Newark post., 1912-10-09
Churches And
Woman Suffrage
Editor The Post:

Mrs. Frederick ID. Ches-
ter takes exceptions, in her article in
THE POST for October I'd, to two
two statements of mine and speaks OF
something, presumably the church, as
my fhvorite antipathy'. The state
ments of mine she quotes are, as she
quotes them SO As to what are under
stood as women s rights one reason why
Il woman may not have hand in direc-
Jug the popular education is that a
large proportion of the clergy oppose
votes for women by instinct. He
tells us Furthermore, that submission on
the part of women is the cornerstone of
ecclesiastical domination.
As to my "favorite antipathy,' the
phrase is Il clever attempt to make 1T
appear that | am fighting the church
when in reality | am fighting the efforts
of the people in the church who ard
using their church positions and influence
to hold back the progress of education,
to cause women to submit to the domina-
ton of male ecc!esiastics who seek to
make the masses contented instead of
prosperous and to usurp the power and
functions of the state. Any influence,
whether in or out of the church which
promotes the coming of the 'second
birth to souls, and helps forward
those interests of humanity for which
Christ died, has my profound regard and
my cooperation as far as | can render
it. But | am under no obligations to
submit to the opinion of any man SIM
ply because he is a priest or clergyman,
nor to any body Of men. The law of
God within me and the laws of man.
which are made by common consent,
alone are worthy of regard.
As to the opposition, by instinct, of
the clergy to votes for women, Mrs.
Chester has brought forward not the
slightest proof that | am wrong.
She quotes Archbishop Riordan Of Cal
ifOrnia, at length, to show that that gem
tIeman, having seen the women gain their
battle for the ballot, has instructed the
women of the Catholic Church there to
vote. Mhs. Chester says he does this
because woman suffrage there is "an
accomplished fact Undoubtedly she
is right. But the letter of the Archbish-
is favorable to votes for women than is
the lucking of the heads of passengers
on a canal boat, when they come to a
low bridge, proof that they approve Of
low bridges. To urge Catholic women to
vote when the attempt to stop their vot-
ing has failed, and when the church in
terests may need their votes, is simply
making the most of a situation which
may or may not be to the mind of a
church ruler. That the clergy are op-
posed, as "A rule, by instinct, to votes
for women is fact. The Catholic
clergy are not, however, all the clergy,
and | did not have them in mind espec-
tally when | wrote That a California
Archbishop has accepted situation
proves nothing. That Cardinal Gibbons
stated, only two or three weeks ago
that he believed that to give women the
ballot would be to increase the divorce
evil, and that even Mrs. Chester has, in
these columns, if my memory is not in
error, advocated the 'home' type of
women as against the alleged type of
woman wanting the ballot, are two re-
cent incidents which are worthy of pass
ing mention. If the church leaders as
II rule are in favor of liberty, of politi-
cal power, and of votes for women, of
course we soon shall hear more about it
The approval which she alleges in Calf.
ornia we shall of course soon see shin
ing. forth in Delaware.
Mrs. Chester, without warrant in fact
accuses me of having said that the sub
mission of women is a dogma of the
Catholic Church. ! never said or thought
it, or implied it. | said that the
submission of women is the cornerstone
of ecclesiastical domination, which is 8
very different thing from saying it is 8
dogma or Sin the Catechism. 1t is
not "A dogma, it is a fact, and many
fact is not written officially in the Cath
ollie or other organizations The doc
trine of witchcraft was not in the churcf
catechisms or required teachings of ths
church people of Salem who hung witches
nor was the doctrine of burning here
ties in Calvin S creed or in the required
courses of instruction Of the church tC
which the directors of the Holy Inqui
sition belonged, but the witches and the
heretics were hung or burned alive just
the same. 1t is often convenient tC
leave to unofficial action the opposition
to the public schools, the opposition tC
popular movements for the increase OF
wages for wage earners, the opposition
to the progress of science and to new
truth which men in various organization
nractca in their desire for power wealth