The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-09-27

fact. he Hnds that women are at present
| conspicuous for comparative impulsivenees.
They arc carried away By tho feelings OF
the moment even moro than man arc. Suoh
| . characteristic rnns counter to tho judicial
mindedness which ought 70 guido the shap-
| Ing Of laws. As things ore. this prerequisite
10 lesislstion. Observation-Disclosures. IL but
inadeQustely attained. and II would be ful-
| filled far moro imperfectly were tho fran-
chiso extended to women. Mr.. BPENoHR
goes on to niflrm that this moral tnaphtude
Is accompanied by kindred intellectual dis
qualification. Few men even. but far fewer
women. form opinions In which the general
and tho abstract havo due place. Tho
| particular and tho concrete alone are opcr-
ative in their thoughts. They arc apt to
consider only tho immediate results OF leg
islatlon. leaving wholly out OF view tho In
direct and remote effects OH character and
on society. Had women votes. this absorp-
ton OF consciousness In tho proximate and
personal to the exclusion OF the distant and
impcrsonal would DO much greater and
moro mischevous than 1t is already.
1t Is even commended by Mr.. SPENCER that
certain feminine traits Incident to the ma
tcrnnl and coniugal relations rendor the
female sex unsuited for tho work OF legisla-
ton. Women would incline instinctively to
introduce tho ethics OF tho family Into the
ethics OF the State. an introduction which.
II extensive and continuous. would DO not
only injurious but fatal. The love Of the
helpless. characteristic Of the paren tai In
stinct. is much stronger IN women than IN
mon. and sways their conduct much more
powerfully, outside tho family as we'll as
inside. 1t would impel thom therefore in
still greater degree to public actions
unduly regardful Of the Inferior as
compared with the superior. It would
prompt them to confer public bene-
fits not In proportion to deserts. but In
proportion to the absence OF deserts. to
give most where capacity is least. Still
moro than now, consequently. would tho
good which the superior have earned DO
taken away from them forcibly to help the
inferior. and still moro than now would
evils which the inferior have brought upon
themselves be shouldered on to the su-
perlor. Again. on quito opposite ground.
the admission Of women to political func-
tons is regarded by Mr.. SPENCER with pro-
found misgiving. Here he has In view
another feminine trait which has arisen by
adjustment to tho conjugal relation. to the
necessity OF making wise choice Of hus-
bands under the social conditions that
have long prevailed. Power, bodily or
mental, or both, Is and ever has
been tho masculine characteristic by which
women are most attracted. Hence In wo-
mon an instructive worship OF power under
all its forms; and hence Q relative con-
servatism. Authority. no matter how en-
bodied. politically. enthusiastically. or 90
cially. sways women far more than It sways
men. 1t follows that the sentiment OF
reverence. which power and tho trappings
Of power excite. must, II votes were given
to women. strengthen all authorities. polit-
ical and ecclesiastical. Cooperating with
their preference for generosity over Justice.
this power worship in women, IL allowed
fuller expression. would increase tho ability
Of public agencies to override individual
rights In the pursuit OF what might be
thought beneficent ends.
From all this 1t Is plain enough that Mr..
SPENCER. although he writes with the sober
ness BETTING q philosopher. Is inflexibly
opposed to granting equal political rights
to women 80 long as the present transit
tional state Of society shall last. Not until
throughout the civilized world the sword
has been beaten into the ploughshare. not
until the social suffering which appeals to
pity has been materially diminished. and
have waned with her lessening dependence
upon man. will he see cause sensIbly to
modify his opinion.
With much more earneetness as being q
dissemination. not propounder. Of ideas.
Mr.. FREDERIC HARRISON declares him
self on the same side. He warns tho
women who are seeking for masculine ca
reers not to be "abortive men," He tells
them that they are intended "by body,
mind. feeling. and character to play a Diff
ferent part" Ho insists that 1.-The cry In
tho present day for the emancipation OF
women. and for the abolition OF all restraints
preventing any adult. man or woman, from
living his or her own life at his or her pri-
vate will. involves the destruction Of every
social institution and Of every virtue"
Women. no says. must make up their minds
either to he women or to unsex themselves.
When men and women start as competitors
In the same fierce race. as rivals and oppo-
nents instead OF companions and helpmates,
with the same habits. the same engrosslng
toll. and the same public lives. all that con.
stitutes femininity will have disappeared
Society will then consist OF individuals
distinguished physiologlcally merely as
horses and dogs are. into male and female
specimens; the torn family will simply
mean group Of persons choosing to live In
common. and the word "home will only
signify the place where such q group COL
lccts for shelter.
Such utterances as those from the camp
Of tho agnostics may we'll fill with dIsmay
the advocates Of woman 3 claim to equal po-
litical rights. Ifaman so notoriously eman-
cipated from superstition as Is Mr.. FRED
ERIC HARRISON. and q man 80 celebrated
for cool. dlsinterestod. oogent. philosophio
thinking rs Ii Mr.. HERBERT SPENCER, agree
in repudiating as nischievous the move
ment for woman's rights. what is to be ex-
pected from the masses Of average men who
look with instructive dread on vast social
innovation. and would rather suffer the Ills
they have than fly to others that they know
not Of?