The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-02-19
COLLEGE, WoMEN AND EoUAL SUR
FRLGE

was famous for his epigrams. and one OF the
best OF them is that keen and illuminating say
ing The world cannot be governed from be-
low" A sworn foe OF democratic government,
the great statesman. with unerrlnR wisdom.
put his finger upon It's weakest point. We may
not agree with him that the world ought 10 be
governed from above. since sristocracy has
had its day. and even a bismarck cannot deny
It's evident drawbacks. but any attempt to put
the bottom at the top cannot make for good
government: II must inevitably result In a
dangerous upset.
think 1 may assume for my sex-and espe-
cially forth educated members OF TIA genuine
desire for good government. The equal sufTra-
Rists have an amusing way OF assertinR-eithe
openly or by implication-that any woman who
does not agree with their demand for the bal
lot Is either a traitor to her sex or to the best
interests of the country. But this is sheer non
sense. II Is in the interest of other women.
II is In the interest OF our nation. that
the women who do not believe in equal
suffrage are making their stand. Why else
should thev make 1t, since there Ia no con-
ceivable profit In 1t for themselves The woman
suffragist may have her eye upon future polit-
ical possibilities-she certainly begins running
for Office as soon as her State opens them TO
her-but the anti-suffraRist In the nature OF
things, is absolutely disinterested. And there
fore she can appeal, even more securely than
the sufIragist. to the public-spirited and intelli-
gent womanhood of America.
And, first, l would ask the educated woman
to consider how this country Of ours Is best to
be conducted-by throwing open the govern
ment more largely to those below. or by giving
intelligence and power their full influence?
1t is OF no use for the sufrragists to cry. Just
here. that they want to give the fullest in1u-
ence to the best class of women. They do not
they cnnnnt-fpr tbay ara rom To thair
favorite doctrine Of a natural right to
vote. inherent in all women at birth. like
eyes or tongue. and unJustly withheld
from them at present. Limited suffrage
(which might give a real influence to the prop
erty-holding or educated woman) they abhor
and reject utterly; it must be all or nothing
all women or none. And 1t is perfectly plain to
any but tho most prejudiced that this abso-
lutely equal suffrage would swamp the edu-
Gated feminine vote in an Overwhelming rush
OF ignorant ballots. As for the leaven of col
lege graduates. the rate would be inflnitesimal-
ly small, for Nassar. in her thirty years OF
existence. has not yet graduated 1000 stu
dents. and the total number of college alum
nae and undergraduates in the country would
not reach 10000 all told. while Harvard. Yale and
Princeton have been graduating large classes
for half a &c ntury. and the younger and smaller
colleges have been sending out male graduates
as hleduliy 10 SWdTIiS Vi bces. llcTtlOIe,
since the adm Of all women to the voting
booth would bring a larger proportion OF igno-
rant voters and Il smaller proportion Of edu-
Gated and property-holding voters than the
present electorate contains. l cannot see that
we can evade the logical conclusion that the
equal suffragists are proposing. under pretence
of elevating the suffrage. TO debase it. know
it is a strong word: but. IL it is true. it cannot
be too strongly or too warningly put. They
are proposing to govern the world from
below We have lately had a con-
| crete example of the failure Of such an
idea in the terrible and murderous election
riots in North Carolina. l ask any thinking
| woman to consider whether she wants one
ballot for herself so much that she is willing to
give many thousands Of ballots to the ignorant
colored women of North Carolina. and SO make
the problem OF government there doubly hard
for the struggling better element OF both par
ties? Yet this is what absolutely equal suffrage
m~eans-hundrsds of intelligent votes. and hun
dreds of thousands of ignorant ones.
This is not the sort Of thing that appeals to a
| logical intelligence. And the result is that the
college woman. as a rule. both before ana after
graduation. is not an equal suffragist. She
kno WIS better. In college she is indifferent TAT
least that is the report lately received from
Wellesley. Vassar and Bryn Mawr. and they
| ought to be fairly representative. and it is only
natural that she should be Indifferent. because
she has too much else TO think about: and.
once out OF college. she finds herself occupied
with the larger activities of life. Her educa-
ton has given her d distinct individual value
and a decided influence, especially il she re-
turns to a small and not highly educated com
munity. There are many things that she can
do. particularly If she is a woman of tact,
wulcn make for the betterment of that ON
munity. .rycn in large cities she is not lost.
not the average woman: she il n picked
woman: and her work and, her 'ndiyid-
uality tell in consequence; She is an in
nucntial woman md the measiire q
that influence rests, only with herself
And she Is very generally wise enough to .sce
that the ballot would mean not more. but less
and cheaper INFLUENCE, and To remain ontSide
on the subject and ceaf TO the appeal of the
suflragists. because she listens to larger and
truer claims. To illustrate this indifference. l
was told by a prominent member OF the Alum
nB Association of Swarthmore that though the
association had committees on all important
they had never felt it necessary to have a suf-
fraRe one. The college woman has no craving
for the ballot. in college or out.
What does sho do for the world instead
President ThwinR Is authority Tor the state
marry. 1t is estimated that there are about
5000 college women in the United States at
fair iaH to assume that each one Of these women.
with her ambition and education. Is a centre OF
Influence; The home anS + tbt the 66e is6I9 Sd1 of I the
4 u aIlJ NV tiN ft'D
wives and mothers make directly for q higher
national life and a nobler national ideal
Then there are the teachers. Two-thirds Of
all women college graduates, statlstics say.
teach for longer or shorter periods after grad;
uation. Their favorite field is the high school
Going higher than the high school we find
over 100 college women rs professors in col
leges.
Though only D per cent. OF our women physi-
clans. strange to say, are college grad
uatcsl. librarians, scientists. journalists.
heads Of college settlements and workers
i'm them, chemists. and even farmers and
manufacturers while one is a Major in, tho
Salvation Army-and one Of its most valued
officers, too. As for the graduates. in both
England and America. who have taken up
name is legion. and the value OF their services
Is immeasurablc. The college woman has in
deed taken all knowledge TO her province"
and brings to every new sphere a trained mind
Would the mere possession Of a single bal
lot-a possession which is shared with ,l3.OOO.-
600 Of women, the vast majority OF whom, as
regards public politics, are. painfully unin-
formed and absolutely indinerent-be OF any
..oI 49,, IN artnh Influential woman AZ fbaSa =