The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1912-04-12
CONVINCING PLEA
FOR SUFFRAGISM
WestpOrt Equal Franchise League
Hears Mastery Presentation
of the Benefits of Won n
Suffrage

| AACoAo udStCIly IlCcCIltduOll
of the Benefits of WOm- n
Suffrage
Westport, April 12-At the meeting
of the Westport Equal Franchise Lea
que held at the home of Mrs. L. T.
Day two most interesting papers were
read. One, by Miss Gregory told of
her studies Of the Suffragist move
ment In England, and was a most in
teresting and instructive review of the
English situation, as seen by Miss
eougfry on ossn s9sr OF that
most convincing argument for woman
suffrage read by Mrs. Elfreda Whiting
Taylor. Mrs. Taylor presents her ar
guments In q remarkably clear and
concise manner, and In worth printing
here for the benefit of those who are
not yet of the opinion of the Suffra-
gette. Mrs. Taylor's address follows
| in full:
| One Of our great reformers says:
/ I'VE have something more to do than
to live up to our ideals. We have to
illumine and improve them continu-
| ally as we gain new light, and in so
far as we are moral. and believers in
| the progressive enrichment Of life, we
! are obligated to illumine and improve
the ideals of others This Is the race
that is set before us. but we do not
run this race of life with the feet. We
run it With the heart and brain. II
, we care for our fellows and their de-
velopment, If the fate of the unfor-
| tunate cries out unto us. in patriotism
and hope for our native land hold any
appeal; If injustice rankles; if oppor-
tunity beckons-then we, the women
of this day and hour. must heed the
fn q rms hic "a q n q q
to war, but call to arm ourselves
with high thought. warm sympathy,
clear vision, deep sense of our woman
ly responsibilities and a knowledge Of
our power and how to use it.
Miss Ida Tarbell is right in her
facts, but she is wrong in the con-
illusions drawn from them. Women
have lost much in the progressive So
cial life, in the struggle for freedom.
They have lost in many cases val
liable breadth of experience, but the
gain to them and to the world far out
weighs the loss. In the evolution Of
life this advance was bound to come.
All nations all individuals, must eth
er go forward or retrograde, and In
all progress there is change. Now
that life Is so different for the mod
ern woman from that of our grand
mothers,-and who would go back to
those days,-we must use 1t we'll;
must turn everything to account. like
thrifty housewives; must harbor and
nurture the good; force back the evil;
purify the unclean; make stepping
stones of our dead selves-as class
which seems to be set for us by des-
tiny. Such the fate or glory Of her
who has ever been the moral force OF
the ageS,-woman.
Martin Luther. Rousseau, and many
noted fathers of ancient days, taught
~ @I to
ton in woman. but history, fact, ex-
perience, life are greater than any man
or many men, and the cause Of right
eousness is sweeping on over their
graves, Just as they would have had
it do. as to result. but very different
in method from anything their finite
minds could possibly foresee. Certain
prophets and seers have had this Wis
ion of woman in the full possession OF
her rights, and have foretold it to
scoffing world. Jesus held the high
attitude toward woman which was SO
aside the unnatural dogmas of his
time. In the age of Pericles, the
great Athenian statesman, this sub
ject was first preached as of real i'm
portance, and who knows but that an
other Golden Age" may be dawning,
to it's full measure of power, and wo-
man shall take lawful hand in the
solution of the great problems of our
new civi1iza ton?
When any one says "Yon think yo',
women would purify politics?' tell
him this, 1--WE have no cut-and-dried
plans Of that sort as yet. We make
no boasts of what we can do. But
we wish to instill into every mind the
new virtue of representing the whole
people, 1t is something demanded by
the ideal principle. 1t may be the
of our Industrial civilization. 1T is a
heroic STEP says one of our strong
men advocates, land we can and
should take this step hand in hand
with nature and progress in the evo-
luton Of a great and symmetrical
race"
One Of the hardest things for us
women, to meet is the gibe and ieer O.
our own respected but unconvinced
friends. If someone argues that it
viii. ruin our homes and mar the beau
ty Of our motherhood, tell him that
edge of civics and politics to keep up
with and hold firm and intelligent
hand upon her growing sons. Tel |
him that what the youths of the day |
need is mothers who, with hearts and
heads alert. can guide and instruct |
honor and patriotism-they have no
other guardian angels who will do
this. One of our great writers and
agitators says warmly: Are moth |
ers, who hold such a sway over COM !
Ing generations, to remain lacking In
public spirit; to know almost moth |
ing of civic matters to be kept in an !,
invalid state of remoteness from gen. |
ufne life? Are the mothers of our |
youth only to suckle them, or are they |
to educate and develop them into eff |
icient men of affairs?" What kind of |
race shall we have if mothers pro-
pei their sons with ignorant admoni- !
tons from their doors to enter upon |
life's responsibilities? A million young |
lives wrecked at the off-go bear rec
ord to the failure Of that method. One |
Of our best thinkers and teachers of |
young men says, that the greatest |
thing he can think of for the moth |
ers Of posterity is a little of the |
rough sagacity and humor of public |
affairs.
When we have made matrimony syh- |
onymous with a high and equal COM
radeship, we shall have done the one |
thing which can rescue the families |
of our communities from the totter- |
ing position which they hold. Di- |
vorces will then be less frequent. |
Homes will be on a firm and sure |
foundation. The differences of opin-
ion, which will always occur in any |
family, will then be of some moment, |
and will be solved in a just and bust |
neSslike manner because the woman |
will now be Undetermined and train |
ed by the discussion of major matters. |
n hir7ly mo