The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-05-15
CARRIE CARELESS
On the Secret of Woman's influence
In Public Affairs.

On the Secret of Woman's Influence
In Public Affairs.
New YORK, May 14.-Poor old Mr.. Glad
stone, who. throughout his long and useful
career, has always been conspicuous as ono
Of the most gallant and devoted admirers of
our sex, appears to have drawn down upon
his silvery locks a perfect tempest of femi-
nine Indignation and abuse by his recently
issued manifesto against women's suffrage
The Importance Of his utterances on
the subject cannot be denied, for
they are likely to retard for many,
many years TO come, not only
in England, but also on the continent OF
Europe, the concession of those rights OF
legislative franchise, which vast number
OF our sisters appear to consider as indis-
pensable 10 their happiness and welfare.
cannot help thinking, however, that by so
doing no has rendered us an immense serv-
ice, and that the longer we can put off the
day when we shall be forced to share equally
with man his legislative and administrative
rights, privileges and responsibilities, the
happier we shall be- For from the moment
that we are accorded full political equality
with man-and that is what the leaders OF
the so-called women's lrights movements
demand, we shall straightway lose all tho
superiority which we incontestably at pres.
ent possess over the masculine sex.
That this superiority of ours is OF the
most extensive and wide-reaohinR char
aoter, no one will venture to deny. Man
has been dependent upon our influence and
our guidance both for good and for evil ever
since the day when Eve induced that weak
creature Adam TO partake of the apple.
And it is solely because em anxious to see
our sex retain this superiority and all this
predominant influence over the masculine
element that indorse, If not the argu-
menus at any rate. the conclusions of Mr..
Gladstone on the subject Of female legis-
lative suffrage.
Like every member of my sex, / am
fond Of power. What woman is not3
There is not one of US who does not enjoy
imposing her will upon man, either In the
singular, or better still. in the plural sense.
This, however. we are able to effect far
more successfully from behind the throne
than when seated on tho latter, coequal to
appearances with its male occupant. Gam
BETA was absolute dictator and autocrat of
France as long as he remained iu the back
ground. His power and his influence were
all the greater for being occult. Both
waned from the moment that, sorely
against his will, he wns forced to assume
office as prime minister, and he only COM
mencedS TO recover them after his with
drawHl from the premiership.
So | am convinced it will 10 with US, and
from the hour that we are conceded equal
political rights with man, and are obliged
to emerge from our advantageous position
behind the throne, our prestige, our power
and our influence will diminish.
AT present. we are the absolute rulers of
man, and through him, OF the entire world.
There is not single man, no matter how
clever, nor how intellectual, who is not
subject to our mastery aud as weak and as
pliable as wax in our hands. 1t
is not necessary for this that we should
he beautiful or attractive. or even re-
markaby brilliant but merely that wei
should exercise little of that tact, that in
tention, and above all that diplomacy wit h
which nature has endowed the majority of
US. There are but few men who are al to-
gether inaccessible to vanity and self-satis =
faction in one form or another and those
few make up for it by largeness and soft
ness OF heart We can, therefore, look
either through the latter or through the
former. For my own part prefer to avail
myself Of mans vanity and self-sufiiciency
for that is fair game, whereas to take ad-
vantage OF his 5oftness Of heart Is apt to
prick the couscience.l
Mans vanity-we are, l presume his
'vexaton" OF spirits bis weakest his
most vulnerable point. BY tactfully and
delicately fiattering 1t the homeliest and
most unattractive Of women have succeeded
in captivating the affections and in retain
ing their hold upon the heart and mind OF
the most clever. the most brilliant and the
most eminent men of the day. Indeed, 1t is
precisely women of this kind who WELD the
greatest influence, for as q rule they take
greater pains and devote O greater amount
Of diplomacy toward securing the submis-
sion of man TO their wiles than their more
beautiful and attractive sisters are wont TO
do. Russia's three most successful diplo-
matists during the present century have
been remarkable for their extreme
LONELINESS. Princess Lieven, Prin-
cess Lse Troubetzkoi and Nine
dc Novikof have each one of
them welded an enormous amount of
power over great statesmen and through
them over vast empires 80 notorious was
the in.atuation of Mr.. Gladstone for Nine.
de Novikoff during number Of years that
on one memorable occasion the London
populace smashed the windows both Of the
English premier and of the Russian lady,
as a manifestation OF public dissatisfaction
at the manner in which the grand old man,
influenced by the diplomat in pettiooats,
bad supported Instead Of opposed the
Muscovite government in the Orient IL
was at a moment when the continuation of
the traditional British policy of resistance
source Of tho gravest injury to the
czar's government. and the success of Nine.
de Novikof in persuading Mr.. Gladstone to
run counter TO the current of popular senti~
ment in England, and to further the Mus
coviJe projects, at the expense, as IL after
ward proved. of English interests, only
serves to demonstrate the truth of my
maxim, that even the most enlightened aud
brilliant men Of the age are as weak and
pliable as wax in the hands of woman. No
one hos ever Ventured to suggest that the
intimacy between Mime. de Novikoff and
Mr. Gladstone was anything else than of a
platonic character. and the sway exercised
over the great British Statesman by his
Muscovite Egerla, was based not on her
personal attractions-for she possesses
none-but merely on her delicate and ia
sidious flattery OF the grand old mans little
vanitie7.
Princess Lise Troubetskoi exercised an
altogether analogous influence over NJ.
Theirs while he was President Of tie French
republic, and as long as he remained in
possession Of the CHIEF executive power in