Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1910-05-13
Notes aHad
Comment
or Interest to Women Readers
eRowrA OF WOMAN suFfRAoE.
Mr.. George Allan England Asserts
that the Movement ls Always
Galnlnn Ground.


that the Movement Is Always
Gaining Ground.
In a very striking article entitled
"The Lesven Of Woman Suffrage
Around the World" published in Lip
pincott's, Mr.. George Allan England
says:
"The average American seems to
have hardly more idea about the mag.
nitude of this wave elsewhere than
he has about the mountains on the
moon. perhaps not 80 much. For any
good telescope viii show those noun
tains plainly, whereas the capitalist
press as a rule very carefully sup
presses or distorts and ridicules the
news in re woman suffrage abroad.
The limit of knowledge of the average
man barely exceeds this: that here at
home We have four States where uni
yersal suffrage prevails, that there are
vigorous demonstrations now taking
place in England, and that women
vote in New England Beyond this.
his information is not likely to 60 al
though his facile criticism and ridi-
cule might indicate broader scope.
"As a matter Of plain fact. that is
not half the story. So rapid is lie
advance Of the suffrage wave else
where than IN free America chival.
rous America, that almost before ona
can record 1t in cold type some othc'
new development turns up. Let ui
lust take a brief birds eye survey OF
the situation as nearly up-to-date ss
we can bring It
New Zealand, OF course. we all
know about, where women meet men
on terms of entire political equality
at the polls, and where their influence
has been so salutory.
Australia has not Jagged far he
hind. AS far back as 1902 the SO
called Federated States granted ful
national suffrage to women. Last No
vember even the somewhat backward
State Of Victoria ceded. All the WON
en- of Federated Australia therefore
now enjoy full municipal, state, and
national suffrage.
so, too. the activity IN Finland,
whore the suffrage was gained only
three short years ago. yet where the
powers Of evil are already trembling
In their boots.
conservative England some years
sgo here and there granted the muni-
clpal suffrage to varying extent,
and no observer today doubts very
seriously that the parliamentary suf-
rage is almost at hand. The project.
ed 'bet-othal boycott and marriage
strike ought certainly to have some
weight with perhdious Albion, II
nothing else Will
Denmark succumbed last year to
the demand for municipal suffrage. At
the Copenhagen elections in March
the women took an active part in the
fight. at least a third Of the votes be
ing cast by them. According to otfi,
cial statistics the election returned
9,682 male councillors and 127 won.
en- ones. The battle is still on there
In true Valkyrie style.
Sweden has already capitulated
The Riksdag has recently passed q
bill which enables all the inhabitants
of the country, over twenty-four years
of age, to vote. So the unlimited won,
an suffrage is there already an estab
lished fact.
In Germany womankind seems tC
be under a ban, so far as Old-party
politics are concerned; but neverthe
less they are in great numbers adheT
ents of the Social-Democracy there
Once this militant party attains the
power which now 1t is reaching Out
for, to the CONSERVATION Of Conserva
ton, its women can at once turn theil
activities from revolutionary party
politics to national affairs.
I'm Russia, Cuba, Spain. Japan
even Turkey. the agitation is going OF
vigorously. Iceland has 1t, too
and in no passive form at that The
suffrage movement is always gaining
ground, never permanently losing. Its
outcome is, to my mind at least, posi-
lively certain. AS women are forced
out into commercial and industrial
pursuits. and are obliged by the grow
ing power of Industrialism to abandon
the home, that sphere of woman n,
other possible outcome can resul
than just this Highland the winning
of the fight Behind 1t are powerful
economic reasons; and economic de
terminism. though It grind as slowl,
as the mills Of the gods, always grindi
exceedingly small"