The Monitor., 1891-04-03

first year in WHICH the ballot in school els E.
tons was given TO them A few lines
low er dow in the same article comes this
other statement: "Whenever the ballot is
given to women, the majority who prefer
10 be excused from political functions will
be coerced by their consciences into taking
them up, lest the minoriiy.b by their actions
At the polls, misrepresent the sex" Are
not these what Colonel Eig2nson would
call Kilkenny acknowledgement
that mutually destroy each other, like the
celebrated cats Of Kilkenny Both state
ments can hardly be wholly correct.
What are the facts? In Massachusetts,
school suffrage was glanted to women in
1879. The number of women voting this
year OS00> has been larger than at any
zine during the first eight years after the
right was granted. though not SO large as
Il was two years ago, when particular
exciting school election in Boston called
out the votes of 20 900 women.
II is true, however, that the vote OF
women at school elections is generally
sn.all The article already referred to
says that this fact "indicates dsinclina-
ton to political functions" on the part oi
women. May it not rather indicate thar
the action of women is il fluepctd largely
by the ordinary human m olives which in
llueuce the action of mel? Among men
the size of the vote cast at any election is
ia direct proportion to the amount of inter
est and excitement VI hich that election calls
out. Thus at a ? residential election nearly
all the voters vote; at State election
considerably smaller number; at a munich
pal election smaller number still;
and at a school election, wherever the
school committee are chosen on a separate
day, only a very small fraction Of the men
tarn out to vote for them. 1t is just so
with women. In States where women can
vete only for school committees, the vote
of women is small. In Kansas, where
thsy have m lnicipal suffrage, it is much
larger In England, where single women
aud widows have had municipal suffrage
for more than twenty years, an examina-
ton of the recoid- BOOKS made some years
back shows that the women vote as gener-
ally as the men; and Mr.. Gladstone says
that they have done so''Niihout detriment,
and with great advantage. In Wyoming,
where they have full suffrage, the women
nearly all vote. 1t would be easy to sub
stantia,e this by official testimony, but
tuat it would take up too much space.
The Importance of having good school
officers can hardly be oyerestimated, and
oae would think that it ought to be appre
ciated at least by fathers aud mothers.
But it is notorious that school elections do
not call out Il public interest proportionate
to ieir real Importance, either among men
or omen. Hence, While the small school
vote oi women is certainly to be deplored,
1t is only a new proof of the trrth of Mrs.
Poystr's saying: Pm not denying that
women are foolish; God Almighty made
them To match the meu."
A striking illustration of the different
standard by which mea and women are
judged in these matters is afforded by the
municipal elt tctious in Kansas. Kansas
cities oi the first and secoud class elect
! their mayors aud the main part of their
city U otiicers every other year, leaving only
few comparatively uDimportant Officers
To be chosen on the intervening year. OF
course the vote on the off year is always
light. Accordingly. every other year the
papeis outside o Kansas publish ponder
Jus ,dltolials declaring that the vote oi
X tusas Women has fallen eft this Year."
aud deducing damaging conclusions against
woman suffrage. But the fact that on
these same occasions the vote Of Kansas
men had invariably fallen off also--and
| often in larger proportion than that OF
| women-is never quoted as showing any
Inherent 'disincination to exercise politi-
cal functions" ON the part OF Kansas meu.
The argument based on the small school
vo,e of Massach uSetts is equally nsead,
ing.
Women now have school suffrage 10
senty-two States. In all, except Wyom-
ing the vote has been small; ;but the omen
voting have been. almost without excep-
tion, OF the respe ctable ard intelligent
class. s. far as the experience of these
twenty-five States has gone, no foundation
has been shown for the fear that the bad
women would be the first to rush to the
polls. and that women who did not want
to vote would be obliged to do SO in order
to offset those who would 'niisrepresent
the sex at the polls" No doubt general
suffrage. when granted, will call out a
more general vote OF women, including
bad as well as good. But thus far the
school vote of women has BEEN as conspicu.
Gus for its high quality as for its small
quantity Alice Stone Blackwell in Christ.
ian Union
Johnson q stokes Garden and Tar m
manual for 1891.
We are lust in receipt OF this hands ONE