Los Angeles herald., 1907-04-15
MRS. B. FAY MILLS
DISCUSSES HER SEX
Speaker Tells Congregation at FeIIow-
ship Meeting the Reasons Why
She Believes In the
"New Woman"

"The New Woman" was the topic of
an interesting address delivered by
Mrs. Benjamin Fay Mills before the
Fellowship yesterday morning in
Blanchard hall. Mrs. Mills said in part:
There are several reasons why l be-
lieve In the new woman.
First, because so many others do.
This may not seem to be a very worthy
reason on the surface of it. But when
number of the most earnest and intel
ligent minds are turned in one direction
1t always means something. Today a
majority of the best and most progress
sive men as well as women of civiliza-
ton are becoming convinced that
woman can be something larger more
efficient and influential in the worlds
life than she has been.
Second, Because man cannot go on
to the best achievements without
woman. 'Woman's cause is mans
cause. They rise or fall together, bond
or free True social ideals cannot be
formed or actualized by half a race.
Half the worlds thinking must be done
by women. Let us take up the task,
then, reverently, earnestly, but modest
ly withal.
Third, we need new women for pre-
cisely the same reason that we need
new men, new institutions, new politi-
cal forms, new methds of economic as
ISOLATION, new religious expressions,
because this is new world, arising
In the consciousness of new, large,
comprehensive ideas and realizing the
possibility at least of flying where once
1t crept. Let the women, then, who are
coming out into the active life of the
world step up and live abreast of the
epoch making ideas Of the present age.
1t is not enough that we should vote
or hold political office. OF course, there
is no scrap or shred of a respectable
reason why that should not be; to dis
believe it is to deny the doctrine of
the Declaration of Independence. But
there would be no use in voting or
holding office unless the vote is to bring
about a higher and finer order of life,
and the office to be that of true and
needed service to mankind.
Fourth, the whole world is waking
up to the largest, most comprehensive
idea that has yet dawned on the hui
man mind-that of the family-nature
Of the human race. We are coming to
see that human brotherhood PRACTICAL
ly expressed in the social, political and
economic realms of life, Is our only
appropriate mode of association. It is
that woman may help the world to
realize this ideal that she is emerging
into active life at this point in his
tory. The world needs the socializing
VI just lIlOSe WHICH we nave
agreed to consider essentially feminine
intuition, gentleness, sympathy, self
sacrifice, the withdrawal Of the person.
al in favor of the universal interest.
All these are different names and
phases of the one crowning characteris-
tic of Observation-Disclosures. All
the world bows before the power and
beauty of mother-love.
when Napoleon was asked what he
considered the greatest need of France
he replied Mothers 1t is the greatest
need of all the world today that moth
er-care, interest, mother-love
should be infused into all our relation
ships. Let us have city mothers as
well as city fathers. Let us have
mother thought concerning child labor
and other economic questions; mother
judgment in regard to our penal sys-
tenn. Let the thought of what the
mother desires and would do for her
own child become the measure of duty
and service for all the children of
men.
when she shall bring the mother ca
pacity of her nature as her equipment
for service to the world the grand new
woman shall become the greatest So
cial and evolutionary force for the
worlds redemption"