The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-05-08

man says he loves God and hates his .
brother, he is a liar"
The Suffrage Parade in New York
1t was a great parade, and impress
sive, whether the number OF march
ers was 10000, as some estimates
made it, or the 10000 or so that the I
skeptcal counted The actual num-
Der matters less than the earnestness
shown and the admirable discipline
of the cohorts Remember that ms
is for law and order" was one OF the
last iniunctions issued, and the quiet
seriousness of the marching column
was notable. Fortunately among the
suffragists in this country there mas
appeared nothing of that reckless
spirit which has been shown by a
minority in England, and which caus-
ed temporary boom, followed by
reaction. Such a parade as that OF
Saturday is a far better advertise
ment for the cause than If every WIN
dow in Fifth avenue had been broken.
There is every reason why the SUI
frage workers should learn to be pa
tient, even if delay is irritating and
discouraging The present drift Is
strongly in their direction, and the
force of a serious well controlled
movement is bound to be cumulative.
Moeover,. the time spent in win
ming this initial victory is by no
means wasted, for it is political ed
ucation of a good sort, and will in
crease the value of suffrage when ii
is granted.
On general principles, and disre-
garding the entirely natural desire OF
! those now in the field to share in
the fruits of victory, il is not a bad
thing that woman suffrage should
come gradually, and that the general
participation of women in all cleo
tons, the country over, should be
somewhat delayed. The present mo-
ment is not the most favorable for
the experiment for the very reason
that explains the rapidly growing
popularity of the movement. We
are just now passing through a per
Tod OF extravagant and illusory ex-
! pectations as TO the possibilities OF
government by voting. II is unfair
to blame the suffragists for their
fantastic prediction OF the reforms
that would promptly be made II wo-
men had a vote. because the illusion
that great reforms can be achieved
by ballot is not confined to women.
We have lately seen II in a grotesque
form in the proposal to set the UNI
trained public 10 revise the work of
judges.
II is precisely because the expecta.
tons now cherished by many are
fallacious that the women have a
good case. II experience Afforded
any warrant for believing THAI a vast
quantity of complicated detail could
be managed by such an electorate as
now exists, there would be good
ground for hesitation in further com
plicating the mechanism. Il is with
political machinery as with mon.
strous ships or high buildiugs-the
limits not only OF safety but of etiic-
iency must be learned. by experience
3 great machine may look imposing
on paper, and yet in practice develop
a fatal amount of friction Plato
would have the state consist of not
more than 10000 voters. so that they
could meet together in the public
assembly. Just now the widespread
desire for achieving certain reforms
in the quickest and directest way has
led many to forget the inexorable
limits TO what can be done by an enol
nous and heterogeneous electorate
The average voter cannot spend mucl
OF his time in voting. and the issues
on which he has to pass must be few
. simple and matured by prolonged az
itation and discussion. and when al
Is done. he may mark his ballot il
the wrong place.
: The success OF experiments In dir
4 ect popular action. then must depent
, on taking few things at time ant
J, threshing them out thoroughly, ne
I matter how many good causes hay,
? to wait Particularly In the field o
economic legislation is hasty and IN
g considered action dangerous. II Eng
$ land, TO take an example remot,
o from home, should follow up q mini
/. mum wage law with a law prescrih
Q ing small wages for men and women
Q the consequences might be compiled
Z ted and disastrous. The very fac
n that the woman movement Is largel,
, economic In origin and must result
In a program of important economi,
e reforms, makes Il the more importan
3 that the change should not come to,
g suddenly. Perhaps, the greatest les
8 son America has still to learn is IN,
, lesson Of patience. of system. Of
J. taking one thing at time In IN,
a past our great issues have been fore
. ed upon us, as In the case OF slavery
D Now new issues spawn like mush
= rooms; "progressivism" blocks Out
l. work for century aud asks to hav,
+ Is all done nc once. Uatienoe comes
/ hard to all OF us, and women have
had less schooling OF the special sort
/ that comes from the struggles aud
reverses OF politics. Their turn will
come. and it the delay is hard to bear
they can console themselves with the
reflection that II may not result In
any corresponding delay to the work
OF reform. Such splendid demon.