The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1895-02-14
What a Woman Can and Can't Do.

1t may be considered quite an under
taking for women to edit and conduct
newspaper. That is. the sterner sex may
so conSider it. But aside from the novelty
| Of the work there is nothing SO wonder
fully diff ;ult about it. Women have
brains. This may b. startling asser
tion to skeptIcal man, but it is true. Oul
sex can think when necessary and car
make our thoughts Ineligible to the
average understanding. We are as su>.
ceptible of learning as the more favored
sex. We know what we do know rs well
as man knows what he pretends to know
and what man pretends to Know CON-
passes the whole limit of human com.
| prehensioh. We can, after Il little prac
| tice, edit newspapers us well, il not better
than any are edited within the scope OF
our observation.
We could in time expose our ignorance
Of tariff and finance just as completely as
any editor OF the opposite sex of whom we
have any knowledge. We could puff the
unde serving and prevaricats i'll the inter-
est of our friends and Supporters and
write against our political and personal
enemies with US much power and grace,
as is d1ne by the Logan representatives
| of the craft, and which is probably saying
| as much as could be said upon the subject.
| We can solicit as ably and with more
| success, and we could sKirmiSh as { fee
lively with the delinquent subscriber as
do our friends of the alleged nobler sex
We could keep accounts, dodge drafts
| stand Ol'' the hands and plead for time
on paper bills just as well as the gentle
men who find it necessary to do such
things, and we could set the type, read
| p oof and perform the numerous other
necessary items OflabJr about the Office.
including the periodical renovation of
OF which we should feel ashamed, did we
not make much greater success than is
made IN that direction in any office it was
ever our lot to visit, Yes. there is very
little about u newspaper Office that women
can not do as we'll. and we do not feel
that we will be charged with gross self
conceit if we say-better than it is done
under the administration of man.
But there are some things male editor
can do that we can't do. or at least that
we wouldn't do if we could. First and
foremost we wouldn't delIge the office
with tobacco Juice or saturate it with the
odor of fsuperannuated pipes and cheap
cigars. Another thing we wouldn't do, is
to try to exist in Il place where that Item
in chemistry known as III o is so badly
needed and so little employed, and where
di ,order, chaos and dirt reign supreme.
W e think our pruverDial taste as Il sex,
would follow Us into the journalistic pro-
lession As it does in the realm to which
words, we believe we should have lis
much taste In the arrangement OF adver-
tising matter as we have in the adjust
ment of g det plaits and corsage bouquets
and could exercise as much skill and
judgement In the line Of job work as we
do in the cooking OF sausage or the frying
of Il flap jack. From immemorial practice
with the scissors we feel the gentler sex
would have Il special talent for the work
into which that essential article enters,
in all we'll regulated journals Of modern
times.
But we can't vote. We might not want
to if we were permitted to do so, but we
contend tnLt as u rule we could exercise
that right of suffrage with better judge
ment and with more effect pro bono pub
lico, than does the average elector in this
fair land where man Is supreme. We
would not disg grace the ballot with ignor-
ance prejudice or crime. We would not
quarrel. night, drink or bet or make hate
iul specIacles of ourselves on election
day. That is. no lady would be guilty OF
such acts. No gentleman, no real gentle
man, would do any OF those things either,
but all voters are not gentlemen. And
yet drunken, illlterate beast i'll human
shape, provided he is of the Masculine
gender, can vote while the most intellec-
tual and refined lady in the land is
denied the same right. A brute, without
yeRtlemaely instinct. without braiI
enough to know the difference between
the free coinage OF silver and Il v0ltaic
pile, or who couldn't tel! an import dut;
from 4 lOgarithmic cOtangent, can have
as active Il Voice in the selection Of the
rulers of The land, or become aS potent Il
power in the making of the laws as though
he really possessed intellect and WIS at
tiliate with inte liyent human beings.
But we don't want the right of suffrage.
n.,,t nt ,t
would have to sacrifice toe much. We
wonl have to vote for men, even though
We did aOt associate with the objection
able sex. There never existed il man
qualified to rule over u nation of INTEL
iectual and superior femiIcity. When