The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-03-27
THE POWER OF WOMEN.
A Higher View of Liberty Discussed
by Rev. j. Cumming Smith.

Rev. j. Cumming Smith delivered his last
lenten lecture at Tabernacle Church at 4
o'clock yesterday afternoon, his subject
being: "a Higher View of Liberty and
Woman's Public Power" He said: Lib
erty 1 would like to define as the full use
of ones full self upward, and. If so. liberty
is only won in pieces. For example Rus
STA while reaching out avaricious fingers
towards Korea has an INTESTINE mutiny;
an uprising within her own realms, a cry
for liberty. 1t is irresistible. Now even If
that uprising for liberty proves a success.
it is only a partial liberty that will be
gained. One emancipation only paves the
way toward further e~mancipations. In
deed, / question if Russia is ready for
much liberty till the people prove their
ability for the tasks of liberty by a little
more struggle, and struggle educates.
Now we need to take this higher view
of liberty. l know and L believe that the
world is on a long journey from the primi-
tive woman whose life seemed one long
apology for her existence and the woman
of the future who will be on a par with
man in every respect. This l believe we
are coming TO. But L question whether the
freedom of woman has not hinged too much
on the mere question of franchise. Sup
pose she has the right of vote, and her
right IL is, vet has she so much even then ?
Is man or woman fit TO vote if not worth
far more than the vote? A woman might
have the influence TO induce twenty or a
hundred voters TO vote a certain way: she
has far more than the freedom OF vote In
that case. Many men drop a vote and that
means Just one more TO millions of votes.
Are they ever free? Can't they drop that
vote and be only half-men with an infin-
itesimal amount of force?
Il hold that women now have influence
III a public way. Suppose, for example,
refer TO one evil; / mean the growing habit
of not paying our debts. Storekeepers tell
me that even the rich must sometimes be
dunned and thumbscrewed to pay their
debts. Now suppose mothers. educated
children to the pleasure of wiping out
debts; sent boys and girls out in a sort of
rivalry to pay small debts at stores, would
ii not be possible TO connect pleasure and
pride. Even with paying bills. Do mothers
and educators try also to enlist young en-
thusiasm in favor of good laws; making
boys feel that they do their own thinking
and become champions of moral measures?
L consider that a woman who trains ten
young lives so as to cast ten right votes is
a great public power. OF course. she de-
serves the franchise in her own rights. but
how much greater is influence than fran
chise?
IF women voted. evil would not vanish.
She would, no doubt, bring a vast access
sion of moral power; but many women
are as iow-toned as many men; and a
woman in politics, if bad, can be worse
than a bad man. A Machiavelli i'm petit
coats will outwit a Marion county politi-
can in stratagems and foxy trickeries.
This does not prove that she has no right
TO vote; if il did, il would equally prove
that men have no right to vote. But il
does prove that we cannot anticipate an
immediate heaven when women begin to
vote as men do, and ii does prove that
good women even now cast ten or fifty
their influence or the depth of their char
acter, that every queenly woman reigns
over a realm of her own and is more of a
public character and patriot than the most
of actual voters