The Washington herald., 1912-02-03
WOMEN FROM ALL
OYER THE COUNTRY
Enter Herald's Discussion on the
Woman Movement.

Editors Note.-Here are further let
terH answering the statements made
n an article Publisked In this page last
tuesday on tsThe Price Woman Pays.5
shall be glad to hear from other
readers In reply to Mr.. Waters theory
that In every progressive stride woman
makes she loses more than she gains
AabdIeatInE her throne without good
cause, TO gain nothing worth WhiIe"-
he puts the matter.
Every reader of this page is cordially
invited to tell me II they can fnd any
( thing whatever in wOman's broader In
Serests that tend to make her less =
woman; Iess a capable wife, mother,
and home maker.
Names VIII not be pubIIShed when 80
requested.
PIense write on one side of the paper
only and n clearly as possible.
New York Letter.
Dear Mrs. MANI:
Show me the woman who would rather
have a good vote than a good voter, and
will take OF my hat, after using my
hatpins on the same woman, to the
writer Of that somewhat clever little arti-
Gle called THE Price Woman Pays"
published in this mornings edition OF
The Washington Herald. Also let the
woman who deepens her voice and
squares her shoulders when the word
home" IS mentioned come forth and
receive q hard blow upon the head. Why,
there are no such women in the world.
OF course We have our fanatical suf-
sraEettes and fanatical lady" preachers.
FanatIcism, produced by personal wrongs
of the wrongs OF a cause, is sexless. The
idea Of a woman striving after the mas
culine Is as absurd as the idea OF a man
~ ha n
= few limp-skirted, short-haired, too
plainly gowned freaks in petticoats; just
as we do see few lily fingered long
haired, too well groomed freaks in panta-
loons-freaks are everywhere! But the
average woman Of to-day-and this comes
from one who is heaving hard rocks on
the road Of progress-is the woman OF
yesterday and tomorrow; wistful. despite
her attainments; timid. despite her brav-
ado; feminine, despite her poses. How
prove the argument? Why, by the man
of to-day, who, on a certain glorious
day. comes into contact with the one
woman, and cries triumphantly, Why.
this is what I've been looking for! Here
she is-the oid-fsshioned. whipped-cream,
home-making ideal The vision Of my
b den soliloquies"
am snatching the time TO send you
these few lines because the questions
raised interest me and because 1 have
become very fond of The Washington
Head, as bright breezy paper.
Very truly yours,
GERTRUDE BROOKE HAMILTON.
G. West Forty-eighth ST.. New York City.
District wOmnn's Opinion.
The lack of all logic in the mind of
woman naturally makes it difficult to
understand Just what is troubling the
soul Of Mr.. Waters. as set forth in his
N.I = a
Price Woman Pays" One might sup
pose that he finds in the fuIIness OF his
experience that human life" exacts only
of woman a price; that II separates from
the human race one particular set of
individuals TO pay for what is had. And
just what he thinks is that prise, or just
what she is getting that is not worth
while, fails TO appear clearly in his
article. Whsn a man lays aside his
field glasses and retires to his den with
his cigar" there to discourse as fancy
wills upon 'disregarding natures scheme
and fioTting all human CUSTOM" small
wonder that ne should expect the results
TO be considered as the ''peregrinations
Of an overwrought mentality"
He does not tell US what throne woman
has sbdicated, nor what particular field
Of endeavor is not worth while. When
lie speaks of the suffrage movement and
repellant characters of fiction in the
same sentence and uses all the twaddle
Of the anti-suffragists, at the same time
accepting woman suffrage as a foregone
conclusion, one may be forgiven for fail
ing to see what 1t is all about
No Indication of UnmanlIness.
Because a woman thinks that the work
of her hands or her brain should be paid
for at the same valuation as similar work
by other hands or other brains or be-
cause she believes that a condition is
wrong which does not permit her to hold
a position where her particular experience
or fitness would yield a benefit to the
community, simply on the ground that
she has no vote, and because she works
to remedy that condition, does this indi-
cate in any way that she is not, or would
not be, an inspiring success in that high
est sphere as wife and mother in a home?
Families Not Neglected.
"Tk interest Of big-brained. big-hearted
women in the welfare of children besides
their own, and in the welfare Of other
women less fortunate in the lottery Of
life, certainly does not mean that their
. own families are neglected.
So many OF the noble, dignihed women
In the advance movements have already
reared families and have grandchildren
flocking about them in love and pride In
their achievements that TO connect this
= hlgheSt sphereF with only an opposition
TO woman's advancement seems ridicu-
loUs.
There are necessarily many women
without families and many "old maids
In such movement, but there always have
been old maids and always will be, and
because they are now making a life for
themselves where they can be independ-
ent of unwilling relatives and have some
interest and be Of some use in the world
" q rat r11,
about their trying to be like men.
The women Robert Chambers writes