The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-01-31
Pr 1T Y WOMEN
CAN'T GET OFFICE
Mrs. Gilman Says There's No
Danger Of Charming 1rrcspon-
sibles Being Elected.
PAST STAGE OF ARGUMENT
Author Contends Women Have
Demonstrated Good Use OF
Ballot.

1t is sufficient in these days for a
lecturer TO say that woman's Suffrage
is not q dcbataDle question, but an cs-
tablished fact. and then to take her
the stage OF argument. So said Mrs.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman. OF New
York. author, publisher. leader in adj
vanccd thinking, before the Equal Suf-
fragc League CT Virginia at the Me-
chanics' Institute last night. Ok
Numerous CONGRATULATIONS made
the crowd not so large as is usual in
n good-sized audience was present.
There was quite a sprinkling OF posi-
BILE converts of the male persuasion.
Mrs. Gilmar's presence and address
at once disabuses the mind of her hear
crs from any thought OF militant ad-
vocacy of woman's rights. She is gen
tie. quiet OF speech. chary of gesture,
and does not raise her voice above an
ordinary conversational tone. And yet
all through her argument runs a vein
OF that strength which has made her
one Of the foremost tinker OF the
age.
| I'll ea"s IL. a ihSSultS Arc SItONn. ..r#
Instead Of specializing about what
women would do IL they had the ballot,
Mrs. Gilman said writer's should look
TO sec what they have done. She told
of the process of voting in Wyoming
and in Colorado, where she said every
thing was as pleasant for n woman as
when she goes TO pay her taxes. She
thought those who study the question
should look at the facts. such as given
by Miss Mary Johnston in a recent ar
ticlc in The Timcs-Dispatch.
Miss Johnston introduced the speak
er. She made the point that nothing
exists in civilized life but was oncc q
narrow thought. Agriculture, print
ing. exploration. all had small be-
ginnings. And these things, She said,
have always been combated.
There has ever been Il feeling, said
Miss Johnston. that because a ta.lg,
is new 1t must be dangerous. She
ended by saying that the whole wo-
mans movement is designed to de-
velop a beautiful mother OF a beauti-
full race.
Wnninn's Public Position.
Mrs. Gilman began by tracing the
position of women through me vary
ing forms of government. Among
Northern peoples, as the Anglo
S%aNons, woman has always been free.
There rave been women despots as
= 80 49, $500 ih'il ''sl olS.e alil -
woman had her share in absolute gov
ernments. Then in a reign of aris-
tocracy there have been ducicsscs and
countesses who had their position win
that of their husbands. Only in
democracies. she said. have women
been entirely under the dominion OF
men.
The theory that woman must stay IN
Il sphere set apart, she said, was based
on the idea of personal relationship to
man. She commended that outside OF
the spheres of father and husband and
wife and mother, there is the larger
portion of life-thc human portion, in
which men and women should be equal.
So when we study sheep. she argued,
we study them as regards their Wool
or their mutton or their stupidity. nul
AS to their ramishness and eweish-
ness.
1t is not intended. she continued.
that women shall trcspass on mans
sphere, but that she shall enter into
the human sphere. There Is, however,
one attribute in which women have
trespassed on mans sphere, and that Is
personal adornment. Womankind is
the only feminine creature in all crea-
ton which adorns itself. the male
doing this in all animal lie.
Inherited Feeling.
There is an inherited feeling" said
Mrs. Gilman, against woman's use OF
the ballot. Argument cannot affect it.
for IT will not change feelings. You
may argue and argue, but 1t Is like
pouring water into a sink. Our minds
are made UP in layers Of what our
ancestors did.
but this feeling is changing. one
cause is the advent of women into the
professions. y Chicago packer said
one woman ought to be allowed to
vote because she raised hogs success
fully. That is a part of human work
one woman said to me that she ought
TO be given the ballot because she
raises children. but that does not fol-
low. that is her sphere. All females
In life raise their Dung.
Older suffraEettes have not quite
touched the right 50 far as
appealing to women is concerned. Wo.
men do not care especially about their
rights and liberties. They care about
their duties. You can react: women
when you tell them that they need tho
ballot to help them do their duty.
Tho use of tho ballot gives women
more sense. 1t cnlarges their hort
zon-enhances their COMPREHENSIVE
with men,"
Can't Keep Boys mt Home.
incidentally Mrs. Gilman referred to
the pathetic efforts to keep the boys
at home" You can't do IT, she said
IF you did keep them at home Won
would check the advance Of civiIiza-
ton"
Politics she defined as working for
better things in government. The
noise and disturbance Of political con-
tests are not politics, but are Just the
ultra masculine ways of doing things.
The vote Of a man, she argued, IS east
more in the interest of his labor than
In the interest of his children. Whor-
ever women advocate bills they are
for social bettcrmcnt, for pub]ic health
or public safety.
Mrs. Gilman scored one III regard to
women holding office, by saving that
no pretty, charming Irresponsible
creature wouii be elected by the votes