The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1905-05-26
Mrs. Julia Ward Howe. +

Mrs. Julia Ward Howe, the
president of one of the pioneer
women S clubs, and also an early
advocate of equal suffrage, while
she heartily approves of the club
movement in general, neverthe-
less warns women not to let
themselves be "clubbed to
death. !" What Mr.. Cleveland
calls the Club habit" is quite as
common among women who op-
pose suffrage as among thos who
favor 1T, it not more so. One
prominent member of the Massa-
chusetts Association Opposed to
the Further Extension of Suf-
frage to Women, Mrs. Kate Gan
nett Wells, is popularity reported
to be an officer in fourteen differ
ent women's clubs. Any good
thing may be carried to excess:
but that does not prove that it is
in itself bad.
Mr.. Cleveland says: "And dis
content on the part of woman
with her ordained lot, or a rest
less desire on her part to be and
to do something not within the
sphere of her appointed minis
tratlons, can not appear other
wise than as perversions of a
gift of God to the human race. y
Mr. Cleveland regards man as
. tbsl human race, and woman
~ 4 Sfft IL 3 J J1ei: aps
pointes ls q
to man. ahd: if she wants to do
else in addition, it is
restlessness and rebellion.
Mr.. Cleveland insists over and
over again on God s intentions as
to woman's mission, and finds
women's clubs opposed to the di-
vine purpose. But women do
not believe that Mr.. Cleveland
has had any special revelation as
to the divine purpose. They
think that some of the women
who have rejoiced in the club
such as Frances
Willard for instance-were quite
as likely as he to guess correctly
at the secret of Gods inten-
tions.
Cherbuliez puts into the mouth
of a rough old Russian noble the
blunt statement: ''The great
misfortune is that in the design
of nature, careful for the per-
petuation of the race, woman is
only means, and she cannot
help considering herself as an
end. 1t reminds me of a poor
greyhound that was employed to
turn a spit. She was never able
to persuade herself that the roast
meat was not for her. Every
day it was a fresh disappoint-
ment, and | must add that the
roast was more than once in dam
ger. Therefore it would be we'll
for the roast, j. e. for society, to
take precautions against the ap-
petite for happiness of this
creature at once weak and vio-
lent, and quite incapable of un-
derstanding her true destiny.
And know of nothing better
than the captivity of the Byzan-
tine or Mussalman harem to re-
mind the daughters of Eve that
they have not the right to live on
their own account"
1t would be unjust to Mr..
Cleveland to say that this ex-
presses his view: but a refined
and modernized version of this
idea underlies his whole article.
He is as far as the Russian was
from realizing that women are
half of the hunan race, and that
their welfare and happiness are
as important as those of the 9TH
er half. Still less does he real
ize that a woman can do more
for her husband and children
when she is not wholly absorbed
in her domestic affairs, but can
see beyond them.
A narrow and somewhat coarse
view of woman's mission is apt to
characterize men who have led a
profgate life. 1t remains like a
scar on the soul, even afder the
man has reformed. Let Mr..
Cleveland preach to men against