The herald., 1895-04-17
She Expresses Herself About
Woman Suffrage
IDEAS ON THE NEW WOMAN
Would the Franchise Bring All the
Benefits Claimed
4 Dissertation Oyer a Basket of Undarned
Stockings and 1acauIay's
Essays

one SIDE or Der anu MdCaulay ESSAYS Oh
the window ledge at the other side She
drew forth long lank piece OF black
webbing that proclaimed itself at once as
the possessed of some small piece of mas
culinity. The big china egg was scarcely
large enough 10 fill the gap once graced
by grimy little knee. After one n
gering glance at the tempting window
ledge, she immersed herself in the bust
ness of the hour and with it the prom
Used cogitations continued.
What if after ALL she thought, the
franchise to women might bring with it
all the attendant results claimed by the
suffragists. Suppose woman is able to
pass all the laws she thinks she wants;
suppose she is burning success as leg
islator as u political reformer (even of
the Colorado legislature); suppose she is
able to wiring from willy man many of
the political offices which she could grace
with better grace than Ee--but which
he refuses her tor her lack of political
influence.
Suppose and suppose and suppose, as
the nursery rhyme goes; no, concede and
conceoe and concedc that this will all
come indeed. Here she stops her weav-
ing needle and bushes. She has been
guilty of a very poor rhyme, and on such
a serious question! SO she hastens to
. ooncede all that the woman suffragist
claims women's votes may accomplish.
and then asks the question very seriously,
''Will the gain to woman be worth the
price she pays for 1T?
She must pay for it-surely she has
thought of this and doubts 1t not. One
of The Herald s articles says Miss Willard
''has renowned the joys and blessings OF
wifehood and motherhood to
right some of the existing wrongs of life. y
That Miss Susan b. Anthony remained
husbandless and childless" for the same
reason. These are leaders. to be sure, and
may have to pay exceptionally high for
their mission. 1t is the rank and file of
women who are concerned most, and what
will be the cost to them?
This feminine woman drops a finished
stocking and takes up another. This one
has small openings-presaging larger ones
if these are neglectcd-does this fore
shadow in the mothers mind the little
faiings that many become great as in the
little daughters life, if she is neglected.
But what of the rank and file of women?
This little woman she Is working for will
soon be in the ranks. Her duties are
pacing off the steps toward her as she
leaves the years behind.
All, yes! reflects the feminine woman,
it is from these duties the price of suf-
frage is to be paid. Duties to this worker
do not present the sort of burden which
Sisyphus is supposed to carry. They are
most OF them delight, even if bringing
attendant responsibilities and anXietieS.
These duties-she tries to think of them
co enumerate them and she finds they all
center about the home. She is thinking
Of the majority of women and the ma
jority of women have homes. Until men
and women cease to marry this will, or
undoubtedly ought to be, the case.
They have homes now at least and the
question presents itself. which is the
proper homekeeper. the man or the
woman? If woman is the homekeeper
where does her first duty lie? In the
house surely: This does not preclude in
terests outside the home any more than
living Christian precludes the idea of
living outside the church, instead of al.
ways kneeling i'll devotion in the sanctu-
airy. But it does preclude the idea
of devoting time to outside duties which
conflict with home duties, even as being
Christian precludes the idea of material
affairs interfering with devotional wor-
ship.
We are told that 'woman's work is
never done, and it comes near being so.
Here she looks at her BASKET and then she
goes on weaving industriously that she
may get this work the sooner done. She
recalls the fact that wherever she meets
womankind singly or in groups. rich or
poor, she always hears one plaint-lack of
time to com plete the work before her.
Now she wonders if voting will dimin-
secret conviction that it will add to it,
unless some of the old work is left I'M
done, or half done, and this is the price
she will have to pay for voting. What is
voting? Not just doubling long piece of
paper and slipping it INTO a ballot box.
(though if it takes as long to decide
upon the merits of candidates as upon
the merits of new bonnet that will be
no mean item in time.) Oh. no; this is
not all of voting! 1t includes the para
phernalia of politics-primaries. conven-
tons, electioneering, canvassing Can
bility and sincerely say or believe that
she neglects nothing in the home? These
political duties are all outside of home
often far from it. When exercising the
rights of franchise, which of the home
duties will she give up or let slide for a
more convenient time?
If she or her husband is endowed with
full purse she can hire servants to care
for the house and its contents animate
and inanimate, after fashion, but. this
feminine woman reflects, the majority of
men and women have not full purse
and she knows the neglected duties, or
the ones that are slipped over, are the
wearing ones OF woman S life
Woman is by nature con scientlous, and
the left undone' or the bugbear of "un-
accomplished is what wears and frets
and makes the burden. This feminine
woman gasps as she thinks of the in
creased burden that the franchise will
bring to her sex. She wi hes that she
had 1.-The tongue of men and angels to
dissuade her sisters from the venture,
but if the ties of home and children re-
strain not. neither would the tongues of
angels avail. If they hear not Moses and
the prophets. neither will they be per-
suaded though one rose from the dead ;"
If womens votes were the only means
to reach the results desired for her sex,
this feminine woman thinks she might
shut her eyes and summon up courage to
make the plunge. But-her hand pauses
and the needle rests, while she enjoys tn :.
relief of that but women votes alone
will never accomplish the result. Men S
votes alone may. and there is no reason
why they will not. She picks I'D her
work again, and with "a smile PLAYING
around the corners of her mouth, reflects
that other women besides herself reserve
this but in their inner consciousness,
She doubts not that to this fact was due
the defeat of the suffrage bill in the Leg
lslature at Sacramento.
Secretary Carlis is right. If the wom-
ell "a majority of them) determine to
vote who could prevent it? She and her
feminine sisters do not send petitions to
Congress because they have not the time
or the wish to become publicly promi-
nent. They may be forced to this action,
however. They have better alternative.
Each talks quietly to her husband, father
or brother persuading him with hugs
and petting, kissing and tender purr:nes.