The Saint Paul globe., 1905-01-24
WHY Do WOMEN
NOT TAKE THIS UP
Mems Convention In New York
Decides That immoral Wom-
en- Should Wear Badges

There are one or two subjects which |
organized women seem to feel are par
ticularly theirs to agitate and hardly |
day passes that we do not read of |
some action taken by them in regard |
to the movements which are near their |
hearts. Recently women have been
sharply divided in regard to the re-
placing of the canteen in the army, for |
one body of women in Washington is
pleading for it's establishment,
while very old and well known or
ganiZation of women is fighting it with |
every resource at its command. Then
again, the subject of woman suffrage
has commanded the best efforts of
many able women, and yet there have
been women who not only did not want
to vote, but were willing to fight the |
others who agitate the subject, and a
few years ago we saw two rival fac
tions of women haranguing the legis-
lature at Albany, N. Y, one urging
suffrage and the other opposing it.
So it is difficult to find a subject, or
a want, that women can really unite |
upon as a common grievance. And yet
not so very long ago, in New York, a
suggestion was made which, had
women resented it as they should,
would have welded all women in this
country into one harmonious whole,
and properly so. In some meeting of
men, some convention Of an organiza-
tion, the name of which escapes me- but
which of course was for the betterment
of mankind and probably had Chris
tian in its title somewhere, there arose
a sanctimonious man who gave voice
to remarkable suggestion, which, if
remember right, was adopted. 1t was
that each woman of immoral life
should wear badge! I doubt not that
after voicing that suggestion the man
sat down with the feeling that he had
made a name for himself. And un-
doubtedly he has. Now for sheer in
justice to women, for Grass stupidity,
immortality and absolute idiocy this
suggestion ranks No. 1. The women
who cannot get together on the sub
Jects of temperance, or suffrage, will
find no difficulty in becoming a unit
on this preposterous proposition.
Badges on women? And, pray tell,
what kind of badge is to be put on a
bad man? If the w. c. T. U. had met,
reso1uted and adopted that every i'm
moral man should wear a blue hat, 1t
would not have exceeded in absurdity
the suggestion mentioned above. Then
II some woman had gone out and cor
nered the blue hat market she would
have made her everlasting fortune
The brilliant masculine mind which
evolved this original, highly civilized
and Christian idea, probably had not
thought out how this great thing was
TO be done, or by whom, or, indeed,
thought at all. Who was to be the
Judge? For whose protection was this
branding to be done? The righteous
body of men who thought this out for
the betterment of mankind surely need
no protection. Their guilelessness is
their safety, but they should avoid the
open country where cows colfgregate
Oftentimes women seem to fight
shadows and make mountains out of
molehills. But when a body of men in
the twentieth century meets and de-
cldeS TO put signs on women to diStin-
gulSh evil from good it is about time
women rose up in their might and
laughed them to scorn. Why an i'm
moral woman should wear a sign and
an immoral man should not was not
explained by the erudite person who
MADE the suggestion. But if women
should take up this matter which it
seems strange they have not, they
might make suggestion or two more
needed than the safeguarding of love-
~, innocent man. For instance, when
a woman marrieS, she changes her til
Tie SO that at once when her name is
heard one can tell whether or not she
is married. Also the married woman
wears ring on the third finger of her
left hand Which makes it plain even to
81 @iISeI tIat Sne is married. But
Wnat or man? There is no change in
his title when he marries; he does not
wear ring which tells a tale. He
goes on just as before and precipitates
many tragedy because it is not
known he is married man. This is
ail an injustice to women Let some
OF the organizations meet and resoIya
that every married man shall wear a
cross ON his left shoulder or a red tie.
10 signify his welded condition. That
CHRISTIAN organization can't do all the
suggesting.
This affair convinces one that the
ShIlstlan convention of seIf-righteous
men which met in New Yorlr a,,5
adopted that resolution had not much
business to occupy its time.
IL