The San Francisco call., 1896-07-05
THE BOY AND |,


the time when l wheeled him out and quar-
relied with the other girls over the beauty on
our respective charges, the days when nau 70
stand his little boy-tyranny and PICK up MS
playthings, the time shook the nonsense out
of the larger boy who harassed his path TO
school, through the period when he would
swear the time he turned white and sick from
looking at a cigar, the epoch of leaving school
and beginning work, up to the present day, all
the time that have carried him about in my
heart and in my head, waking and sleeping,
the Boy and have had kind OF liking LOT
| each other.
| The Boy thinks Pm pretty good sort OF big
sister to have around; nice person TO get
| fellow out OF tight place without preaching
too much, and handy to have on general pr1n-
| ciples. He often asks my advice, and nave
known him to act upon it. know he THINKS
there is no girl brighter than his big sister In
most things, but I've lately found out some
thing don't like.
| The Boy won't give fig for my pohtlcal
| opinion.
Perhaps 1t is partly my fault I've never
argued with him much, because l didn't
think it worth while. When he aired his cal
low ideas smiled and went on frying my own
/ fish.
He was only "kid."
| Now 1t has dawned upon me that next year
the Boy will be 81 and his youthful opinions
| will influence his country's veal or woe 10 the
extent OF one vote.
Next year will be 81 (and then some), with
| opinions as strong and hope more mature
| than his, but 1 can't vote. Ny country must
somehow shift along without my ballot, and
| poor shift 1t is too.
I've paid taxes ten years. The Boy never
paid a cent. have studied the constitution
of the United States and that of California
until can repeat whole sections. know the
Boy can't do as much. I've read history, all
cient ana modern, a hundred to his one, and
have all my life kept up with the current
events. Maybe 1 have neglected baseball,
| racing and prize-fghting, but l know about
| even them. 1 can do every kind OF work the
Boy can do, and besides can extract the cube
root of polyno al and make good bread.
have to obey every law that he obeys, but
am not competent to help make them.
1t isn't any use to tell me that the Boy repre-
sents me and the other women OF the house;
he doesn't do any such thing.
| 1 won't be represented by the Boy. Not be-
cause his vote will not be an honest one and
| fairly intelligent, but because it is his vote,
and he will have all he can do to represent
himself.
The Boy likes good dinner; still enough for
him and me, too, would be more than he could
| digest. wonder if when the Boy is judged
| for his sins he will have to represent mine,
too. Poor Boyl Suppose he marries and has
his wife to represent, besides his sisters and
his mother and then the possible daughters.
Could you recommend tonic for the Boy7
| don't think with the Boy in many things.
He lacks the ten years of labor among the
people that have changed my ideas materially.
He lacks the sorrows and the losses that have
taken the gloss off much that was bright and
| that have shown new beauty in what was
| dark.
He will grow, grant, and step for step; so
will 1.
One night the Boy was doing a little spout
ing. He thought 1 didn't care to vote because
1 hadn't said much in his hearing.
"Nice women didn't want to vote" the Boy
said, "and the rest had no business.
Things wouldn't be any better if lot of them
voted as their husbands told them"
| "Well," said, 'fBoy, Wen admit for the
| sake OF argument that things would be no
better if women voted-even say things would
be worse 1 tell you in the face of that, if
woman wants to vote it is her right If she
doesn't want to no one will make her. but the
| right is hers just the same"
The Boy was thunderstruck. He never
! thought cared so much. I d05afe, and from
that time on talked it up on all occasions. I
| think the Boy sees both sides of 1t now, though
| he is st1ll a benighJed male.
The Boy and l are the average man and
woman, and here are some of our arguments.
Women have house to attend to-"
Sure. And men have a business to attend to-
Women, with housework to do, have oceans of
time to think If they haven't sensible things
to think of, they Will think of foolish things
Much of the labor of housekeeping is mechani-
cal. can wash dishes, make beds, sweep,
hang up clothes and iron all without any deep
thought for the work itself; my hands know
how without my head. Peeling potatoes is
not work that requires concentrated atten.
| ton, and think could wash the front steps
nicely with my mind on political economy.
There are times when can't divide my facul.
| ties Ihus-fOr instance when ma ka ally -
boil eggs. The Boy doesn't mix politics with
the figures he adds.
Then think of the long hours most women
spend sewing and mending in the quiet after.
noon. They can do more thinking than a
whole session of Congress- 1 have gone tn
every political meeting this year, and the Boy
cannot say his meals are ever late hurried,
When the Boy said women were not strong
looked into his eyes and laughed. He knew
| without words that l laughing at the
weakness of woman who had supported a
home all these years and could walk and wheel
and eat right along with him. AS far as brute
strength goes he could break me in two with
one hand If that is the qualification. Mr.
Shsrkey must have two votes.
'fWomen are ignorant of the affairs of the
Nation"
Many of them are. Why should they carer
They don't study what they cannot use Give
them nation and see them dig into its affairs.
disturbed
Some women will always be ignorant"
| Now, isn't that too badl Poor, lonesome
mortal. Of course we can never find man tn
match her. All men are wise-born So They
don't have to learn-none remain ignorant or
bigoted. When European pauper takes ont
his naturalization papers he is straiehtwav
| transformed into an American of education
and culture. But you can't do that with his
wife.
"women are impressible-easily influenced
by the talk of another"
Oh, Boy, Boy, fear it is So Why could We
not be independent thinkers like men? The
stump-speaker never influences a man fhe
must be talking to women); crowds are never
| swayed as one man; men never follow their
party leaders blindly; but we might poor
gelatinous creatures. With diminished head
| pass on to the next.
"Women are not practieal-they are extrava.
| pant. they do moi IooL daar