Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1895-02-07
designated by the feminine person.

- fto'ouh cut
Human nature in its best aspect.
exists complete in the family life.
But no family life is complete when
one only. and that one the father,
holds supreme authority. Only as
both mutually hold authority and
intelligently cooperate will the high.
est ends of the family life be served,
and the we'll being OF society secur.
ed. In the most highly developed
and best regulated family circles we
find that which society ought to be.
In such families we find in full
sxgrcise tks finest social instincts
and spiritual qusIitiesof human
nature. courtesy, love for one ano-
ther, Difference to the wishes of each
other. and yet the highest liberty
for all. Action is governed with
reference to others, and is not
prompted by selfish impulse; the
concern of one becomes the concern
of all. But such family existence
can never be where one is a master
and the other a menial. 1t was
never intended that the male half
of the human race should monopo-
lize all powers OF government in the
family and in the nation. The past
has missed much in excluding the
female half of the race from direct
participation in the discussion and
regulation of all those questions
that pertain to the protection of the
home. The salvation of the home
means the salvation of the nation.
The life of the nation will be purer
only as motherhood is accorded
equally with fatherhood her right
fnl place in national representation.
The social world is practicall,
without form and void, or chao-
tic Social rrg"ne,ati"n will not
b. come the fact until motherhood
receives her G"d given right to leg
islate on all questions that threaten
the integrity of the home. Thr
Holy Spirit. the motherhood of thr
Godhead cooperltcs with God. tn,
Father, in common work of spiri-
tually redeeming humanity. But
the divine powers work through hu-
man means. AS rapidly as mother
hood is more and more directly en-
ployed with fatherhood in the com
mon work of rescuing the home will
society become the purer. The
questions of the cage of CONSENT"
divorce, increasing social vice, IN
are quite as much, if
not more, the concern of women as
of men.
The ballot in the hands of women
is the most potent means by which
the power of womanhood may
"make for righteousness" AS
long as the right of petition only is
given to woman she receives little
from legislators; the
ballot is the power that commands
respect.
The Biblical picture Of the first
family life is stall largely an ideal.
Both father and mother received
equal responsibilities and duties
with respect to government; one was
the counterpart Of the other, rather
than the inferior of the other; Of
both God said, Let us make man
humanity in our image, after our
likeness, fatherhood and mother
hood. and to them both, without
restriction, God gave dominion
over all the earth"
Condition that actually prevails
to-day differs much from this pic
ture. The male feature OF the hu-
man family assumes to be Of super
ior origin. knowing positively his
rights. and as positively ignoring.
or suppressing the exercise of the
rights of her who was made his
counterpart. But this supposed
origin Of mascnl,nity is an
assumption based on his greater
physical strength. whereas the like
ness II God, or the Gohhgad, where
in men and women were made. con-
sists Of the powers of mind aud
heart. and in these alone is the
guarantee Of righteous government
invested.
/; is often said that woman il ST.
much more spiritual than man. that
her virtues are OF such a higher or
der. she should therefore abstain
from the ballot lest the higher quail
tiles of her nature be contaminated.
But i. is an infusion of just these
higher qualities of woman hood that