The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-05-01

feet?"
Club women feel 1t their right and
duty to strive to broaden themselves
In every way and grapple with the
great issues Of life.
This Is the year Of the Mendelssohn
centennial and We are reviving his me-
lodious strains in his "Leider ohm
worter" and giving his great oratorios
and beautiful songs. 1t is german to
woman's desire for mental improve
ment and pride In parity with mans
attainment to know that many of
these songs were written by Fannie,
his sister who concealed her name for
fear of being considered a creature
not truly feminine. a composer of
music.
Club women are not yet united on
the burning question of woman suf-
frage. Many tremble at the thought
OF the jostling Of the rude, gaping
crowd and mixing with the rough rab-
bic to cast the small thin slip, the ex-
ponent of their feelings on some vital
question. We can not expect this
change Of sentiment to come sudden
iy. Women must be gradually edu-
Gated to believe In the right of the
ballot. but when we think how many
things attract and interest a woman,
over which she has no control, always
working indirectly. through the vote
OF man and to her great disadvan-
tage. we must believe that time will
come when q woman will feel she
must vote herself, satisfied no longer,
to be perhaps. an unseen power, con-
trolling men and measures. We do
not wish to enroll ourselves with tie
suffragettes Of any land padlocking
themselves In iron ratings, breaking
front windows In the houses of cabi-
net ministers and behaving In q gen.
orally Illogical manner but there are
times and occasions when 1t would
seem the most logical course of ac-
tion for q woman to vote according to
her own convictions.
Thomas Hughes once said, 'Can not
\ woman feel the wrongs that are go
Ing on In the world? Can not she
long to set them right and pray that
she may do SO? Women are not
meant to sit only In fine silks and look
pretty and spend money any more
han men are meant to make It, and
cry. "Peace when there IL no peace"
soon as all women are educated
equally with men and go out into the
world to work. It will be impossible to
bar them an equal share In the rights
and responsibilities Of life. ''rhe ma
|ority Of self-supporting women" says
Mrs. Clarence Mackey. the great advo-
cate ow woman's suffrage, one Of the
richest Of the leisure class and most
for the improvement of
her sex. want the vote because Of
their welfare and the welfare of~their
Now is the opportunity for
the woman OF leisure to devote her
energies to working with her sex.
proving that she stands beside the
workers, ready to give her energy to
q cause which unites all women upon
a common ground. because they are
women and for the sake of their wo-
manhood" In Mrs. Mackay's journey
in the west. passing through Salt Lake
City. one Of the few places where wo-
men vote, she asked the cab-driver II
he would like to go back to the time.
when women had no ballot there. He
promptly replied. Never. Our streets
were never so clean, till women vot-
ed" It does seem most remarkable
that woman may be a queen. a may
or an alderman, that she may fill al
most any ONCE or position and yet,
she may not soil her dainty fingers
with the corrupting, all powerful tiny
paper yclept a vote. though she may
gain vote for some cause dear to her
heart by kissing butcher as did the
beautiful Georgiana, Duchess of Dew
onshire In the famous Fox campaign.
Fellow club women do ask you to
claim the right Of franchise. I only
speak Of 1t. as one of the great ques-
tions Of the day. now exciting so tre-
mendously our northern sisters, and
still more so our calm. proud. dig
nified mothers Of England.
I may remark EN- passant, that at
the Episcopal Council to be held
shortly. at Spantarbug. the question of
womans right to vote in church af-
fairs, In which she is so deeply inter-
ested in to be agitated. and discussed d
at length.
1t Is delightful to be with you in