New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-11-02

TO women, this one is at least perma-
nent and is sincere? In the unlucky
words of Bishop Weldon, it is an
asset. / quote it again in order to say
how much | should like to abolish it
out of every kind of literature save
that which has it's origin in the Bank
ruptcy Court
There are many Pagets. The Right
Rev. Henry Paget, Bishop of Stepney
is son of the late Sir James Paget
the great surgeon. whom you will like
to remember as sergeant-surgeon TO
Queen Victoria. His wife is daughter
to Sir Samuel Hoare the banker. From
beneath the beautiful gray velvet dress
the woman spoke as woman, but by
no means as the average woman
Neither average man nor average wo-
man is capable Of this finished dictiOn,
OF this sobriety of thought, of this elo-
Iquence, of this distinction and SINGER
.ity. Mrs. Paget is one Of those dam
gerous women who mislead the world
into believing that other women are,
Ut may bt, VI IilISDl .bt' INT HNi tfuni
to her; capable of thinking and speak
ing as she does; with a mans intellect
ual vigor plus a woman's delicacy and
grace Miss Violet Markham, the most
brilliant of the anti-suffrage lecturers
is another. She is an argument for
an impossible political equality. Even
Sir Almroth Wright might not brand
either Mrs. Paget or Miss Violet Mark
ham as social insolvent.
Mrs. Pagers speech is one among
many evidences that the prominence
of the vote question for women is art-
fetal. II has been treated as an end.
| Mrs. Paget thinks the vote, at best,
only a means. The suffragists and
| "suffragettes" - another word that
ought to be put on the Index if there
were an Index for such purposes-have
lost. if they ever had, the sense OF pro-
portion. What seems to Mrs. Paget
most important is the new sex-con-
/ sciousness of woman. That cuts at
the root of the main argument, If 1t
can be called argument, for giving the
franchise to women. What passes
with the suffragists for argument is
more often mere emotional appeal.
Women, thinks Mrs. Paget claim the
full expression of personality. she
perhaps makes the mistake Of 'egard-
ing her own personality as that of all
women. In so far as she argues, she
argues from the exception; but she is
none the less capable of putting her
mind fairly to yours, and treating her
subject as belonging to the things OF
the mind. She appeals TO the Church
TO use the -yomans point of view IN
moral questions. BY all means, and il
would be helpful view if confined to
moral questions. In the domain of pol
i;ics it is mischievOus. She says. truly
; enough:
I'VE see and know our faults. but
believe that the newly awakened sense
of responsibility among women is one
of the greatest moral forces ever placed
at the service Of the Church"
None Of the speakers at this Church
f. Congress seems 10 have considered the
/ question how far the new moral &C
tivity among women springs from a
new physical development. The spin
sters whose physical development has
been imperfect have, as rule, no
share in either form Of growth. Nor
have women Of the Pankhurst type, of
which both the mother and the UNI
married daughters are examples Nor
! have the great majority Of women OF
/ the middle and lower classes in this
country But in the governing classes,
not in this country only. the change is
/ extraordinary. The girl Of to-day is d
much more splendid animal than the
girl OF the early and midVictorian
( periods. She has cultivated her body.
She is proud Of il and accepts the ami
NAL definition as compliment. Is 1t
possible, or probable, that with this in
crease OF physical forces mental forces
have not kept pace? What have the
psychologists always taught about the
reflex influence Of the healthy body
! and healthy mind upon each other?
And why are the suffragists so i'm
patient Of this view. and so resentful II
physiological facts and sex facts IRE
publicly discussed?
They are discussed with exceeding
plainness of speech by Sir Almroth
Wright. The frankness Of his last
years letter to The Times" and the
much more open frankness Of his pres
ent book, appear TO have provoked
women suffragists and anti-suffraglsts
alike. I title is itself to them an
affront: THE Unexpurgated Case
Against Woman Suffrage" Neither Of
them will tolerate that purely scientific
treatment Of the question which Is es-
sential to a thorough investigation Of
the truth. at is in reality" says Sir
Almroth, 1.-The influence Of woman
which has caused man to leave unsaid
many things which he ought to have
said" Well, tie things are unsaid no
longer. They are in print. 1t is pos
| sible to leave the book unread, but 1t is
not possible henceforth TO argue either
the political or physical question as il
il did not exist. IT exists, moreover, in
a shape accessible to everybody who
| uaoII., cares IN deal with these grave