New-York tribune., 1907-04-18
CHAMPION OF WOMEN.
Mr.. Stead Refuses Luncheon Inrita-
lion That Excludes Them.

Y. T Stead stayed away from a luncheon given
yesterday for journalists visiting the Peace Con-
gress because no women were invited. and later
IN the day he set forth his reasons for so doing
TO the Collegiate Equal Suffrage League at the
Colony club.
Everything that divides the sexes" he said
IS distinctly bad and exclusively male things are
more detestabie 10 mo than those that are eX-
clusively female Male clubs. male legislatures
ana male barracks all bad. and IL you women
make your clubs exclusively female you will make
them inhuman. ant-social and dangerous. l never
belong to any club that doesn't admit women as
members visitors and I never address
meeting TO which women not admitted Just
before went to jail-a very important epoch in my
life-I advertised 10 address meeting FOR
men. I tclecraphcd that I never addressed meet
iDgs for men alone. and unless they Withdrew 'he
interdiction on women. / couldn't come. They
replied that the women would be admitted. ana
when I arrived ] found the town pacarded with
announcements like this: W. r. Stead. of Lon
don, will address a meeting at the Town Hall
for men only. Women also invited II is nee
essary to make a stand in these small things
and il is only when you do so that you reahze
that in all places. except those Of luxury and
ornament, men have got the best seats and mean
30 keep them.
AMERICAN MEN SPOIL WOMEN.
Il used to think that America was a paradise
for / brought up in that faith but
here fourteen years ago In the home lie Aneri-
can men kind and liberal In fact. they spoil
their womenklnd and don't give them the proper
discipline that every human being ought to have.
But outside the home they have not yet recognized
that women individual. The best hair OF the
American nation doesn't count.
Il have been much struck here by the extraordi-
nary surface poIitcness of men 10 women. II
pretty woman tells a man that she mas dIscoVered
that by reading III, numbers sideways YOU can get
rrrfn Il NJ
what clever discovery.' Now. maintain that
when people fools and idiots true courtesy de-
mands that you shall tell them SO Otherwise
they may go being fools and idiots for the rest
of their lives. But women won't stand IT, got
into horrible row in Chicago because tried to
tell the truth to a womans club. hope shan't
get into here.
we are very benlghted and reactlonary in Eu-
rope" Mr. Stead continued. but we do occasion
ally give a woman n chance. AS queens and en-
presses women have been a distinct success. l
don't see why they shouldn't be equally successful
as PresidenIesses Anyway staha 10 TOT III ,le @ Pri1
capable of filing it. II women can make good .
shouldn't they be Senatresses and police women?
Nothing gets mad as the insuneraDe pre-
sumption of the man who says that women Hlstn
do thus aai so because II is nnwomanly: ConIound
his lmpudence! What right has he to decide what
there can be nothing more nnwomanly than
motherhood because there IS nothing more Trying
Mr.. stead wound up with word about the
Suuf3gettcS. OF whom ne lllOicubhiS eAPtAoNV''
though MS wife doesn't
There comes a time in most human affairs. he
said. when Il is necessary 10 get mad ana DO
something. Il may nor have come here. There Is
nothing more difhcut than to know precisely the
right time to got mad But II has come IN Eng
land The situation there is peculiar. The Cabinet
s about EQUALLY divided on the question OF woman
suffrage. and consequently IS trying TO evade II.
Action would split tho party, ana an e1Fthquake or
he Day Of Judgment would be small thing COM
pared TO the splitting of party The sumragette
movement IS an EXPRESSION of i1patience with men
Wio promised what they are unwilling TO perform.
and II has had the effect Of forcing the ordinary
member OF Parliament to think about these things"