The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-04-12
WOMAN'S PART IN POLITICS AND
IN QUESTIONS TO BE SETTLED
BY VOTING.

| News comes from Asheville that IT is
/ probable the women will be present at
the polls when the voting takes place to
dinances against improper houses and for
the early closing of saloons. Much can be
said for and against such participation,
but there can be nothing said against
the earnest efforts which women make
in their own homes and among their
male relatives and close, friends. In
were a potential factor in the successful
| fight for a dispensary. Reviewing the
campaign the Times says:
| There were many things that contrib
| uted to the success of this fight and it
| would be hard to particularize, but in
| looking around to give credit to whom
| credit is due, too much cannot be said
| of the good influences of the ministers
/ and the good women of our town. They
| led the fight from first to last and were
| in right at the finish. An appeal was
| made directly to the ladies and they re-
sponded nobly to the cause. We know
|
| to vote for the dspensary and others
who could not secure their votes per-
| suaded them not to vote at all One
good wife kept her husband in bed all
| day and would not let him have his
clothes TO prevent him from voting An
| other marched relative UP to the polls
and voted him.. These are only a few
instances of the courage of the ladies in
| this contest
We confess to some feeling against the
publicity involved for the good woman
who marched a relative up to the polls
and voted him. but We say "three cheers
and tiger for the woman who kept
her husband in bed all day and would
not let him have his clothes to prevent
him from voting" No doubt he deserved
| it, and for that matter the man who was
marched" up and voted" by his female
relative was voted" better than, left
to himself, he would have elected to vote
| The Philadelphia North American of
Sunday contains an interview with the
l
upon woman's part in politics, and says:
| II cannot believe a man can find so
| much pleasure in his home or in his
wife when she must take part in public
| life.
Public life is not for woman, politics
is not for her. Safe sheltered in the
walls of the home that her husband has
| brought her to, to be its queen, she is
happiest and so is he.
| Home should be a mans refuge, d
mans place of peace and rest where, af-
ter the heat and battle of the day, he may
come, gladly welcoming the thought of
it all the way, and find his wife there
ready to pour the wine and oil of love
and faith into his wounds.
II know this is very old fashioned.
know the arguments about encouraging
the selfshness of men, about women
making slaves of themselves. But my
heart says to me that she who serves
through great love is the spirit of great
est freedom. And through faith in men
| shall women enable them to resist temp
tation.
Through being pure and steadfast her
| self and rearing her sons to revere pur-
about civic purity.
such sentiments suppose clever
women would say they are not opinions
plainly proclaim that / am not in favor
| of woman's suffrage. The thought of a
| world of voting women makes me shud-
der. Men would go on marrying just
| the same, / suppose, since the world
must have children, but probably there
would be many women who would not
vote as their husbands wished them to,
and think of the quarreling then!
81 do not believe women have the sort
| of minds to penetrate grave political
problems that must be reasoned out,
penetrated deeply. She arrives at just
conclusions by the subtle insight Of a
spiritual, loving nature. l cannot be-
lieve that competitive contact with the
fighting world of men will sharpen her
intellectual insight sufficiently to make
up for loss of spiritual insight, for lose
il she must if she is going to fling down
a challenge in mans arena.
| Il like to see her working in the field
of charity and philanthropy if she is not
married or has no children. Even if she
has a household she should give what
time she can justly spare to help the
poor and suffering. The charities that
deal directly with maternity, children
and mistreated animals need above all
else women to form and direct them. -