The herald., 1896-08-30
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: WOMAN SUFFRAGE s
BY ABBOT KINNEY

selves in considering the question Of
womans suffrage. These are the relig-
ious, the scientific and the social. Be
fore taking up these points 1T is proper
to say that woman's suffrage gains its
greatest Importance from the fact that
II is the extreme outgrowth and expo
nent of q recent change in the relations
of the sexes to industry, to each other
and to the home. The family industries
of fifty years ago are destroyed. All
industry, immensely increased in per
capita productive power. has become
centralized and specialized. The wom
en- left without their former home meth
. ods of assisting in the home mainte-
nance have gone, at least largely by the
force of circumstances, into factories,
offices, behind counters and into the
whole industrial and professional field
politics and the army and navy still
excepted.
The question is now the official recog
milton in politics of claimed sex sim
ilarity in social function; but this does
not cover the whole field of social activity,
1t appears to be agreed by the woman
suffrage advocates that women are still
to be excluded from equality in the
army and navy. Women have made
good lighters, as Joan of Arc, but thiS
fact does not seem to be considered.
Relgion-The Mormon church or re-
ligion instituted woman suffrage in
Utah. The Mormon in all other ways
followed the general religious rule of II
strictly defined specialization OF sex,
with marriage, child bearing and the
rearing and care of children and the in
ternal maintenance of the home as the
duty of women. Woman suffrage was
instituted and used by the Mormon
church to continue Mormon priestly po-
litical domination. One leading feature
of this was polygamy. In Utah the
votes of the Mormon women were used
to prevent the Gentiles from abolishing
polygamy. Woman suffrage was abol-
ished in Utah by the United States upon
the ground that the federal laws were
nullifed by 1t, and that plural marriage
was thereby perpetuated. 1t seems
curious that the women of Utah should
have been politically the supporters of
polygamy. There is, however, no doubt
about the fact. The Mormon religion
stands alone in forcing or even encour-
aging women in the doing of political
duty. Every other religion has been
against the political activity of women.
The Mormons are only a sect of Christ
ians, and S such stand on the Bible
in ali things not specially revealed bv
their own prophets. All believing
Christians. without recent prophets ana
Bible modifiers, must accept the general
In both the new and old testaments
the differentiation of sex function is
clearly and frequently insisted on. No
support can be gained from the reading
OF the Bible on similarity of sex function
in politics. The contrary is strongly
laid down by the Christian foundation
book. From it the woman is charged
to duties in the home. and especially to
have children. Moses and St Paul
unite upon these rules. All great relig-
ions. such as that of the Brahmin. Hin
don, Confucius, Mahomet Rome.
Greece, Persia, etc, take the same
general ground. Religious seers, proph-
cts and all Interpreters of God to man,
nave specialized sex, making the man
the supporter and defender of a home
sacred to the women and children.
Religion in all forms denies politics
To women, or relieves women from gov
ernment and war The Mormons form
an exception. Whether this was real
and a genuine participation of women
In politics is for the women to say. Re
lgion, then, we must pass for endorse
ment. To go on the suffragist must
deny force and credit to all revealed
religion. trample 1t under foot and pass
on to science.
Evolution among scientific people is
the generally accepted explanation of
the present condition of the universe.
According to this doctrine there has
from the simple single cell, life has
gone on combining cells in constantly
increasing compleXity to the highest
form or life in the human being Ages
or indefinite duration have passed while
this process of life evolution went on
Forms of life exactly suited to condi-
,ions nave more and more tended TO
necome liked. On the other hand
changing conditions increased the ten
dencX to vary. and those variations in
the line of adaptation We're perpetuate,i
or Increased In the higher lines the
tendency OF complex organization has
mad a constant opening for variation
oexual and natural selection, environ
ment the tendency of life organisns
10 vary, together with the growth of
Iunction by user and the decay of func-
t, ton ny non-user, are some of
iutlonlsts. The general world record
IN the stone pages of geology indicate
long progress of life
Inc simplest forms first arc found
alone, then these with higher forms
and age after age shows us an in
creasing complexity of life reaching to
higher and higher functions. Extreme
ueveiopments OF inferior forms are ex-
terminated by the appearance. of the
higher forms. The intermediate forms
are destroyed by the better specializa-
tion of extreme forms These points
must De studied to be understood. With
lie ana progress of life forms came
oeath. Without death the earth couId
nave offered no room Or place for life
evolution from lower to higher forms
Chiy those low forms fitted for condi-
tlons unsuited to high forms can survive
even as forms at all. individuals must
perish as SUCH With death came the
necessity of reproduction to carry the
variation and the favorable form on
ward, and after great lapse of time to
increase the possibilities of rand
change and adapta bflity. At first repro
ouctlon was without sex and by fis-
Sure and division. Then we note that
whlle reproduction by division coptin-
ues, 1t is preceded by fusion of quiet
nutritive cells with active changing cells.
FIRST cells coalesce in pairs and then in
Gsnnlte growth and division takes place.
me conservative anabolic nutritiye or
Iemale principle and the active kat
apoilc, destructive or male princinla
nave appeared and henceforth sex has
commenced. Sex has become more and
more specialized as life has develoned
Inc evolution of the female TO the nosi.
eioii oI predominance with a puny male.
as IN spiders, parasites, scales eto hos
peen fatal handicap to progress The
reason why the high growth has been
IN the lines evolving a Dowerfn1 ,'o1n
Is that this line provides for thn s,nno.t
ana protection of tM female and younp
Whiie the other line does not. With each
eievation or form in life has gone the