The morning call., 1894-12-02
THE MAGAZINES.
Choice Selections From the Issues
for the Month of December.
Women and the Ballot.

Mrs. Eleonora Kinnicutt OF New York. who
is not suffragist, but who has accomplished
important legislation for the benefit OF the city,
has suggestive article in the Century, in
which she says:
Now that the New York constitutional con.
vention Of 1894 has refused to recommend that
the word "male" be stricken from the constitu-
ton of the State dispassonate word on the
subject may perhaps find gracious hearing on
both sides. Many OF the women who opposed
the Introduction OF woman suffrage differed
from those who advocated it more In premises
than 10 conclusions. In the heat OF debate
many misunderstood and miSiudged each
other, because they were arguing from differ
emf standpolnts. One took the side of abstract
right; the other of concrete reasons. One
called The present condition of women slavery:
the other termed the proposed condition en-
slaVement. But upon TWO POINTS most women
were agreed; that the politics of the country
as now managed solely by men, offers n wide
field for experiment and Improvement, and
mar, Whatever share in the affairs of the state
women ask to have given them, ii is the desire
OF none 70 sacrrtce 10 1t the duties that are dis
tinctly feminine.
Universal man suffrage is here tn stay We
cannot do away with the evils that accompany
1t. We must therefore try TO overcome them
rejoicing all the while that the great expert
ment IS being made In country where the
chances are IN favor OF success. And what
better way is there of making this success ar
parent ana permanent than oy the intelligent
through their good judgment aud watchfnlness.
helping the intelligent and public spirited
men TO hold their own against the strength of
mere numbers, a task that is daily increasing
IN dlnculty? Ii women VIII only assume AZ
eleclIon-tl times The responsibility or making the
men OF tnelr households register and vote. and
OF guarding as far az possible against careless
ness anG Indifference in the matter they will
render valuable service o the state.
II me vote OK the present day were to be
doubled by opening the sluce-gales TO all wo.
men, we could directly divide it into four parts:
the educated men and the educated women:
inc ignorant men and the ignorant women (the
WORD ignorant seems best To represent the
perVerse and the unlettered). Why are we not
dltectly better oH-looking at the question still
from numerical standpoint and never for
gettlng Tor moment that our government is
as Dr jacob Clearly emphasizes, ga govern
ment by PUBLIC opiniUn"-if. by uniting the
vote ana me Influence of the two higher groups.
we make the hard struggle not a struggle of
Two against Two, but OF two against one?
me suHraglslS assert that women viii not
take part IN public affairs unless they are re-
warded with the franchise. This is statement
that women, by their disinterested, impersOnal
work IN every direction, are daily contradict
ing. what they do need, before in Numbers
| they become the political helpmates of men, is
the conviction that they can learn to be help
1ul, ana mat their help Is needed in the body
poiltlc. ms they have never been taught seri-
ously. And when they set TO work TO f1pd out
how they can best make themselves useful
| they VIII discover that II is only by mastery
OF hard. dry facts, and by the onward propel-
ling power of disnterested effort that men
in politics attain the best results The So
called "coaXing" and "wheeding' power of
women. supposed TO be In such force and
favor with men, and sometimes used as an
ill-natured tauut by one kind of woman 10
another KIND, is an overes imaIed power. Men
eau usually be coaxed into giving away ouly
that which they themselves DO not value The
occasion OF first conference between two of
! opposite sex may be marked by grace and gra-
clOuSness, but after that a woman must de-
| pend. as do men among men, upon the merits
OF her cause and the practical knowledge and
good sense that she Is able TO bring to It's SUP.
port. Almost every woman who interests her
| self IN public affairs, ana has had experience
with officers OF government and men of per-
sonal influence, will corroborate this statement.
She Will gladly confess, too, that the more she
works the more she learns thai her own best
strength lies in tue strength OF the object that
the has at heart. She will win or fail, too, lust
in proportion to her ability and the single
mndedness OF purpose with which she keeps
this object in view.