The sun., 1895-05-09
voMAN,s DUTY 10 ToTB.
A Reply to Those Who Oppose the Exten
zion or tho Franchise 20 Werner.


To THE EDITOR OF THE SUN-Sir: The inter
estine article on woman suffrage in THE SUN
last Sunday read with pleasure. not because l
agreed with the ladies who oppose suffrage Tor
women. but to find that the arguments against
women voting were so weak and so old. Every
opponcntto TO suffrage uses the same arguments
women will be unwomanly" and the homo
will be neglected. tho dinners will not be cooked,
tho children will not be cared for"-until one
wonders II all tho women who oppose suffrage
have time. while opposing, to attend to nll the
details Of homo, cooking. and children. Arc
they all womanly? Suppose We went to the
homes of those retiring ladies who wero forced
to como out against suffrage. and went so
shrinkngy to Albany, don't you think we
would find some Of them unwonanly, or. maybe,
worse than that, "mannlsh"?
Opposition to suffrage does not put tenderness
into a womans heart or brains Into her head; II
does not make her voice soft or the touch of her
hand n solacc. Some of the worst domestic ty-
rants have been Of the tender, clingng vine or
der. who desired no rights except the right to
crush out life and hope from the heart of the
man who became their prey and trellis.
So to be n suffragist may not mean disorder
and confusion, badly cooked dinners. and indi-
gestion. Sometimes It means courage to assume
duties that give neither rest nor happiness, but
are mono the less duties.
The pretty picture of tho mother with her
first baby that of the opposing ladies tells OF,
would not be less pretty II the mother was an
intelligent. thoughtful woman. prepared to meet
tho life that is. Some day, when this little
mother / as four or five children who depend on
her for support, she will see things differently,
and she will ask for those little girls some bet
,s y e the I oa .nn gtSn tS"
right to work as American citizens. whose abil;;
ity to do will be their passport to position. and
m m yN1n Al m
alton will not be minimized on account OF sex.
II the right OF suffrage Is mans right. 1t is
is not to &c considered. No country is free
that holds back right from any OF its people.
even though. through Ignorance or apathy. they
The suggestion Of The LEGISLATOR to put the
was good one, : though M hi the elinsins vines were
Mortified. Why Mortified? Have they never
voted Never paid for votes to secure pair Of
impossible slippers for the most agreeable man
at the church fair? Is it derogatory to wo-
man to know the political questions OF the day.
for the country. and for her sons and daugh-
fersy 1t doesn't take her away from homo
1t does to vote for the church social favorite.
:, The idea, among tisurragists, thai, politics
may ho justified by recent Investigations. but
that 1t should be so is not justfablc. Citizens
and aid in nominating a suitable s H candidate, and
to the polls and vote for him. are not good citi-
Sens women 20 Who ere too dainty to oppose the
law makers and guardians of the lives and safety
Of their daughters. who are 50 selfish and un-
mindful of others as to desire only to be let
alone. may well be classed among those unde-
serving Of suffrage idiots and criminals.
The retiring. stay homo mothers and
housekcepcrs Of the land, the best element of
wominhood we have. would never dream Of
voting" say the ladies who went to Albany.
Yes they would, and they would vote for suf-
lrase Those careworn women have done much
think ing in their weary. unremunerative lives.
and they see moro in the full freedom of women
than the vote
When suffrage was aGitnted in Colorado. and
1t was determined to put 1t to n vote, II number
OF clinging vines were Mortified at the idea. but
when the women received the suffrage those
vines. to woman. went out. registered and
voted, and they have not yet experienced any
Inconvenience. and are the same neat. or untidy.
housekeepers that they were before they learned
to think intellgently. X
WASHINGTON. May 4.