The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-06-17
SHE QUOTED BIBLE
Proved Women Had Right to
Earn Own Living.
Barr Barnhill Equal Suffrage
Debate Exciting.
PRIESTS CAST VOTE.
Mr.. RarnhiIl Feared This From
WOmen's Voting.
Ballot For Women Because
''They Are Human.

"Who can find a virtuous woman
for her price is far above rubies
The heart of her husband doth safely
confide in her. so that he shall have
no need of spoil
(He has no need to attack and plum
der the Amorites, the Zebuzites, the
Hittites because his wife supports
him)
"She will do him good and not evil
all the days of her life She seeketh
wool and flax and worketh willingly
with her hands"
(So1omon's ideal woman was man.
ufacturer.)
"She is like the merchants ships,
she bringeth her food from afar- she
meat to her household and a portion
to her maidens."
(Solomon's ideal woman was good
provider.)
"she considereth field and buyeth
it, with the fruit of her hands she
planteth a vineyard"
(She was a business woman and
farmer, tiller of the soil.1
.sShe girdeth her loins with strength
and strengtheneth her arms"
(She was an athlete.9
''She perceiveth that her merchan-
disc is good; her candle goeth not out
by night
(She is a shrewd buyer.)
"She layeth her hand to the spindle
and her hands hold the diStaff. She
stretcheth out her hand to the poor;
yea. she reacheth forth her hands to
| the needy
(She was doing the work of the
women's clubs.)
"She is not afraid of the snow Tor
| her household, for all her household
are clothed in scarlet. She maketh
herself coverings of tapestry; her
| clothing is silk and purple q.
(She was a good dressero
| Her husband is known in the gates
| Gas Mrs SO and Sos husband); he sit
teth among the elders of the land (dls-
| cusses city politics, etc, probably be-
| longed to the committee of fifty).
"She makcth fine linen and selleth
it and delivereth girdles into the mer-
/ chant
| (She is a saleslady. iobber and re-
taller. as well as a manufacturer.1
| proverbs 31:1O-24. Quoted and
annotated bv Miss Elizabeth N. Barr
at the equal suffrage debate at the
Y. M C. A. last night.
Ladies and gentlemen, l take great
| pleasure in announcing that we, the
| Jury, have decided unanimously IN
| favor of the affirmative"
| In these words, Mrs. w. W. Kitch-
ell, foreman of the jury which decided
the Barr-BarnhilI equal suffrage de-
bate, held at the Y. NJ. c. A. last night,
announced the verdict in favor of Miss
Elizabeth N. Barr, ediloI VI Clle Ciu y
| Member" or the weekly Current
| Topics to be. Her opponent was j.
B. Barnhill, a chautauqua platform
lecturer, who had debated with sew
| eral prominent men on various topics.
Miss Barr held that women should
vote because she was a separate hui
man being. and a person; that the bal
lot would develop and strengthen her
character. She followed by showing
| how suffrage to women would give the
oI,o IN Nrnfprf
dren and women property owners the
opportunity to protect their property.
In this connection she showed now
that as taxpayers, the women were
propositions was taht as wage earners
and business people who run and own
their own business they should be
given the ballot, and that because
women were all members OF a soc1ai
organization which is governed by
! votes. they should be enfranchised.
. In presenting these arguments and
in the rebuttal, Miss Barr showed re-
markable ability to held her own. In
/ we'll delivered, concise statements, she
handed out interesting forcible and
: convincing dope" on her side of the
) question. She replied to her oppo-
nent with such wit that the audience
was convulsed with laughter-and
even the men felt the truth of her
, answers Among other things, she
quoted Solomon, Proverbs XXI 1924
to show that women had a right to
2 earn their own living and added much
t humor to the reference by local mod
ern applications of the text.
= In rebuttal, referring to Mr.. Barn
= hill, who is a bachelor, and his argu.
2 ment that suffrage for women would
keep them from marrying and thus
!, cause race suicide, she said:
"On account of fanaticism, here is
a man who has passed middle age
without being married, and then get:
up a terrible sweat for fear the worle
s will be depopulated-" Here she wa
interrupted by roars of laughter anC
applause.
t According to Mr.. Barnhill, MAJ
and woman should be one and tina
. one should be man. Then she wa
> stopped by applause from both mel
: and women, but when the claps hat
subsidized she continued: TT woult
/. thus appear that there wouldn't b.
| harmony unless the man had his owl
: way Again came a burst of laugh
After a moment she resumed: IN
opponent says that when people be
come wise and Christian wome1
| to wait I think it will be long job.
And Mr.. Barnhil1 proved that h
was man of mo mean learning Hi
| main argument was that women's suf
| frage StirS up antagonism at the fam1l
l. Preside. He also claimed that WON
| ems suffrage would tend to turn tn
women from marriage and thus rae
| suicide would finally follow. In add
d ton he said that when women vote
y their interest would be taken ava
y from the home, and that to attain sue
is cess in homemaking, as well as any
IS thing else, great concentration on tn
y vocation was necessary.
l. To illustrate this point he said: s.
d ST. Louis reporter asked Caruso, tn
a Italian tenor, what he thought of tn
Is politics of America-it's strange whs
" fool questions will come into re
s. porter's head-and the man replied
Z am singer and not politician. 7
Is attain success. I must concentrate m
= attention on my music.
T. Fn1InWinR. Mr Barnhiu elonuentl