Thomas County cat., 1889-09-05
own wants. What shall we eat: What
shall we drink7 And wherewithal
shall we be clothed? become absorbing

own wants. What shall we eat: What
shall we drink7 And wherewithal
shall we be clothed? become absorbing
questions The little horizon that
bounds our vision becomes . world.
The great end of our being. to serve
God. is lost sight Of The calls of human
ity can not be heard for the ciamor of
custom and the din clatter of domestic
life Contemplating little things, we
grow little; confined to narrow bounds,
we become narrow. But the ballot
comes and arouses us from this dream
OF selfishness. 1t gets the thoughts out
of the old ruts. 1t impels and counsels
us to the consideration of other subjects
besides our own little interests. Our
views will widen, our sympathies
broaden, and we shall be wiser, better
and nobler And the mental benefits
of the ballot will be in proportion to
the moral attitude of the voter. If he
is conscientious and wants to do right;
if he has an honorable solicitude to
stand fairly on every record. he will be
impelled to seek knowledge, and COM
pare and balance theories. to reason
and to analyze; but if he cares little
about his duty, if his conviction lacks
intensity and strength. he will derive
but little benefit from this great privi-
lege
In this paper we have used the word
men in its generic sense; but the mascl-
line includes the feminine. All these
truisms are as applicable to woman as
to man. Truth may have her meridi-
ans, but she does not have sexual va
rieties.
(a) That the ballot would enlarge
womans sympathies is unquestionable;
and unQuestionably she needs it
(b) 1t would compel her to indepen-
dent thought She is given to thought
by proxy.
(c) 1t would awake in her mind the
sleeping truth of free agency and con-
sequent responsibility.
Right here we may detect the true
solution of woman's inferiority. The
fatal iron Of the doctrine of necessity
has entered her soul and bound her all
through the ages l do not mean that
this has been with her a formulated
theory. 1t may not have always been
present to her consciousness, but it has
slumbered in the profoundest depth of
her being. She has lived under the in
fuence of this narcotic. and it has
stepped her senses in perpetual calm.
Would you awaken a woman from her
supineness and energize her conscience?
Give her the ballot. We do not ask
you to give it to her because she is SO
wise and good. but because she needs
wisdom and goodness.
Does not the world believe its We
know it was the argument urged for en-
franchising the negro. But those who
urged it so vehemently then can not
see it applies with equal force to wo-
man. Says wise political economist:
'It is characteristic of the cautious and
tentative character of English legisla-
ton that it becomes gradually COM
mitted to great general principles. not
through any perception of the truth
and value of these principles In the alb
stract, but gradually, and through the
compulsion of particular necessities.
And to the last possible moment the
general application of such principles
is always resisted"
Perhaps this explains why we have
not applied this doctrine to women.
But we do not point you to the negro
to show what the ballot will do for wo-
men. Give several men a copy of the
same book to read. and the man that
brings to the perusal of the book the
most knowledge will learn the most
from the pages So women will be
more benefited by the ballot than her
inferior in knowledge. Indeed. the ex-
pertinent was never tried under so fa-
vorable circumstances as it might be,
to-day. in America
Giving woman the ballot will educate
her sons to greater maternal reverence
Every son knows that his country de-
grades his mother. He knows he is to
be her future ruler Boys are not long
in learning to sneer at woman's posi-
ton. 1t is a shame thus to degrade
the mothers of the land before their
children.
But, as men accept my theme as tru-
ism, then it follows they must think
of woman's education as matter of in
difference. They were not Indifferent
to the negro claims, but they are deaf
to woman claims They thrust it on
the negro before he asked for it, but
many thousand women sue for it vain
ly. When will America learn that to
elevate her nature you must elevate
her motherhood?
Egypt that wonderful civilization
that existed for so many centuries. hon
ored her women. When the Moslems
came. with their contempt for woman.
woman went down; and the nation
went down with her. Look at Turkey,
if you would see the effect of female