The record-union., 1894-06-02
OPPOSED TO WOMAN SUFFRAGE.
Jeanette [. Glider Speaks in Yer,
Plain Language.
Believes in the Mental But Not the
Physical Equality of the
Sexes.

1t has been quite shock to people who
! do not know me, but who thought they
did, to find me opposed to woman's
suffrage. Because l have been for so
many years a workingwoman, and be-
cause the profession l chose is, or was at
the time / entered it, supposed to be en-
tirely mans profession, they thought L
wanted all the privileges of men. But
don't. You could have counted the women
Journalists on the fingers of one hand at
the time I entered the ranks. Nowadays
you could not find fingers enough in
regiment to count them on. There are
now certain branches of journalistic work
that are almost entirely given over TO
women, and women not only edit mere
departments of daily papers, but there
are those who edit the Sunday editions of
some OF the biggest dailies.
| | am a great believer in the mental
equality of the sexes, but l deny the
physical equality. L believe in putting
! mems work and womeu's work of the
same kind side by side. aud judging them
not as sex work, but simply as work. 70
have "Woman's Building" at the
| Worlds Fair did not seem to me q COM
| pliment TO the sex, but l believe some
good reasons were advanced Tor il. Even
some OF its stanchest advocates, however.
doubt if there will ever be such another
building at such another show. L do not
believe Ia sex in literature or art. Every
book should be compared with all other
books of its kind, and SO with every
picture, statue or musical composition.
There are few trades or professions that
do not think women fairly well equipped
for, or capable OF being prepared for. [
cannot say that quite like the idea of
woman preacher, but that may be mere
prejudice; nor No | think / would retain
a woman lawyer. But this is neither
here nor there.
In politics | do not think that women
have any place. The life is too public,
too wearing, and too untitled te the ma
ture OF women. 1t is bad enough for
men-so bad that some of the best of
them keep out OF 1t; and it would be
worse for women. Many of the women
who are enthusiastic in the cause Of sut-
irage seem to think that if they are once
given the power to vote. every vexed
Question Will be settled, every wrong
righted. By dropping their ballots in
the box they believe they can set in mo-
ton the machinery of an earthly paradise.
[ wish | could think so. 1t is my opin-
ion that it would let loose the wheels of
purgatory. Ii the ballot were the end,
that would be one thing. but it is
only the beginning. If women
must attend primaries, they must sit
OH juries. We shall have women heel
ers'' and women ''bossesn; there will be
the girls OF the Fourth Ward when
it comes to New York; as well as the
| boys"
! What will become of home life, should
! like TO know, if the mother and the father
! nnf no n 10 ,.vtj
ton? Who will look after the children?
Hired mothers? But can every woman
with political am mbitions afford to pay for
a resident" or "visiting'' mother?
] And even if she can, will such one take
the place of the real mother? | think
| not. Cannot a woman find a sufficiently
engrossing "sphere'' in the very import
ant work of training her children? If
there are any sons among them, she can
mold them into good citizens; if there
are daughters, she can guide their foot
steps along any path they may choose,
for all paths but the political are open to
them. | do not think that to be a good
housewife should be the end and aim of
every woman's am bition, but [ do think
that it should be some part OF it; for am
old-tashioned enough TO be pious be-
| liever in the influence of a mothers
training upon her children. Read the
! life OF any great man, and you will see
how much OF his greatness he owed to
his mother. 1t seems to Inc that is q
! bigger feather i'll q woman'S cap-a
| brighter jewel in her crOwn-to be the
mother OF a George Washington than to
be a member of Congress from the
! Thirty-second District.
From the day Adam and Eve were Gre
ated to the present year of grace men and
women have been different in all i'm
portant respects. They were made to fill
.,,fa 4
that man should work, and that women
should share in the disposition and en-
| ioyment of the fruits of their labor. Cir
| cuniStanceS alter cases, and women are
| often-alas too often-driven out into
the world to make their own way. Would
they find it any easier if they had the
ballot? Do men find it so easy to get
work? Ii they do, why are there so
many thousands OF the clamoring unem-
! ployed
| 1t is said that the laws are unfair to
women. Then call the attention of the
lawmakers to the fact and see how soon
they will be amended. | think that men
want to be fair to women, and a petition
will work wonders with Congressman.
Will women always be fair to women?
That is serious question. They may on
some points, but the question of chivalry
never comes into consideration between
women. 1t does between men and
women, and the latter profit by it.
! 1speak from experience when I say
that don't see how women can cultivate
home life and enter the political arena.
Circumstances forced me to go out into
| the world to earn my own bread and a
part of that of others. When my mother
was living. she made the home and all
went well. But after that, after marri-
ages and deaths, family of four small
children came TO me for home. [ don't
mean for support, for they had a father
living, but no home. [ had to take the
place of my sister, their mother. To do
my duty by them and by my work was
the most difficult task I ever UNDER
took. / had to go to my office every
day and leave them TO the care of others.
Sometimes the plan worked well. but
oftener it worked ill-very i'll indeed. |
had seven people doing. or attempted
|