New-York tribune., 1912-02-29

To call Miss Inez Milholland the hand
sonest suffragist Is no reflection on her
coworkers. There are plenty Of good
looking suffragists, az well as plehty OF
the other kind. But IT cannot be denied
that on occasions where Il Is necessary 10
appeal 10 the eye as we'll rs to the ear
Miss Milholland is generally put forward
She unveiled the six-star flag at the
Jubilee meeting at Cooper Union just after
the California victory. She was Cornelia'
the serene and beautiful mother or the
Gracchi. in Mrs. Clarence Mackays sur
frage tableaus last year. When money Is
IN he charmed out OF an audience she
makes the speech.
II WAS even asserted by onlookers AT
the narade of May G, 1911. that the whole
thing was a background for her good
Looks. And with all this-beauty, and
vouth and yigor as well-she has turned
her back upon marriage. Anyway, that is
what her friends say. One well known
woman who is very close to her said yes
terday:
"a very wealthy man, one able to settle
a great deal Of money upon the girl VINO
marries him, and one with many goou
qualities aside from wealth, proposed TO
Miss AIilholland, recently, and she refused
him. She wants her career
wouldn't the money he would settle on
her enable her to do a lot moro Tor suI-
frage and the labor movement and the
other things she IS interested in?'
"She wants her own career MISS Mil
hollands friend repeated.
Miss Milholland herself denied absolute
ly a recent rumor that she was engaged
TO be married.
There is nothing in it," she said. Moth
ing whatever. And now, II you will excuse
me-" she told the reporter, II must go
back TO my law studies. I'm very busy
every evening, getting them up for the
next day"
For that is what she is doing now-pre-
paring at the New York University Law
School TO be Portia, and she is rarely
to be seen without an armful of law books.
Ever since the days-not so long ago, how
ever-when, as "A student at Vassar she
kept the college authorities wondering
what new utterance she was going 10
make upon suffrage or socialism, Miss NIL
holland has had a serious bent. And as
her mother once said, THE girls heart is
really in It, Some people won't believe 1t,
but it's So"
Maybe she wants knowledge of the law
to help her fight for the vote. as she wants
the vote-she says-to help her fight the
miseries and injustices in the world around
her.
If Miss Milholland wants justification
for her reported decision to remain a
spinster she can point to Susan p. An
thony. Miss Anthony not only declined TO
marry, though she had many offers. but she
was much troubled when any OF her suf-
frage co:workers married, as they would
insist on doing, sometimes.
"A woman i'm the suffrage movement
needs her whole strength for the move
ment," she would say. Mrs. Elizabeth Cady
Stanton didn't agree with her. though she
had moments of agreeing, as the fact that
che once broke her own engagement seems
TO prove. But she renewed the engagoIu ont,
and she told Miss Anthony, when the lat
ter was lamenting the marriage OF Antoin-
cite Stone Blackwell, to Let Antoinette
alone; that n woman was the better work.
er for having the experience OF marriage I"
IT cannot be said that many suffragists,
handsome or homely. are following the eX-
ample of Miss Anthony and Miss Mllhol-
land so far. Vast numbers of them arc
married, and some have husbands march
ing in suffrage parades and joining mems s
leagues for woman suffrage. And a re-
cent dispatch from California states that.
according to statistics compiled by George
Leslie. statistician for the State Board of
Health. the year 19l1-when the suffrage
campaign was I'm progress-was the banner
one for marriages in that state. There
were 1893 weddings in California that year.
an increase of 1895 over 1910.