves abreast Of the cur
rent of popular progress and to
resist the encroachments ofs all
combinations which have in view
the subjugation Of the free
thought or personsl liberty of
women. This moral resistance
often effects wonders in ourselves
by the power of silent thought,
and when this thought is forcibly
projected against the evils OF So
ciety we must acknowledge its
power to be actually immeasur-
able and infinite. We must first
think for ourselves; we must assert
our absolute supremacy over our
own individual "think-tank," as
Bill Nye expresses it, and being
sure of the right neglect nct to
"go ahead"
Womanhood is everywhere as
serting itself and people are be-
coming accustomed to it.
That custom makes law" is
proven every day. Even that
most-sacred bulwark of the courts,
"a precedent goes down before
the steady silent oncoming OF the
woman element in political and
social affairs and never will their
resistless march be checked until,
like the marching ants of Africa,
they have cleaned and purified
everything in their path. AS
these irresistible armies OF tiny
maraudcrs touch no tree or bush
or flower but cleanse each native
hut of rats, mice and vermin, so
will the hitherto uncountcd woman
force disturb no element OF
love, harmony or beauty but
cleanse our body polite" from
all grossness, all sordid selfishncss
and the small but innumerablc
vcrmin which swarm from every
evil institution of our land leav-
ing us clean and happy homes
free from the taint of the social
vice, the rum power, the money
power and the church power, free
to secure the happiness of all in
the well-being of each one.
-"
take it as a good omen thatthe
Social League has begun to con-
slider the wrongs Of farmers as we'll
as of the wage earnersin cities, for
producers and consumers OF food
are or should be on intimate terms
and laboring side by side for the
good of all.
Money. money, money! This
thought has for a time obscured
the horizon of human endcavor and
made us oblivious of the fact that
human brotherhood" is the grand
uplifting idea, and together we OF
the farms and the workshops,
the kitchens and the sewing rooms,
the factories and the laundries,
the desks and the bitches must
rise to contemplate the utter use
lessness of money by itself as
compared with thought, energy,
.ol;,;o, love and penuus of which