The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-06-02

almost ali OF One HoAoAA
and religious enterprises OF our time,
is too evident to need assertion
Though it is but sixty years since the
first college in the United states, lana
believe in the English speaking
world) opened its doors as widely to
women as to men, now in that great
country over two hundred colleges
have over four thousand women stud
ents, not to speak of the numberiess
schools of high grade, not nominally
colleges, where girls receive education
high enough to permit them to occupy
every position In life they demand.
These hundreds of girl graduates
enter the arena of life fully equipped
to compete with their brothers in all
matters when Intelligence and infOr-
nation are demanded. Do they honor
their training? Is the world better
for this fifty years of developement of
its gentler half? Statistics are dull
reading in general, but [ think We
shall all be impressed by a glance
at some figures and statements on this
point. There are in America some
2, 10000 women who earn their own
living, 1000, 600 in England, 8, $50, 600
in France, and $500 900 in Germany.
A single corporation IN Chicago OF
which women are the stockholders,
directors, ETC., issues over 120, 900, 600
pages of literature, and handles $500. 900
yearly. And an affiliated society in
the same city owns one of the finest
business buildings in Chicago, costing
over a million dollars
Consider, also, the phIlanthropies of
women, involving not less than sixty
societies of national scope in America
alone, with hundreds of State and tens
of thousands of local auxiliaries-
Think of the women's protective agen-
cies; wOmen's sanitary associations;
Industrial schools, and societies for
physical culture; the college settle
ments, Or colonies of college women
who establish themselves in the poor
est parts of great cities, and work
there to mitigate the sufferings caused
by poverty and crime.
Consider, also, the numerous wo-
mems missionary societies, of which
an expert says that Though organ
lied less than thirty years ago, now
most of the religious denominations
have such societies for both home and
foreign work, with a contributing
membership of about one and half
million women. They circulate a out
one hundred and twenty five thousand
copies of missionary papers, besides
millions of pages of leaflets They
hold at least half million missionary
meetings every year, presided over
by women, the addresses made and
papers read by a sisterhoOd that, forty
years ago would no sooner nave
thought of doing such work than
they would of taking a journey to the
moon. They raise and distribute over
two millions of money every year,
most of which is applied to support
hundreds of women in missionary
fields" Think of the Women's Chris
tian Tenn perance Union, with quar-
ter of a million members from every
civilized country of the world; of the
Kings Daughters, two hundred thous-
and strong, with their hallOwed motto,
''In His Nance; and of the countless
numbers at work in Christian En-
deavor societies, and in the Salvation
Army, not to speak of the millions of
Christian women throughout the
world working humbly among the
poor and fallen; asking no praise but
from Him who Himself walked about
among the villages of Galilee, and
who had for his friends only the poor
est of the people.
In view of these facts, think the
moral aspect of the question before
US is not far to seek. In asking the
privilege of voting upon all questions
pertaining to the interests of this
country, our petition is not on behalf
of aliens, who know little and care
less for our peculiar circumstances
and needs; nor for an ignorant, law
breaking horde, who have no interest
in good government; nor for selfish
schemers, who are only interested in
US for the money they can make out
of US. But we sincerely believe that
we represent class of the inhabitants
of this fair land who have shown here
and elsewhere an intelligent apprecia-
ton of the progress of our time in all
worthy objects, whose public efforts
have largely been in the direction of
the philanthropies of the world, and
who, il the privilege is granted, can
be safely trusted TO exercise the fran
chise in the interests of morality and
good government.