The herald., 1895-04-01
The Feminine Woman Gives
Her Good Advice
THE FRANCHISE NO PANACEA
Will WOman's Influence in Political
Backgrounds Be Potent p?
The Point of View of the Woman whose
Husband and Children Rise Up and
Gail Her Blessed

the genuine woman, goes on III the even
tenor of her way, happy, thoughtfully
managing her household rearing her
children and. growing old, sees her husband
and children rise up and call her blessed.
This picture of out-of-date woman will.
no doubt, make the new woman give a
vigorous shrug of disguise and exclaim ::
"Faugh! Another weak minded woman.
A traitor to the cause which seeks TO up
lift sex OF which she is an ignoble men,
Der"
Like the free-thinker on religious sub
jectS, no one who does not think the same
kind of "ireeneSs' as himself is worthy
of being called broad minded. So the
woman suffragist believes she is the only
one that sheds the proper kind OF light
on the woman question.
The woman who prefers home and
home duties, that likes the sound OF
mother, wife and housekeeper, is ticketed
old fashioned, behind the times, insular,
selfish linking, not OF the greatest good
for woman, but ready to immediate herself
on the unholy altar of selfish man. The
feminine woman is told that if she does
not like the new order of things that she
can stay at home, but she has no right to
interfere with the rights of the advancing
woman, and least of all with the right OF
suffrage.
Now the feminine woman does not
cling to home and all that word implies,
because she is so taken up with her du-
ties that she is not conversant with the
needs and demands. the faltarings and
failings OF humanity of today, nor be-
cause she is fearful and with a meekness
born of long bondage, bears what she
thinks she cannot escape from. The fem
mime woman looks fearlessly into the new
complications and studies the woman's S
rights question, not with jaundiced eyes
turned on man to question and demand
with thoughts running backward and
mind reaching forward, to compare
woman as she has been, and woman as
the new order wishes to make her.
She questions not the fact that woman
has advanced the world has advanced,
and woman would be clod indeed if she
failed to fall into step. The man of today
humorously rdicules the idea of turning
himself into the image of his grandfather,
but he does not ridcule his progenitor.
The new woman OF today, on the con-
trary, holds up the grandparent OF her sex
to scorn and contempt-as an example of
woman S slavery to man and home.
Man takes his advance as matter of
course. How could he stand still with
material forces round about him making
such giant steps forward? Woman takes
her advance as particularly her own
acknowledgements tyrant man who,
she afiirms, seeks to crush her under his
iron heel-and wildly shrieks: Emancipa-
tion Emancipation from what? The
feminine woman asks this question and
pauses to think. She sees how modern
advance has affected housekeeping has
lifted many OF the cares and duties from
her shoulders that once fell upon her
grandmother but as these cares fell off
the hours Of the day were quickly filled
by others.
To be mistress of home now, COM
panion and helpmeet to her husband she
must devote time and care to preparation
and study. AS his literary feats have out
stripped the daily or weekly newspaper,
so hers must 60 beyond the cook book.
The average husband consults his wife
about business, and loves to discuss his
favorite topics with her if she shows a
tithe of interest; and the average wife re-
spends by keeping herself posted under
stahdingly. Then she seeks his interest
in her pet projects, and even asks his ad-
vice about the color of a new dress and
the shape of new bonnet. They plan
together about the children, and note
with interest the difference in their dis
positions, and try to decide how to bring
each according to his characteristics to
his highest mental and moral stature.
Here the feminine woman" brings
herself up short. What has this vision of
a womans life, as she hopes to live it,
got to do with emancipation and suffrage?
While she is enjoying this life her sex is
going rapidly to extinction. She is told
kind, not as yet worthy of the ballot
just as there are truly brute men who
who should not be trusted with it,
Then. to emphasize her puerility, the
suffragist pelts her with queries. Did she
not know that there are laws made by
men that do her untold injustice? Does
she not know that women are taxed with
out representation? Does she not know
that women are given less wages than
amen for equally efficient work?
Does she not know that politics need re-
forming as undenably as houses need
cleaning and that men are no more capa-
BILE OF doing the first than of accomplish
ing the latter? Does she not know that
city, county, state and national govern
ment are simply political housekeeping
on an enlarged scale, and as woman has
proven herself an adept at conventional
housekeeping. through 10, these many
ages, she should now rise to the emer-
gency, loosen the old shackles and advance
advance and vote? Does she not know
that women, not so well endowed as her.
Sell. can be hired by the day or month to
herd the children and feed the men, while
she devotes herself and her talents TO
worthier and higher causes than baking
and brewing, sewing and stewng over
petty household duties as the slave of
some man? And does she not know that
men refuse, yes refuse, to let women yoteo
Be up and doing" thunders IN her ears.
do not be hindrance to the advance
ment of your sex. Up on! and help to
emancipate woman
Verify. as all this and much more re-
verberates around her head, she can
scarcely be said to think; she is over
whelmed but after a liJtle rest cure,
feeble glimmering of protest awakens in
her mind; then with gathering strength,
she tries to find at least straw to cling
to OF her old beliefs.
The longer she tries the more straw she |
finds; indeed, she soon has mortar and |
bricks and, before long, the whole noble |
structure of woman's sphere-the home, |
with wife, mother, sister, daughter, ell
throaned within-is complete
She has her duty before her, and homes |
she may be allowed to follow it. She adds |
this latter clause because she knows how
aggressive the woman suffragists are. and |
they do not propose to allow their fellow |
women any rights but those they choose |
for them. They give great force to what |
they accuse men of saying about their
seX-that women are not capable of know |
ing what is best for them. Then this |
feminine woman reviews the situation |
thus:
There are laws-yes-that are unjust to |
women; men can point out laws unjust to |
men. Law IS far Efrom perfect but it is |
improving, maybe, in some instances, not |
quite apace with humanitarian concep- |
tlons, but 1t seems more than doubtful |
whether womans votes will hurry alongll
the millennium. Politics need reforming:
good men see this need as strongly as do |
good women, but thorough far-reacbinp