The Ocala evening star., 1911-05-24
SENSIBLE TALK
TO THE sUFFRAGETTEs

Life which imparts an immense
amount of common sense in the form
of apparentIy trivial talk, has the 1Ol-
lowing to say of the suffragette par
ade in New York recently and some OF
the lessons to be drawn therefrom:
"The suffragist ladies had beauti- |
full parade Up in the fifties on Fttth |
avenue before it started it was like an |
afternoon reception. Lots OF ladies'
mostly white. but some colored; pan
ners of beauty, and other banners with
edifying announcements on them; as
good a line Of spring hats as has been
shown this year, and all styles ana
sizes of interesting women in great
variety of attire!
The shock was less than we expect
ed After ALL as some one has sald'
there Is no violent difference between
some suffragists walking on the side
walk and the same suffragists walk
ing down the middle of the street. 1he
mere fact of women in the mass cannot
scare ANYBODY who Is used to New
York There were three or four thou-
sand women in the parade, which Is
about the number that one sees IN
subway train coming uptown at SIX
o'clock, but the women in the parade
were incomparably a better sight than
the women on the subway tram. 10
come uptown on a six O'Clock SUBWAY
train Is to be Mortified at the way the
futtering masses of girls are jammed
into the cars. If you want 10 De ap-
nailed go and see that. But there was
nothing appalling about the sufragIst
parade: plenty of room for every lady;
the pavement very clean; the cops on
horseback riding ahead; the bands
playing Don't Get Gay with the
Girls; the crowds attentive, appre-
ciative and smiling; everybody polite
and admiring. 1t is many a day since
mile of marchers have been so much
admired in New York.
1t was Just another proof of the en-
tire freedom of American women. II
there is any door they wish to oper
they have only to turn the handle
Nothing is locked up from them a:
evidence of public respect for women
the parade was great success ah'
worth doing. Its bearing on the sui
frage was not so clear. Those hand
some ladies did not seem like an op
pressed class protesting against denia
of their rights. They semed much
more like the proprietors of the towr
out to give their dependents benefit
Now, then to get back to the eterna
yerities about votes for women.
Heretofore the man has usually bull
the house. and he and the woman haV
lived in it.
Life Is not a detail of government
but government is a detail of life. i
maintain government is like keeping
roof overhead under which life ca
go on The life that is to go on unde
that roof is for the most part in tn
hands of woman. Is it necessary, a
the suffragists marched to persuade Il:
that with her own hands woman mus
build and maintain this house sh
lives in?
If there is a male job it is the jo
of the structural ironworkers. Their
is no sign of any invasion of that 90
cupation by women. The office bullo
ing may be full OF women clerks an
typewriters, a woman may have plaI
ned the Arrangement of its rooms, an
women may spend its rents, but II
building is man built, and stands
virtue of the brains and brute force
man.
And so stands political governmen
1t shelters woman. Inside OF its fran
all their activities proceed. In /
form, and in the alterations that a