The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-05-16
Interesting Letters That Go to the
Heart of the Matter.
OPINIONS OF TWO HONOLULU WOMEN.
They Are Rational, Thinking Creatures,
and They should Be Allowed the
Same Privileges as the "Lord and
Masters" OF Creation-wm Ii Be:

MIR. EDIToR:-It has been with
somewhat of surprise and more of
pleasure that we have seen the recent
newspaper discussion of woman's suf-
frage. With reference even to this
subject, it seems young Hawaii is not
to be behind the times. Here, too,
we must all have our say on this
much disputed question:. But here as
elsewhere, and now. as formerly, men
and not women have brought forward
the pros and cons. One OF the chief
arguments against the suffrage of
women is that old favorite "woman's
apathy" on the subject.
For a woman to take up a cudgel in
favor of the suffrage of her sex is but
to prove the rule of indifference by an
exception. At the outset, then, we
must grant while we deplore this
s.apathy of women" But with firm
trust in other qualities of woman, her
rational powers of mind, her standard
OF morals, her common sense, we
shall hope not only to account to our
brothers for this indifference, but also
to help our sisters to overcome it. Let
us then first examine the reasons for
woman's apathy.
Although the human race now
breathes in nineteenth century at
mosphere, 1T is, alas, too cramped by
the stays of Custom centuries old,
fully to realize the freedom of its
healthful air. Our most intelligent
people ridicule the superstitions of
heathen of the present day or of
Christians of the Middle Ages without
beginning to realize how they them
selves are fettered by CONVENTIONAL
ties as absurd Why does not the
child born and bred in a New York
tenement house long for life on the
prairies of the West? Because all his
ideas and desires are made to fit in
with the Kaleidoscope bits of city
pictures. To deprive him of the
swarming population of his wretched
home is to deprive him of the right
Tor the wrOng) to which he was
born. Why did not the slave cry
out against his master, claiming
tance Born to slavery, custom
blinded his eyes to aught but the pro-
priety of his remaining slave.
Weakened by enforced dependence
and protection, he had neither power
nor desire to claim his liberty.
Women are not only born into poll
teal subsection but are trained to look
upon it as the one right and decent
condition for them. Education is
against rather than toward politics.
Every desire for political freedom is
checked, scorned, condemned as un-
womanly, and, as in a young girls
physical career when outlets for
energy in climbing, running and
jumping are closed, the repressed force
bursts through doors of wiggling and
giggiing, so when the channels of
political interest are closed, the des-
picable and glibly flowing rivers of
pnblic gossip are supplied.
But we are not always to be bound
by rules that have been. We are glad
to believe that the world moves. Let
us join hands and move with it. Why
may not women overcome their apa-
thy in regard to politics as they have
already overcome and are overcoming
their apathy in regard to other work
and conditions for women? Let us
now consider the nationality and suit
ability of having women active in
politics.
In st. PauPs bishopric, it was
deemed a shame for women to "speak
i'm the church," women were not suf
fered to teach; they were to keep
silence" and ii they would learn any
thing were TO task their husband at
home" Far be it from us to slight
the position of women as home keep
ers, but we observe with approval
that bishop or pastor of today relies
for the strength of his work largely
upon the women who teach in the
Sunday School, and who support free
kindergartens, benevolent societies
and prayer, temperance and mission
meetings not by keeping silence and
staying at home, but by active, out
spoken participation in public work.
No one seems to be shocked at
the appointment of women to the
Board of Education. Hawaii has of
late years received two women ply
sicians, one woman lawyer, be-
sides large number of women
teachers, clerks, etc. All of
these employments are in some
degree public, and political life need
be no more so. We could easily i'm.
agine polls for women in some quiet
room far removed from male voters
with "political Tor other), mud'' on
their boots. But why should women
fear more to meet the average man at
the polls than on the street, at the
fish market, or in the public street
car? And why in itself should it be
a less lady-like, or better, less
womanly act to cast vote than to
make loaf of bread, work problem,