The Washington herald., 1912-06-12
STRONG MINDS BACK
or WOMAN SUFFRAGE
Cause Is Misjudged by Militant
Woman Of Small Influence, =
d. FRANcEs sHAFFER.

OF course men who count Il worth while
and OF interest to note the progress Of
suffrage understand the attitude Of wom-
en- who are working to achieve that end.
They appreciate that women do not look
upon men as standing at the door where
the franchise is kept, vigorously barring
them out on the plea OF 'unfitness' or
mental inferiority.
But, you know, there are many others
who do not bother TO reach any further
than the observation that suffragists are
a militant lot, too greatly concerned with
their natural enemy" man. Their wom-
en- folk are sensible, 'shome-loving
hearts, but those others have evolved
strange notions, conspicuously the belief
that men are shutting them away from
all the good things the gods would be-
stow, IL allowed to.
Now, women, those who are to be recl-
oned with, even the most answering en-
thusiasts, have better appreciation and
keener perceptions than to be animated
by such narrow notions. Those who for
many years have talked and worked for
onfranchisement and those others just
approaching It, want it understood that
in their exclusion from the polls they
see no deliberate animus.
Women Echo Negative.
OF course, women know that with men
rests the power to say yea or nay TO their
appeals for the ballot, but they also rec
ognize in their disfranchisement a nat
ural product OF what they are pleased to
call unnatural conditions
They hear men say no." but they
also hear women echo the sharp little
negative, and so they guess at what may
be back Of 1t. They know that changes
come slowly, that the world is likely to
smile and turn away when asked to
grant something that implies upheavsl
Of ways grown easy and comfortable.
And so they do not permit themselves
to see anything personal in long-contin-
ued refusals
All that comes to them in the way OF
adverse criticism from men they find pro-
ceeding in as straight a course from
women, 50 why should they feel that It
anything more than q result TO be ex-
pected2
But they would like the man-world
&c understand that they cherish no re-
sentiment and take it as quite the natural
thing, all things considered.
Those in Foreground.
But there is one thing which they wish
all men would thoroughly appreciate,
those who look at the suffrage issue
long enough to understand what It is
all about and those who do not much
care.
And that one thing is the fact that
women who are in the foreground asking
for enfranchisement are endowed with
good minds, clear-cut and logical. When
they speak in public they speak convinc-
ingly and persuasively, relying upon logic
and facts rather than upon rhetoric or
the flowers OF fancy; and when they
write, there is the assurance that a
trained mind is back of every word.
That there are women OF smaller
intellectually who follow, Is no COM
ment, because the world IS not made
up OF the highly intellectual, and all
grades are in the ranks Of every
movement. But the quality of leader
ship, the manner OF delivering the
message and the mental caliber in
volved-all these tell an interesting and
an enlightening story to those who will
hear IL.
And one fancies those working suf-
fragists must wish all men to under
stand, as some do, that they have lost
nothing Of femininity and gained nothing
OF acerbity; have used their talent and
power, but have not grown masculine
in-the process.
They must wish it understood that
dignity. graciousness, and that wonder
full endowment constituting a wOman's
dream OF dreams, charms, fall at the
feet Of the active suffragist to-day Just
as they did at the feet of Susan B. An
thony and the little coterie OF women
who worked with her and at last came
into their own, recognized, when about
ready to close their life work, as
'womanly'' and lovable in measure full
and unusual