The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-02-16
The Crime of the Suffragettes
ny DIR. MAX NoRDAU.

The fight for womans suffrage in
England started well. Mrs. Pank-
hurst and her friends. daughters of
a fighting race, madly in love with
every kind of sport. and adoring
their God and Bible principally be-
cause He is the God OF war, and
given free reins to their national
fighting temperament. History had
taught them that privileges are never
given away, but must be won In
fight They were careful, therefore,
to show the men in the most strik-
ing way that they were ripe for par
ticipation in the government, the ad-
ministration and legislation of their
set the present order of things and
to reyolutionize the aspects OF public
life. This was revolutionary task.
and 1t must be accomplished in a re-
evolutionary manner All the objects
that might be made were really insi-
gniiicant 1t was of no use that the
Fanatic champions of the present or
der ground their teeth and rolled
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to answer the conservative wings:
''The demands of those who have
no right are always unpleasant to the
fortunate one who possess such. but
neither disdain nor strong words
have ever stopped the former when
they made the attack in force"
The hearts of all the distinguished
people in Europe beat warmly and
loyalty for theid legitimate sovereigns,
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but the contempt of society did not
prevent the lowborn redshirts OF
Garibaldi from landing at MARSHA.
And the silver buckle which the
Prussian nobility offered to the valiant
defender of Goeta did not restore the
kingdom of Naples. Greek sculptors
succeeded In executing beautiful
works of art. representing murderous
battles. between Greeks and anna
zones: but / know OF no modern
sculptor talented enough to discover
in mixed fight between sufiragettes
and policemen an element beautiful
enough to be immortalied in marble
or bronze.
When you reproached the suffra-
gettes that they were SHINING against
good taste, they shrugged their shout
ders and replied: I'VE have long
enough been satisfied with being
pretty and beautiful Now we also
want to be strong. Whether he likes
1t or not, man will have to get used
to see us more than mere playthings
whose only duty in life is to please
his eyes"
How was ii possible to say anything
against such an argument? All you
could do was to remain silent and
bow your head. The suffragettes car
ried on war according to the rules
of war. 1t was a good and proper
war. They worried their adversaries
but not more than reasonably and
when they did any harm. 1t was prin-
cipally their own dresses which suf-
fered. Intrepidly they exposed them
selves to fines and prison, and brought
the most heroic sacrifice woman is
able to bring-they gave up the eff
fort to please men.
Gradually all this changed. The
English woman's suffrage movement
recently appeared in very differ
emf. form. Strange and alarming
phenomena appeared. The surrra-
gettes were no longer content with
violent and noisy demonstrations. but
began to violate private property and
raise their hands against persons in
public life. I am not speaking OF
those who at receptions invaded the
salons and tried to tear the eaaulettes
from the shoulders of ministers. for
after all they might look upon a
member of the government as an
snemv but they threatened the life
and safety OF the wife of the prime
minister who certainly had no part in
the government.
The disciples of Geoffroy Rudel
shed tears at the profaneness of their
ideal. They hid their facce not to
witness this cruel sight--the blue
flower thrown away contemporary
by feminine hands who wanted to be
free to commit acts of violence. What
to become of lyric poetry when, on
lonely walks, one no longer met lovely
virgins or beautiful women with
smiling lips and dreaming eyes pick
ing forgetmenots and signing and