Omaha daily bee., 1912-02-03
TEDDY FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS
Former President Writes Article on
Subject for Magazine.
WOMEN SHOULD DECIDE ISSUE
Subject Comparatively Unimportant
when Compared with subject
o. Duties of Both Men
and Women.

NEW YORK. Feb. e-Theodore Roose-
Welt discusses ''Women's Rights; and the
Duties Of Both Men and Women" In an
editorial in the current issue Of The Out
iook. He says in part:
| Much. indeed, has America owed to
the fact that its two greatest men.
Washington and Lincoln. though they
did not neglect rights. we're even more
concerned with duties
4 believe In woman's rlghts. l be-
lieVe even more earnestly In the per-
Torrance OF duty By both men and
women: for unless the average man and
the average woman live lives Of duty, not
only our democracy. but civilization it.
self will perish, ! believe in equality OF
rights as between man and woman. but
also full and emphatic recognition OF
the fact that normally there cannot be
Identity Of functions. Indeed, there must
normally be complete disslmiliarity Of
function between them, and the effort to
ignore this potent fact is silly. | believe
In womans suffrage wherever the women
want II. Where they do not want II. TIE
suffrage should not be forced on them.
think that II would be we'll TO let the
women themselves. and only the women.
vote at some special election as 10
whether they do or do not wish 10 vote
as a permanent possession. In other
words, this Is peculiarly a case for the
referendum to those most directly az
fected-that Is, the women themselves
should be entirely content to abide the
decision, either way; though / do not
think that the damage prophesied from
womsn's voting would come. or has come
where il has been tried. also think
that very much less effect would be pro-
duced. one way or the other. than the
enthusiasts believe. In other words, I do
not regard the movement as anything
Ike as important as either its extreme
friends or extreme opponents think. 1t
is so much less important than many
other reforms that have never been
able to take very heated interest In IT,
-. Roast for suffr.Eettes.
IF the woman suffrage movement
were TO be judged only by those advocates
Of Il who dIscredlt themselves and their
sex by dlsorderly antics In public and
who assail the foundations Of private and
public morality In their endeavor, not 10
raise the sense of moral duty In men,
but to lower the sense OF moral duty in
women. | should certainly oppose the
movement But ! do not believe these I'M
desirable apostles are in any. way TO be
accepted as opponents Of the cause, and
call attention TO the fact that they are
prominent. not In the region where
woman suffrage does exist, but In re-
gions where IL does not exist.
Il pin my faith to woman suffraglsts
Of the type OF the late Julia Ward Howe.
Julia Ward Hove was one OF the fore
most citizens Of this republic; she rem
dered service TO the people such as few
men In any generation render; and yet
she did, first Of all. her full duty in the
Intimate home relations that must take
precedence Of all other relations
In our western states where the suf-
frage has been given to women. am un-
able TO see that any great difference has
been caused. as compared with neighbor-
Ing states OF similar social and Industrial
conditions. where women have not the
suffrage. Yet. what slight changes have
occurred have been for the better and
not for the worse.
Il most earnestly desire 20 emphasize
my feeling that the question OF woman
suffrage Is unlmportsnt compared to tho
great fundamental questions that go to
the root Of right conduct "a regards both
men and women. There should be equal
lty Of rights and duties. but not Identity
Of function, and with the man. as with
the woman, the prime duties are those
related to the home and the family.
The supreme Importance and high po-
sitIon OF the woman Of the type Of Julia
Ward Howe cannot be materially in
creased by the possession OF the ballot.
| am glad that the good. wise and brave
mother should have the ballot | am es-
pecially glad II It's possession will add to
the high dignity OF her position In the
eyes OF men. But cannot conceive OF
any mans now failing to hold such a
mother as more worthy OF respect than
any man. or than any other woman.
In the long run. and taken as whole.
men and women will SO up or 30 down
together. and all reforms OF first-class
Importance must look toward raising both
men and women to a higher level, alike
as regards the things Of tho body and
as regards the things OF the soul"