The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-10-26
THE SOUP SPOON.

Women Who Do Not Wish to Vote.
One of the stock objections offered by
the opponents of woman suffrage is that
women do not want the ballot, that
they are contented in their present con-
dition and that they are already over
burdened with care and should not have
this extra responsibility thrust upon
them.
II is true that a great many women
say that they do not wish to vote, that
they have expressed the same senti-
ment in regard to every step in the pro-
gress of women, but as soon as the
change is made they are the first to
avail themselves of it's privileges.
When a merchant in town in Maine
first employed woman in his store the
men boycotted the store and the women
upheld the men. When an effort was
made to have women study medicine
and DR.. Elizabeth Blackwell dared to
do so, not only did the men say very
severe things about her, but even the
women refused to speak to her, When
the effort was begun to secure equal
property rights for women, many wom-
en- said with contempt, do you suppose
l would give myself where l could not
give my property"
both men and women when the first at
tempt was made for higher education
for women. No longer than 38 years
ago when Vassar college was founded,
it was the object of general jibes and
sneers
Mrs. Lucinda H. Stone, of Kalamazoo,
Mich, who, with her husband, was
chiefly instrumental in opening Michi-
gan university to women, went abroad
about that time, in charge of travel
ing party of young women going to
visit the holy land. Among their fell
low passengers were a band of ladies
going out as foreign missionaries. Vas
sar was the topic of conversation, and
public opinion was strongly unfavor-
able to it. Mrs. Stone tells how the
leader of the missionary party, a wom-
an Of intelligence and cultivation, voic-
ed the general feeling when she said:
1.-The mere fact of it's being called
college for women is enough to con-
denim it. We may be sure that no re-
fined Christian mother will ever send
her daughter to Vassar college"
In the Eastern cities where the wom-
en- are shut up in harems and are not
permitted to appear on the street un-
yelled, women themselves uphold these
restrictions. The Chinese lady is lust
as proud of her small feet as an Ameri-
can anti-suffragist of her political dis
abilities.
No great reform has ever been asked
for by the masses; the few more pro-
gressive ones have seen the need and
obtained the change, then the people
have grown to the improved condition.
In the old days of anti-slavery, OPP
ponents jeered abolitionists and said:
why make all this noise about eman-
cipation? the slaves are contented and
happy When asked if they wished
to be Free many said NO we are we'll
fed, clothed and sheltered and all our
wants are supplied
But is there anyone who would not
claim that these steps in the progress
Of the race have not been beneficial to
And yet the masses of
those concerned in these reforms said
they did not want them, before they
we're established facts.
Practical experience has already
shown this bugbear about women's not
wishing to vote to be an illusion like
all the rest. In the four states where
women have full suffrage they vote in
even greater proportion than the men
10, and Mrs. Elizabeth B. Harper,
treasurer of Colorado State Federation
Of Women's clubs, who opposed the
granting of suffrage to women in 1893,
now says she doubts if any woman who
had lived where she could vote would
be content to live in a state where she !
was denied the right.
1t is the same old story; every step
n the progress of women, from learn
ng to read and write to casting a bal
ct, has been fought against by this
same caviling skepticism.