The record-union., 1891-12-21
WOMEN REFoRMERS, PAST AND
PRESENT.

movements Is a little surprising, Tor that
city has been looked upon as their house
of refuge and special tabernacle. But
here is the staid and thoughtful Herald,
in the face OF an immense gathering at its
doors of women reformers from all parts
of the civilized world, declaring that at
least in the past they have been apt to
run off at tangent and to enlarge side
issues as if they we're of first importance
That they have been mainly emotional
perance Union has for long time been
the cause for much just criticism, says the
Herald, for its leaders have treated tenn
perance as if it was the only reform in
the world.
But the Herald attempts to save itself
from assault by hedging with the state
ment that all this relates to the past, and
that while women ought to be more IN
huential than they are in reforms relat-
ing peculiarly to their sex and its relation
to social ills and needs, we are beginning
to see different order of women at the
front-women who are not merely inter
ested in social reforms as specialists. but
are wise and broad enough to consider
the bearing of these special reforms upon
the whole of society. 1t is from this point
of view, says the Herald, that they will
begin to enlist greatest sympathy in be-
half of their special efforts.
But our Boston contemporary appears
to have forgotten that very many of the
old-time women leaders in reforms, those
who gave direction to their beginning
and infused vigor into their methods,
still live, and either in person or by the
spirit of their past, direct, if they do not
absolutely control. These may well pro-
test against the criticism, and take the as
sault to heart. They will have the sym
pathy of the mass of the present women
retormers, the new as well as the older.
We confess that we cannot see the be-
ginning of the change that the Herald
discerns. The women reformers of to-
day, it seems to us, are not more able, and
are quite as radical and intolerant as any
of the past, if we except only the workers
in charities. These have broadened the
horizon of their views, and work to-day
with more directness, discretion and eff
fectiveness than ever before. Of course,
as the Herald suggests, more of
thoroughly educated women are to-day
engaged in the many social reformatory
activities, but simply because women are
in greater number educated to-day. But
we cannot find any instance in which the
special reforms battled for are presented
with broader view or more temperateIy.
Certainly in the demand for the suffrage
there has been no strength added to
leadership, nor greater wisdom displayed
in management, than were dominant
among the reformers twenty-five years
ago. Nor in the temperance movement
has there been any decided advance in
the methods employed. The Temperance
Union may be said to be new in its en-
ployment of Christianity, but as we re-
view the history of the reform, the
church was with it even more energeti-
cally quarter of century ago.
In dress reform there is no evidence of
an iota of added strength, wisdom or
courage-if anything, the reformers are
less brave than in the days of Mrs.
Bloomer, and fashion is more triumph
antly despotic over women to-day than
ever before. In the matter of charity re-
forms, prison and asylum reforms and
management, and in educational move
ments, beyond question the present army
of women workers is larger, better dis
ciplined and led, employ better methods
and accomplish greater results. But in
every one of these they have had the aid
of men working shoulder to shoulder
with them, and neither can Justly lay
claim to singleness in leadership.
In the labor questions which have to do
Immediately with their sex women have
not made progress in reforms at all COM
parable 10 lu6 advance OF men In matters
relating to their sex. The general con-
dition of the wage-working women of
1891 is not bettered by reason of any
special original effort on the part of the
women of to-day. They have followed
the lead of men in labor organizations
here and there, but the most effective of
all these, and about the only one that has
achieved real success, is that of the
Workingwomen's Society of New York,
and similar ones in other cities. In that
instance, unaided, great good has been
accomplished. But it is rather the work
of alleviating than preventing distress
that engages all such associations. In
many cities women have, by organiza-
ton, and in the direction of charity, aided
the fallen of their sex to better lives, but
these can scarcely be called reform works.
Certainly none can be named as notably
and distinctively promoted by women
that strike at the root of evils that es-
pecially operate to the debasement and
enslavement of their sex.
We weuld be gratifed to learn of the