New-York tribune., 1912-11-20
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A NIGHTMARE
Suffragette Circles This Man-GoV
erned Globe and Finds Misery.


To the Editor OF The Tribune.
Sir: On Sunday read, with interest, the
dream OF an anti. and would like to reply
to her through your valuable paper.
also fell asleep and dreamed a dream, but
more In the nature of a nightmare. Not
having an airship I was forced to travel
in a more ordinary way. / also visited
many lands and found them very indii-
ferently governed by men.
In China l saw girl babies thrown into
the Ganges; in India. women burned allVe
in honor of their husbands and thousands
Of persons dying of famine. Although the
government knows that in the nature OF
the climate such horror must occur at
intervals, yet no proper provision Is made
to save the people from death. Then
visited my home land, England, and there
found hundreds OF women earning two
cents an hour, thousands of men earning
nothing, and children dying Of starvation.
i visited Mrs Bramwell Booths ma
ternity home, and there saw mother
twelve years old holding her sweet BABE
In her arms and giving him his hrst
lessons" The father OF the babe was
man voter and the girls stepfather. the
government gives no help in such case.
The mother goes, generally. as domestic
servant, the average wage for such being
81 25 a week. She must pay 81 % week
to have a nurse-mother take care OF ner
child. This is called baby farming, and
should any reader wish TO know more OF
this. let him read Ester Waters by q.
Moore.
Next, I passed through Chicago, ana
there found sixty thousand wives DESERT
ed by the fathers OF their children, VINO
had promised to Shield and guard ana
guide" them.
In the United States, at least, six thou
sand unfortunate women are murdered
annually by their paramours, and the
murderers 20 uncaught and unpunished.
Just before awakening from my night
mare / passed through the city Of New
York, and there. picking up a daily paper
! found these words by the Mayor, speak
ing Of unfortunate women OF the city:
These women are the high priestesses
Of the race; but for them the sacred pre-
cincts OF the home would be invaded. he
spoke of them in the same terms as are
generally used in speaking Of such women /!
as you gentle dreamer, the mothers OF
the race.
find no fault with that. as motherhood
must be as sacred in the one case as the I,
other; but | do object 10 a government
which does not see III 10 seclude men with
mania because it happens to be an
agreeable one to the person ooSessed. l |
suppose most maniacs are that, ana TINS |
one has very serious consequences 10 the |
community and the race. The lady dream !
er, in speaking of well brought up son. |
says. III women could raise such men .
they would not need to enter the oattIe .
OF life" Alas! All the bad men IN the .
world had mothers. and many OF them ,
good mothers, but the conditions outside (
the home are such that many men sue
cumb TO them.
And so, in my nightmare, the only solu-
tion / could see to this problem was Tor
women to buckle on their armor and 90 .
out and help clean up the world IL may
be dirty work, but who would not act as .
a necessary scavenSer il a street were so
unclcan as to pollute u neighborhood?
lust one word more, gentle dreamer,
and | have done. 1t is all very weh 10
take care Of your own home and children
but we have awakened to the fact that
the world is a larger home, and would
judge that the best mother would be the
woman with tho biggest heart. Even
among the animals many cases have been
known where the tenderness OF mother
hood has extended 10 the young OF a nat
ural enemy
Surely II is not enough 10 raise one child
with care and tenderness because II hap
pens to be yours. Many child genius
has been lost To the world for the want
of Just such care as the mother OF one or
two children could have given It, No,
gentle dreamer all the world Is our home
and in spite OF the natural egotism oi
mother, this same world is filled with
the dearest, brightest children needing
our care and as a means to an end our
rally call is Votes for women" Q. 5.
New York, Nov IS. 1912.