The herald., 1895-10-14

and mother and having all the womanly
instincts common to her sex, there seems
to me to be very few reasons why she
needs the ballot that are not covered by
other phases of this topic on the pro-
gramme. However, the general question
Is one OF interest to every intelligent
woman. The fact that a woman is a wife
and a mother does not exclude her from
having an interest in3 the public good,
for she knows that whatever concerns the
general good, concerns. in some degree,
her own little domain of home. Neither
is she excluded by wifehood and mother
hood from sharing in the building up OF
her own bone if she chooses. Any wo-
man who earns and eats her own bread
has right to call herself a useful men,
Der of society. She is factor among the
producers, and whether she chooses or
not. has an individuality of her own.
with possibilities Of advancement for
which she alone Is responsible. No hus-
band, son. or brother, can assume for her
those duties pertaining to this individu-
atty. II she is true to ,rself, she must
think and act for herself. She has no
right to expect others to assume such
duties. If these duties be the care of
her household, the training of her chill
dren, the advancemens of her profession,
or the lifting up of humanity, she owes
it to herself. as we'll as to those objects
of her interest, to give her best effort to
her work, and if obstacles arise to impede
her progress it is her duty to do all she
can to overcome them,
1T rkc nj ra
advancement in our nationa, i'm portancG.
During this period our country took
strides similar to those we sometimes
witness in a boy when ne goes from
knicKerbrocker5 to mustache In a few
short months. Rapid advancement was
made in the sciences, the arts, in litera-
ture, in institutions of learning and in
our humanitarian institutions. In all
this progress. woman was equal to the
occasion. Inc ladies' aid societies were
training schools for many noble women
who never knew before of what stuff they
were made. This active service ended,
she has never settled back TO her old dor
mant life. Having once tasted of the
pleasures of work in wider field, she
has become like the famous egg of our
childish riddle, IAN the kings horses
together again." Gradually ana unob.
trusively has she taken up the various
forms OF work of philan throphy until she
has found the burden of these institu-
tions is upon her shoulders, and so COM
pletely has she won her way that it is
now taken as a matter OF course that she
is called upon to act as superintendent
of our orphans homes, physician to our
free lindergartens. matron in our hospi
tails and nurse to our sick. much uf
which she does from pure love for hn-
mainly, without money and without
price.
This public service has given her the
opportunity to see the need of reforms
along the lines of temperance, the social
evil, the age OF consent, our public
schools, woman's legal status, etc. In
shoit, she has found that. to quote
weil-known writer. What public affairs
need in this country is conscience.
Woman is the conscience of the race. She
has also learned that her own sex, while
performing the same services with equal
ability, does not receive equal wages with
men. This inequality of remuneration for
services is perhaps not so common in the
Professions (though | have, been asked
'Why, you don't charge the Same as a
man, do youP'D The profession of teach
ing IS an exception in this case, for it is
almost universally the case that women
teachers do not receive equal pay with
the men of the profession. And teach
OF. no matter how competent she may be,
some voter before she can hope to. obta. n
position. As large majority OF our
teachers are women If they had the ballot
there would undoubtedly be quite differ
ent results at some of our municipal cleo
tions. / believe there would ne strong
maioriy for ''the best man for the place"
(even if it should be woman) regardless
of party. If a woman is qualified to
teach our children in all the things that
make for good citizenship, is she not quail
flied to choose who among them are hest
fitted for the control of affairs? And there
might be mole improbable things than
that she be qualified to take hand her.
self In such affairs. In the domain of
law if woman had the ballot there would
not long exist such a law as that in Vir-
ginia, where a bill to enable woman to be
admitted to the bar was voted down re-
Gently, one OF the opponents declaring
that If they were admitted it would lead
to the downfall of the Anglo-Saxon civil
iZation
In Massachusetts a woman LAWYER who
is the wife OF a lawyer is not allowed to
be her husbands law partner. She may
form law partnership with any m an not
her husband, and he may form one with
any woman not his wife, but they cannot
form one together. A woman lawyer, no
matter how capable, cannot be a justice of
the peace, or a judge, ..or hold many of
the honorable positions of the profess
sion. 1t Is necessary to ask docs a wo-
man lawyer need a ballot?' In the field
Of theology perhaps the ballot would not
make so much difference personally as
in the law. The reform must begin with
the church fathers h IRE. This straw from
a daily paper of September 30th shows
which way the wind blows:
EhG!N, H., Sept. 3O.-Women scored
another victory among the Methodists
today. The Rock River conference, by
vote of 142 to 81, decided in favor of the
ad I'm ission OF women as delegates to the
general conference. Every prominent
ID mister in the conference voted for the
women.
But, in a general way, her arguments
carry more weight If they were backed up
by her vote. She could show that wo-
man could DO more than talk. A wise
nan has said: ''Men are not wise enough,
nor generous enough, nor pure enough
to legislate fairly for women
What is said of the pulpit may with
equal force be said OF the press. The
woman who Yields the pen has an audi
ence far greater than she of the pulpit,
and with this influence comes more or
less power. Power to battle for the right,
to overcome evil, to strengthen the weak.
If Mrs. Stowe could have cast her ballot
when sne laid down her pen after writing
Uncle Toms Cabin, and every woman
whom she had influenced could have
done the same. might not the truth of
the old saying 1.-THE pen is migbtie than
Al 4. I -.