The Press., 1897-05-27
w. C. T. U.
Two Men PhilOsophize.

Ouo LII OuI 0dSGoEn phpoES EeldboS Lh0 following conversation between two gen. tlemen seated in one of the best clubs of leading city, enjoying a sociable chat over their cigars. One was an attorney and the other awell-known journalist and lecturer
 "I tell you what it is," said the attor- ney, Git is astonishing what the women of this city are doing for themselves and their intellectual improvement. Talk about the ignorance of women on matters of the day, it's all nonsense. The truth of the matter is, they know more than the majority of men know on topics of import ance"
 ''Yes," replied the journalist, ''I have observed that myself. Women nowadays have their clubs for self-improvement in almost every line of work, and what is more, they study and discuss the subject in hand and form their own opinions, which usually have a good commonsense back of them. Their conversation is no longer confined to their domestic lives, their children and their servants; indeed, those things are never mentioned now at social gathering, even when there are no gentlemen present."
 ''Do you know" unused the attorney, Eff this thing keeps on the wives will know great deal more than their husbands, not only on how best to manage the homes and children, but about municipal and state affairs as well, and then what excuse can we have for refusing them the suffrage We say now it's sentiment, that we don't want to see our women chasing to the polls, but, between you and me, don't mind saying it's all rot" and he puffed slowly at his cigar and slipped the concoc- tion that stood at his elbow.
 "What's all rot? The sentiment or the suffrage ?"
 "Why, the sentiment, of course. As far as am concerned, the sooner women get into politics the better I shall be pleased, for believe it will be our saliva tion And, as for the school question, it must be acknowledged they make their in- fiuence rather forcibly felt now in that di- rection, and cause no end of annoyance to our worthy commissioners"
 "Well, said the journalist, ""Tll tell you where the difference is between us men and our wives on the club question, and wh y they are making such rapid strides ahead, while we are comparatively standing still. The women have their clubs, to be sure, but they are not like ours. They meet for self-improvement and instruction. We meet for self-forgetfulness. That is, we go to ourclubs, and instead of studying and discussing important matters, our time is largely spent in cards, in pool and billiards. We smoke, we play, and we have a good time socially, but, when it comes to real benefit, Pm afraid the women's clubs are far and away ahead of ours"
 ''I guess you're right" said the other, and they continued to smoke in thought full silence.
 A SEQUENCE TO THE ABOVE PHILOSOPHY.
 This is honest confession. Can it be that the men calmly view the possibility of their abdieation from the world of affairs ? Have things gone so far with them that they cannot be aroused from the delicious enchantment of ease, pleasure and narco- tism ? Let the women protest. In seek l ing intellectual development we have never meant to shut the doors to men. In | asking for political equality we have never meant to seize the reins of government In following our children from the family in to the broader institution, the state, we have not wished to supplant the father hood of the nation.
 We confess to having hoped to join men and women in a worthy alliance in both church and state, but there have been fears that women might be the weaker half that her feminine brain, for instance, might not be adequate to carrying part in the ''concert of the powers" and that her weak judgement might, perhaps, bias her toward the side of the Turkish fez and the harem instead of towards the Armenians and plucky, fighting Greece. But we see new and more startling danger now. It is that man may possibly become more and more supine, and that in the end the women | will not only have the babies and the May moving on hand, but a governmental house. cleaning, including the disposal of the ac- cumulated rubbish of hundred years.
 This would not be appalling were it not that the other partner shows sign of willingness to retire from business alto gether. Either incompetency or unwill- ingness on his part would leave the white l house vacant, the arbitration treaties un- signed, the ambassadorships vacant, the l queen in waiting to give audience and no minister plenipotentiary in sight, and whole train of similar circumstances which | would clog the wheels of commerce, pre- vent international reciprocity and the pro- gress of the world in general.
 It is clear to our mind that to whatever nights of intellectual development woman may attain, to whatever of political know ledge and power, to whatever of executive ability, she does not wish to sit enthroned l ''grand, gloomy and peculiar" She wish es partnership of equality, democracy and not an aristocracy. To this end she | early raises her voice of warning and en- couragement to the brethren. She begs of them toput self-improvement and in- struction above cards and pooland billiards | and drink, otherwise, "Mene, meme, tekel | upharsin, y may be written upon the wall, and there can, of necessity, be but one chair of state or no chair of state, instead of the two we have hoped for UnS0n Stg1aGl.
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