The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-06-28

irons who would care for women and .chil-
dren? Il that task 20 pleasing that !. men s.,
to women to plead for these reforms In
interest Of humanity Why, when they
undertake this self-imposed task is every
possible hindranoe placed in their way?
oughly aroused to the necessity Of taking
part In line Of work 80 badly managed
and sadly neglected, should men keep
them In position OF almost utter help
lessness?
The very fact that public officials in
charge Of the delinquent. defective and
dependent classes are 80 unworthy Of their
charge as to make Intervention necessary
shows them to be devoid of the higher inn
pulses How can 1t be expected that they
will be moved by prayers tears and plead
In general are too Indifferent to the abuses
which exist or too absorbed in their own
ahairs to give them the necessary attention.
they should at least see to it that women
only way to do this lie to invest them with
power to depose dishonest or incom
petent officials and elect better ones and
to repeat this process as often as 1t becomes
necessary. Women Of wealth. education
and general intelligence have more leisure
nowadays than men Of the same class,
and they are more thoroughly alive to what
may be termed the humanities. 1t ie prob
able that in the near future they will enter
very largely into civic reform. but they
most no practicable influence so long as
they are degraded and crippled by dis
franchi sement. The majority OF women
themselves do not yet realize this fact.
but men know It Thoroughly and while
they are standing back and waiting for
women to grow into this knowledge they
are actually retarding the progress of civil
lization.
The secretary OF the National Educa-
tional Association has entered a protest
against the statement made in this column
short time ago that no woman II on the
programme Of the approaching convention
in Boston, and he ncloses one with the
names OF thirty-four women marked This
evidently has been sent tn various news
papers which, without investigating. have
declared that the above statement is a mis-
representation. Not one woman is on the
programme for the general sessions which
are to be held every evening in Mechanics
Hall. The thirty-four women referred
to are to be heard only at the department
sessions held mornings in the various
churches Five Of these speak in the kim
dergarten department fifteen simply take
part in discussions and symposiu ms and
are limited to from five to seven minutes,
two merely respond to greetings addressed
to these working among the Indians and
three discourses on music In mornings
programme of nine speakers. In only two
of the department meetings is a woman down
for the first address--one on gymnastics.
and one on manual training in the elemen-
tary schools. Not one woman is to speak
on the higher and only one on secondary
education, not one on normal, trade or BUSH
ness schools; notone on science and not one
on special education.
In fact, the more one examines this pro-
gramme the more insulting it appears to
the great body Of trained women teachers
for which the United States is noted. While
three-fourths Of the teachers are women.
their place at this national convention
will be principally to furnish the audiences
that are expected to hang entranced on the
wisdom which falls from the lips of
the great and glorious male educator
These conventions are the occasion when
he reaches his most dizzy altitude and
swells and struts his brief hour in blaze
supply the fireworks at this Boston convo-
cation, while thirty-four women will fur
nish the pinwheels to sputter on the fence
posts for the delight Of the small boys.
satisfied with a monopoly of the speech.
9kinE they are the s. V ;6ols thing Here
! ans Journal Of BOSTON:
On the executive committee there are
, the local organization for the Boston con-
vention there. are no women; on the advisory
f onI for the Srss
dent HAZARD "e Of Weliesiey and G Dean irwin
; of Radcliffe, and neither OF these ladies
clarmcn of special committees for the Bos-
ton convention We find no women till we
sSn !%s whoy Of 'S %o@ep He p 81
isysthres ana feur Tome ToAS the
are twenty three men and no women. On
the programme for the national council there
are nine men and one woman.
This is not new departure. Long
| before 1853. when Susan B. Anthony, for
the first time in all history, gave teachers
convention the sensation Of hearing a
woman's voice. all the way through the
years men havo been practically the entire
show on these occasions. 1t is directly IN
.he best positions in the public schools,
much higher pay than women for the same
work, and almost an absolute monopoly
Of the callege faculties. In the present
instance they have so overdone the matter
that attention has been specially called to
If they possessed sufficient independence
ard would stand together. 10 break up
this male trust, or at least TO make it diff
cult for it to do business Possibly this
Tory army of masculine teachers may find
it's Bunker Hill right under the shadow
of the monument.
Cardinal Herbert Vaughan, head OF the
Catholic Church in England, who died
during the past week, was one of several
Of the great ecclesiastics of that Church
who have spoken in favor Of the enfran-
chisement Of women. A few years ago the
London Tablet published the following
declaration from the CARDINAL
believe that the extension of tho Par
liamentary franchise to women upon the
same conditions as it H. held by men would
be Just and beneficial measure, tendnHto
raise rather than to lower the course Of ma
tional legislation. :
In recent address before one Of the
fraternties in vassar College. the Hon.
Whiteaw Reid assured its members that
the morals of society for the future will
rest upon educated women, and urged
them to use their influence to check di-
vorce. This is good advice, and yet, as
the great majority of divorces are sought
-, Co. ;vf- -