The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-06-10
Speaking as Conservatives.

Bishop WILLIAM CRoswELL DoANE
OF Albany, giving admonition to the
graduating class at a girls school
Tuesday, spoke with the conservatism
and with something Of the distaste to
innovation that characterize, we g
going to say, the churchman Of the old
school, but the phrase, essentially COM
plimentary in the view Of those of US
who are tolerant OF or attached to the
ancient standards Of thought, Of edu-
cation, of culture" character and
conduct, is too narrow. Let us put 1t
this way: He took the view Of woman
and Of woman suffrage that belongs to
his generation and his training. that
is shared by many among US who have
no part in the monumental pomp' or
the wisdom OF age, but are natural con-
servatives. For there is nothing essen
TALLY more intellectual in the on
servatism Of most Of US than in aliking
or dislike Of olives or dark meat.
Before our unconscious eyes always
a world is dying and being born. The
perpetual flow Of things Is going on; and
we conservatives-we don't refer to men
like Bishop DoANE-are made uncom-
Portable thereby. A woman smoking
a cigarette is almost as much a portent
as the French Revolution vas to our
ancestors; and the English suffragettes
pursuing and bedevilling AsoUIrH or
whatsoever other unfortunate Minister
they can come near are worse than
ROUSSEAU and VoITAIRE were to DR..
JOHNSON.
Material advances, so called, mechan-
ical and scientific improvements we can
stand. We have a pride in telephones,
the electric light, wireless telegraphy,
airships, and so on. To have lived be-
fore them and yet with them, w feel is
creditable to us. We have shared in
the progress Of the age. Almost We
are inventors. We are an honor to pos
terity, which we shall soon be boring
with our anecdotes and repetitions.
But woman is the conservative class,
Any changes in her social OF economic
position we resent. She ia inferior.
She should be content to be 80; and
what the deuce will happen to us II she
won't be?
To all us conserv atives DR.. DoANE's
notions sound beautiful and strong.
We have heard some excellent women
ministers and missionaries-excellent
considering their sex, we mean, OF
course-but what a pleasure it is to
hear the Bishop say:
And ! am absolutely sure that the admission
or the Intrusion Of women into the ministry Is
not only against the teaching OF Scripture and
the tradition OF centuries, but It Is the spelling OF
their great power Of teaching and influencing In
schools and classes a few at q time those whom
the very c~loseness and o~uistness and privacy
influence and AFFECT"
We think OF the preaching woman and
the dancing bear and hear the Great
Bear roaring his approval above the
roar of Fleet street or the full tide OF
existence" at Charing Cross, We can
hardly be as positive as he was, though.
Into how many employments new to
them when Bishop DoANE and we were
young, the women folks have made their
way. As he tells us:
" In the stress and strain. In the crush and pres.
sure OF our modern life. woman has eibowed her.
sell into certain kinds Of work in which she resem.
bles and rivals man."
"Elbowcd herself" is a thought less
generous than might have been expected
of so courtly a prelate az bishop DoANE,
but We respect the noble, natural irrita-
ton that hardly hides beneath it. The
eternal She has made her way into many;
and will she not make her way into
more? An uncomfortable feeling in the
conservative bosom answer yes. 1t 10