New-York tribune., 1894-04-24
SUFFRAGE NOT A RIGHT.
DIR. PARKHURsT SAYS 1T is RATHER AN
OBLIGATION.
HE DorBTs WHETHER WOMEN WOULD PERFORM
THEIR DUTY IF THEY WERE ALLOWED
To VOTE MEETINGS AND DIS
CUssIONS YESTERDAY.

THEIR DUTY IF THEY WERE ALLOWED
To VOTE MEETINGS AND Dis
CUssIoNs YESTERDAY.
Now that the discussion of the woman suffrage
question is attracting so much attention. the at
t,tude toward the subject OF wel,-knOwn peop'e who
have had exceptional opportunities 10 study the
practical aspects OF the problem IL Of especial
interest, Perhaps the opinion Of no ono In TINS
city wi" be more eagerly read than tha' CT ''e
Rev Dr. Charles II. Parkhurst. Tribune re-
porter called upon DR.. Parkhurst yesterday a''er-
noon 10 ask for his views
Il am not yet ready" said the Doctor. TO give
my views in detail. have very decided IDEAS on
the subject, but have not Yet thought out eVer*-
thing as ] wish to do before | speak about y III
length going to preach about II pretty soon
not on the subject Of suffrage exclusively, but on
the broader theme Of woman TO my mind. u"
suffrage should be considered. not as rish' o'
as a privilege. but a duty. as an ool'@aoo''
Asking for woman suffrage means asking mat Ne
Obligation to vote be placed upon every woman.
II IS serious question whether the women VIII
perform this Obligation do not believe that they
will"
Dr. Parkhurst declined - go into the subject
further or to discuss the probable Influence OF he
"unfortunate" class If women snou" nave "e
suffrage. From the few words that he said how
ever the inference seemed 10 be that ne ""S
strongly opposed woman suffrage
MANY LISTEN 10 THE DISCUSSION.
A parlcr meeting was held Yesterday afternoon
at the home Of Mrs II. J. Hayden. No. ll6 East
Eighteenth-st The large parlors were hhed win
women well known in social and professional cTc'S'
They were not all there as syInia;hi1e's or S"p
porters of the movement Many OF them were oP
ponents Of woman suffrage, or had no "eo'"'"
opinions upon It. They went TO hear an interesting
discussion The growth OF the woman suffrage ld"a
"a not 70 be Judged by the number OF people WHO
attend the meetings or talk about the s"DJ'0''
These rather represent the attention which has beeh
attracted to the movement and ms ao'e -
great gain for the woman suffrage prope.
Mrs Ade,e Fled. one OF the foremost advocates
os .be suffrage for women presided. Mrs. FuhN''
took up many Of the objections when nave u'''
urged agains. woman suffrage in order to snow
what a great change Of sentiment there ha1 oe-"'
A CHANCE TO SHOW WHAT THEY WANT
Starr Nichols made strong plea for woman
suffrage. lie argued that the success OF " so'
ernment did not depend 50 much upon learning an"
intelligence as upon the wants OF the people anu
their efforts to satisfy them lie said ihat on
standard Of learning and Intelligence d,mo''',
was wrong. The admlttance oi lh''','rN Jr
rough. uncouth and Ignorant men mo III "...ri'.
the government mo mT Rnt II hal I{oveI
to be The greatest blessing pecausT -. 'v nants
had nao an oppu@l @ { not understand political
The mass OF o,ier men han b Women lid Mr N!chos
said But it not necessary me cs thng
9 The opportGni;y for every person to make his or
her desires known the important thhs s.e,,.
Tome iSs Of snST p%bc og 9es.idns would he sal
questions concerning iher wants. ln'Y m,jse,oen,
mand clean streets. better plHcr~ "' .t,.5 'tt'i,
safer travel and many Other Things ""''" ''''
Anone tSe other speakers were William Travers
Jerome and Dr. MARY Putnam m-Jacooi - I, INN sr
to the Gons'qtionS m %onyenTRt o sTte 70 Ga, The word
"rnale from tie CONSTITUTION W." @ ,h To,nan
was :snsa sae!{an es many %s. toT esaiS'' a Oh
The action OF the BROOKLYN women N maHy ex
pressions OF scorn from the ardent worker7 m1r
'Brooklyn," said one Of them y on -, ,leh.
hasn't reached there yet Al in al; the resoiH
tions OF the Brookly-! women afouS7'
pique
MEETING IN A BAPTIST CHURCH.
LEGISLATORS are said to be haunted hy the ghosts
of ,he,r constituents" quoth Mrs. Lille DeVere"A
Blake last evening at the suffrage Ineeuus ",'+ - "
the Ascension Baptist Church at One-niai NUM- arc nr
ssmale ghosts in any legislature, We don't wan
10 rail against the men but IL Is nine ~ In ISIS
Eiizabeth Cady stanton hSGsst '9ai wonlS whf" meet
S cin1oedate approval but instead she faced IN.
rdicule OF continents ana rlalcule ,i, II ,V for
th,nS 10 battle win when one Is nBhuhB I"'
righteous uii,,tons Of 1901 1921 1916 and 1861 have
tSe onIy restriction left was the word male NO
matter how poor the spTSlfn ph future " generation viii
wonder that such base Injustice was Tor 50 lo"S
allowed exist
.r, has been said continued MIS-. Blake that
nan is the great unpaid laborer Of the world.
"a ,ha, xyomauhool is the cheapest stock In the
market For dishonOr woman is pald hlHh P'IOe'
hut for honest labor she receives one-thfd the
smount that is paid TO her male companion. Ine
oh,ection made 10 woman suffrage on the OASIS lh''
sbe cannot fight Is stale ard valueiess. Noih'i
o., do y-hat many men dii during the WAL -stIiu
suhstitutes do not brueNt tHdt ~N.'H4'
duty lies on the field. unless she be tac.d y! @ an
army of her then she VIII tiihe nyI Si ti Hr %
she has taken. and can again braVcN tahe ,n n'a
rlace AT nurses post. pension mas p',,H =
10 every man who went 10 the war ana arms. 10
those who only wanted TO go but the ImV"."'
nnrses yho fought braVey their own hBiL' Re
nsived no financial compensation until one was
found eking out a bare subsistence al the "aSntup.
and then some few women obtained ior ne. """'
was her right - 4, .,.r,,,,,. r, hear
some men talk YOU would think that theg were
horn only of their fathers but this Is not 50 som
times unfortunately. and every man DeaIs ~, ,ie
grandmother and great-great -gTahdHloheI. .t
q man Is born but one individual ~ given 10 'nc
world. but woman Is ihe crea'TI oi I luI1' o5vn
erations In the early days OF TINS gran ihINe We,
ment that all fighting ior there were pu'
a few OF us to uphold the nag Dui no" tne 5 re-
cruits have gathered about us. ana we can ''-
Mrs Rlake's address received wth enthu-
sastic applause. Mrs Marguerite Moore VINO Was
expected TO speak, was unable 20 be present ne
Rev Mitchell Banks thanked Mrs. Blake for the
Measure that she had given those present ana
urged all 10 sign the petition placed befo'e them
II meeting OF citizens Of the NXls. Assembly
isa West Flfty-fourth-st. tonight at o'clock. TO
discuss the question Of striking from ue Consltu-
tion the word male Qualification Tor voters.
Addresses will be delivered by Mrs. Bake DR.. II.
c. Keatnge and others.