The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1888-12-28
OUR BOSTON LETTER.
TRlcksY WOMEN WHO VOTED WITH
MORE ZEAL THAN DISCRETION.

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TRlcksY WOMEN WHO VOTED WITH
MORE ZEAL THAN DISCRETION.
Society Religion Ut the Hub - Frigi'
Weather for Capitalists-soms Thsatrica
Gossip-Nsws Of the Day.
From Our Special Correspondents,
BosroN, Dec. 90
Stories have gone abroad of large-sixet
frauds In the recent municipal election II
Boston. There Ia chance that new ballotine
for aldermen may be ordered In several wards
and some newspapers have spoken as though
there were a chance that the election Of
mayor might have to be done over. Thu
superstition is ridiculous. The frauds, which
consisted Of the voting by some women OF the
whole municipal ticket instead Of that for
school committee only, were probably con.
1ned to the ignorant districts of the city, and
doubtless helped one party about as much AZ
another. though in O'Brien's favor was the
fact that the Democratic ticket for
men and women were alike In
appearance 1t was easy to carry
out the fraud, for all the ballots went
In the same box, the election officers had no
right to look at the face of the ballot, and
the only way they could tell what ticket a
woman was voting was by the line printed
across the back of the ballot: "For school
committee only"
The wardens were kept SO busy in attend
ing to the unusual rush Of voters that, even
il they meant to do their duty, they might
easily fail to notice what kind of ballot
was going in the box And there is no doubt
shat in some precincts the wardens were
grossly incompetent. No doubt some OF the
women voted the wrong ticket through
ignorance, but there is little doubt that some
of the poll workers had prepared beforehand
to stuff the ballot box in this way, and that
they had instructed some of the women how
to play their part
The professional Woman Suffragists have
brought themselves into disfavor throughout
this whole business. Not only did they jeop-
ardize the entire women's movement by their
bolt but it now appears that the signature OF
Alice Stone Blackwell was forged in the cir
cular in which the Suffragists appealed to the
other women to follow their leadership
One well-known Woman Suffragist now
openly admits that she voted for mayor, say
ing: "Why shouldn't II What right has any
legislature to say that women shall not have
the right to vote for all officers as well as
men! know the men have the power to en-
force the brutal savage distinction against
women, but power and right are two differ
ont things, and believe that whenever we get
a chance to outwit the law that reduces our
sex to the level of paupers or slaves, 1t is not
only our right but our duty to do it. 80
voted the straight ticket from mayor down,
and know at least a hundred Woman Suffra-
gists among my acquaintance who did the
samen
This last statement should be sailed to taste.
-
Talking about women, there is one charity
in Boston which is unique in that 1t has no
board of managers with monthly meetings,
secretary, and book of minutes. Dis
pensing with these formidable adjuncts, the
free home for aged women on Common
street has existed for ten years
with only a s'house mother" to manage
things. The home accommodates twelve old
ladies, and is always full One Of the in
mates to-day was once a missionary, and is
now cheerful saint" One is over 80 years
of age and all are past three score and
ten.
80
One of the curious things about society
religion undergoes illustration at this period.
High church doctrines are fashionable
here, and the ostensible observance Of
Lent as period of abstention from
gayety is quite common, but the season of
Advent is considered by thertualistic branch
of the Episcopal church to be a lesser Lent,
and much the same deprivations and fasting
are required during the December weeks be-
fore Christmas as at the greater penitential
season. Yet there is no pretence of respect
ing Advent; balls and parties have been in
full swing for weeks, and conspicuous pillars
Of the high church do as the other Bostonians
do They won't catch up with the church
calendar before spring.
***
Boston may have an Episcopal cathedral
as soon as New York. Ardent members of
the denomination talk of raising fund by
throughout the state With |
this they would buy the property of st. |
Paul's church on fremont street in the |
of the Common, and put up a |
new building there. Bishop Paddock, it is |
thought, will favor this plan when he returns |
from Europe The ST. Paul's society intends
to follow the example of many other churches |
and move into the Back Bay.
-.
1t wouldn't be odd il Boston's capitalists
were not remarkably hilarious at this holiday
season. The shrinkage in value of the chief
railroad and other stocks mainly held in Bos-
ton has been sos, 900, 900, or over 40 per cent.
in the last eighteen months. This is a pretty
cold icicle for the Christmas stocking.
This shrinkage doesn't mean ruin for the
investors. Most.of them bought when the
stocks were begging for purchasers. Though
Atchison has tumbled about sixty points it I
Is still a satisfying property to those
who bought it at about half its
present value. People who bought
Eastern at 80 a share are not utterly ruined
BY the shrinkage which has sent it down to 80
,r SO, depreciation of 81, 600, COO People who
got in on the ground floor of Bell Telephone
nay survive its drop to about 200
Those who are lucky enough to hold copper
tocks have special consolation in the fact
hat these are booming tremendously,
Calumet and Hecla, for instance, is valued
It $40, 600, 900 higher than it was a year and
/ half ago
It is sad but real fact that Bronson How
lrd's play Shenandoah" has been a failure
It the Museum, though few plays have been
,etter presented there. The fact is IL isa
good war story bnt poor play, and the pub.
ic have SO decided Those who ara daa,,lx, |