The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-08-07
THE WOMAN'S COLUMN
Wrong Ideas of Those Who Are
Opposed to Woman Suffrage.
Recent Remarks With Reference to Logic-The
Law Relating to Women as School
teachers Saving Out of Sc Week.
WRONG IDEAS
That Arc Entertained by Those Opposed
to Woman Suffrage.

to Woman Suffrage.
Editor Womdn'S Column, Morning Call:
Although woman suffragists are usually
wel!-mannered people; although our ablest
men and wOmen-such men as Emerson,
Garrison, Hear, Bowdtch, Philips, such
women as Howe, Stowe, Grace Greenwood,
May Clemmer, Clara Barton and Maria
Mitchell in America; in England, Canon
Kingsley, Jacob Bright, Professor Faw-
cett, John Mill and their wives-have been
the pioneers in suffrage work; although
the very ignorant and the criminal lave
never sought wocan'S enfranchisement, are
"agn it, still the misconception is carefully
| nurtured that if husband and wife have
an equal position in law there will be no
more marriages, no homes, no father will
care Tor his children, 10 mother Will do her
duty. 1t is implied that if woman owns
herself peace, duty and domesticity VIII Tor
sake the nation. Among other brilliant ex-
PLOTS of our last Legislature, or of some OF
ITS members, rather, was the reading OF Tue
following lines The majority OF the Sen
ate, to which they were read, were superior
TO such arguments, and answered
THE FOOL ACCORDING TO HIS FOLLY,
Yet they show the thought Of many
When women's rights have come to stay.
on, who will rock the crade7
When wives at the polls all day,
Oh who Will rock the cradle?
When Doctor Mammals making pills,
When Merchant Mammals selling bills
or course, twill cure all womens Ills.
But who Will rocE the cradle?
Wren mamma TO the court has HE'D,
Oh. who Will rock the cradle"
She has case that must he tried,
But who will TO OK the GRADER
when captain Mamma walks her decks,
When Banker Mammals cashing checks,
When all cur girls have lost their sex,
Must papa rock the cradle?
The reader was so ridiculed by our
starch friends that he did not read the
answer if he had intended to do so, SO / ap-
pend it to relieve the strain:
The people who rocked the cradle when
Mamma was making call,
Tie people who rocked the cradle when
She went to a party or ball,
The people who rocked the cradle when
She went TO church again and again,
Or in the prayer meeting sighed "AmenW
To quotations from St. Paul
The people who rocked the cradle when she
Was scrubbng shopping tot!ng
The burden of some great charity
On which she was working and doting
VIII all he struck by lightning bind,
Or III earthquake their graves they'll find,
OF be swept away by strong north wind.
Wives and daughters.
Women are perplexed to see how they
! can manage to spend any large amount of
| time voting, when we have but one county
| and usually but one local election, and
| State election but once i'm two years and a
| national but once in four years. We who
| are expected to take care of the products of
| licensed evils fancy that by using judiciously
a few minutes of each of those days we
| might save time, and women already read
and know as much of political economy. of
| general Issues as men, so we cannot conf
| prehend the need of abandoning common
| duties if we should express our choice in
| the Government that covers
ALL OUR EARTHLY INTERESTS.
A recent writer implies that if women
vote the father would do nothing for the
| children, and the mother would be so en-
| tirey absorbed in public affairs that she
| would initiate him. Is it possible that
| woman's Acknowledgement alone holds
! fathers to their duty, to provide for wife and
children? Is 1t possible that woman is
wife and mother, proud of that highest
| crown of womanh0od, a cOngenial mar
rage, only because OF men-made laws?
| Women suffragiSts have better opinion of
| men and women and believe that justice
would hold each to higher standard.
| Plenty OF men now throw upon their wives
| the support not only of their children but
| of themselves, and the woman who would
| shirk duty has now more excuse than If the
| laws were just and framed in part by
| women. Two men 90 into partnership; one
buys, travels, has general management the
! other stays in the store but who assumes
| that the first alone shall decide the location
| Of the business, handle all the money,
| choose all the conditions, make all the laws
without the others knowledge, and the
other submit quietly and be Supported"
| entitled legally only TO food, clothes and
medicine" like slaves?
| MARRIAGE Is A PARTNERSHIP,
| The family is the business, yet the husband
| can. If lie be unjust enough, dictate the con-
| diti0ns, the environment and she who re-
| bells speedily learns a lesson in marital
| rights" that soon brushes her individuality.
| A child overheard some women discussing
| the laws of the State and remarked: II
| should think only men would dare to get
married" 1t is assumed that there must be
one head in the family partnership, yet in
ordinary partnership, in which much less is
at stake, there ara as many heads as there
are partners, no one dares domineer, and
| only those things are done which represent
| the firm, they seek medium ground on which
they all agree. Why not in the home?
| When men are partners with women in the
| most important business of all-the home
| why do they make such different laws for
women from what they make for them
| selvesp Simply because the woman partner
| has no vote and must take what she can get
But, says the masterful man, ''it would be
| dreadfal to bring marriage down to part
| nershp." So thought masters about that
| ideal system, slavery, but nothing would do
more for marriage that to lift it up to the
average partnership, with the justice and
| confidence therein involved. the love, the
| children. the lifelong pre-emnence added,
| and marriage would cease to be the failure
| which 1t now often is. Sc.