The advocate., 1895-01-02
AN AVERAGE GIRL.
How She Felt U der the Influence of SUI
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ions. She is always blaming me for being
too timid and calls me poor creature.
know 1t, feel my inferiority, but then
am only an average girl, and even the sci
entitio people say one can't manage ones
nature. However, am always willing to
learn, and when Aunt Jane proposed tax
Ing me to a meeting in favor of womRn's
franchise / assented eagerly. / wanted to
see what the so called unsexed women
were really like and If they wore very
dowdy clothes, for of course no girl who
respected herself could feel in sympathy
with society that neglected the art of
dressing. The room was very full, and I
am bound to confess that looked in vain
for pretty faces and smart froCks among
the audience. Most Of the women were
elderly and seemed very serious / wore
a most becoming hat, and noticed one or
two glances of contempt directed toward
It, The meeting was very informal. There
was no platform, and the speakers and
their friends ohatted together and seemed
to look upon the whole affair as a little
friendly gathering. The first speaker was
a very well known lady indeed. Her fore
head was high and well developed, and she
had not an atom of fringe, so knew at
once what to expect. She was very log
ical, very matter of fact, very incisive and
very clever. She spoke in quick, abrupt
sentences, which clicked off like the snap
Of a lock, and felt sure she would inevita-
bly, have the best Of domestic argument.
There was no weakness about her. She
told us that every one of us, however fee
bic, could help in the great cause. We
could talk to our servants, our poor people
and our mothers meetings.
She quoted satisfactorily the answer Of
one poor woman whom she had advised
to think over the matter, 1T don't want
no thinking about" No; it all seemed
as clear as day. The paupers would soon
be able to vote, the lunatics In their lucid
moments could vote, the ex-conviCts could
vote, every body could vote except the wo-
men. 1t was real case Of one woman,
no vote. The woman must pay her taxes,
must be rated, must obey the laws, but
she mustn't vote, when even her odd man
or the hedger and ditcher could do So
My heart burned within me as listened.
i had never felt my degradation before.
If women could not fight, they at least
brought the fighters into the world, she
said, and in the struggle left their annual
1900 for dead on the field of battle
Then we had a delightful experience
a speech from real unsexed woman, who
had come all the way from New Zealand
to tell US how women exercised the fran
chise there. She was young and pretty
and had a quite frivolous bunch of lilies
of the valley pinned to her breast She
was nicely dressed, too, and wore be-
coming black hat. She told US how at
first she had been the only woman at the
mems meetings, and how people said it
was very unladylike to know anything
about politics, and how the other ladies
all said "FicP' and staid at home to work
slippers After Bit however, things inn
proved, and one lady issued her husbands
address and won the election in his alb
senCe. Drunkenness diminished. 1t was
no longer considered chic to make the
electors drunk for month beforehand or
to let out rowdyism rampant in the
streets. Yes, " said this courageous young
lady, I'VE shall soon outyote men and
elect our own candidates" She scorned
the idea that taxpayers only should vote,
secuted the thought that the franchise
would cause domestic dissension and de- |
clared that real marriage can withstand |
even political strife. l wish knew where
those real marriages can be picked up.
By this time l was snorting defiance my.
self and quite ready to go down into the
arena and do battle. Aunt Jane smiled .
and nodded her head and thumped her .
umbrella on the floor as the speakers went
on, crescendo warming to their work and .
growing more and more outspoken. l /
thought1 should not mind being an un-
sexed woman, wearing nice clothes and
being adored by my husband But now
came the cream Of the meeting-a dark,
handsome oarroct - ,,,e...