The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-03-23
THE STARS INCLINE, BUT DO NOT COM
PEI

A deeper, mora scholarly. enlightening or hui
Harvey. editor of Harpers Weekly and the North
American Review. before the Equal Suffrage
League, at the Jefferson Hotel has not reen
heard In Richmond in recent times, II was
delight and a treat which will live long IN The
minds Of those who heard it.
For more than an hour Editor Harvey enter
tanned and instructed a large audience whose
hriiliance Of personnel has not been surpassed
here in many years. lie charmed with his wit
He fascinated with his faultless dictioL and
choice OF words. He inspired with his purity Of
speech. He kept his auditors in constant tit
ter OF laughter with his ironcal and EaTdonic
utterances. His satire vas supreme. Into the
deepest lahyrinths Of the most sound logic and
reasoning he led his hearers to land them on the
summit Of the heights Of derison and mirth One
moment he provoked an uproar of laughter with
a single phrase, gesture or injection ot his
voice and the next he moistened eyes and caused
hearts TO culver In by his human interest
word pictures. Truly Editor Harveys is most
dunitably he is q more ardent and resourceful
believer in the right OF women to vote in this
country than a majority OF feminine workers for
the cause.
But there was one great fault about Editor
Harveys address. II couched In the defen
sive from beginning 10 end We do not under
stand that the agitation for woman suffrage In
America is defensive On the con.
trary, II has proven itself here and in England
to be most aggressiyely militant and militant.
iy aggressive movement. Sobs and tears are
not of it's concomitants. ..r
With abou, as fine ridicule and Unexplained
scorn as the human mind In capable OF master
ing Editor Harvey attempted TO batter down a
few OF the more illogical and least tenable obiec-
tons to womans suffrage, With his keen ra-
pier OF logic he made Holy Writ look like a
sieve. With Infinite Jest and humor he essayed
10 break down the objections to womans suf
frage raised by Henry CIews. the banker. ed
ftor Harvey thinks Mr.. Ciews conclusions wor
thy of no better answer, no reasoning. no
more logic and application OF thought and mind
than 10 be characterized catseyes, pearls
opals turouoises. rubies. and other precious
stones. in a satirical way. We're Mr.. Clews as
staunoh an opponent to womans suffrage ed
itor Harvey is an advocate. he might style the
latters address as a diamond OF the rarest purity
and luster, and let II go at that
But why pick out flaws in address which
was as genuine a treat as would care 10 hear
during a lifetime?
Editor Harvey is loyal and brilliant cham
pion of woman's suffrage, and this paper opposes
it because IT does not believe majority of the
women of this State want it The OF
States may crave to go to the polls and
stand In line with abandoned women and socia
omtcasts, which Editor Harvey approves. but We
do not believe such is d fact In Virginia, Mr.
Harvey believes women should be given the right
of suffrage because a great many men who enjoy
this privilege physically incapable of bearing
arms ar are women. This does not mean that we
should add more ineompetents. but that We
should weed out those already on the poll books
We have been wonderously entertained and
amused by Editor Harvey. but have not been
convinced that the women of Virginia want the
right to vote. Except where he elected to be
humorous. either because he was in the mood or
because the arguments against woman's suffrage
were unanswerabe, Editor Harvey was most
colby and precisely logical, That Is one of the
troubles with the woman's suffrage movement
it is too logical. Even after one has heard the
logical arguments in it's favor. and his mind is
all bat convinced, his heart and soul rebel.
However. If We are to have our Bible riddled.
rdiculed and derided, aud The writer's OF Holy
Writ styled hctionists far behind the times, II
we oppose womans suffrage. wish to state
that We are willing 10 join the ranks OF the suf.
sragettes, not because believe in their move;
ment. but 10 save the foundation stone OF civil.
izstiop.