Birmingham state herald., 1897-04-15

| tosbattle with the vexations of political 1 life. Go in the forest and compare the | sturdy oak to the clinging vine. Can you change the vine to the oak? No! | All your efforts will only tend to beautify | the vine. Nature did not intend for the | clinging vine to take the place of the l strong oak. Just so with woman. God l did not make her to take the rens of gov ernment in her hands and when she tries | to do so she only degrades 'h her sex. What would woman do as a sailor, sol- dier. policeman? All these voca tions, as well as many others she would have | to take on herself if she becomes man s equal in politics. She could not take the easy and higher offices and say you may have-thCse we do not want Woman is so physically made that she must be cared for. Her physical nature is mo- mentary. She is not equal to long strains. She must be defended by the
 stronger nature. Her duties lie in the home. Man is the proVder, woman the nourisher. God did not see fit to com
 bine all physical conditions in one body, but made man first, giving him strength
 and power, then He saw fit to make Wo- man, delica tely formed, gentle and de- pendent The Creator ordained that she should be the lesser of the two; but think fer a moment the beauty of such con- dition, to be cherished and loved, to be the ruling light in a gentle and loving way. She controls the world, as it is, the 1HnuenCe OI ltie 1OIlt
 How many of our Southern women would give their beautiful home influence for the public life Cf a p5lt.c.an? The question then comes to us: Are we physic- ally able to endure any more demand on our everyday life? can we safely take up the cffice of citizenship at the risk of losing those of wifehood and motherhcod? If women cannot physically stand the
 hardships of a political life, then why does she attempt tso sacrifice her king dom for the privilege of voting? I appeal to the masses, not to a few. One of our senators advised the suffrag .sts to go South. They are here in our beautiful Southland, where the name of woman" | is reverenced. where she is held as a model of purity, where the wife and | mother are sheltered by the strong arm | of husband and father. Oh! women of the South, stand by your homes you l hold so dear; allow not the foolish dr5a m 1 "a fallacy-to invade your home; beware l of the serpent. Let your children see by 1 your exarpleathat mothar is a. wdmanly woman. There is but one platform for | men and women to meet upon, and that | it equal wages for equal work" Lot men 1 be fair minded; let them give a laborer | the worth due him or hsr. It is this that has caused the woman suffr3gist ques- | tion. Go in some of the largest stores of l our own city. ask the first woman YOU meet behind the counter her. wages; Eh 2 | will tell you perhaps five dollars per | week. Turn to the man bshind the same counter; he will say ten dollars per week. | Both do the same work; just as many | hours are they on duty; then why | should ore be paid double th4 other? It | is this that causes dissatisfaction. It is | so in almost every vocation in life. If
 necessity compells women to work and | they are able to stand eide by side With | men, then give thsm equal wsg-s, It is 1 here that the mothers must do their | work; teach their sons to be fair minded: | teach thecn that "a. laborer is worthy of | his or her hire.' Then the political wo- | man" will be a thing of the psst.
 E. P. H.