The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1913-08-22

NO4lItI VI I4le MI III 4IOI IOI NIIdL l4lcS
were, but for what they might be.
come, and would become if they per-
sisted in their determination to aban-
don the sphere in which God had plac=
ed tnem He lifted the kindly finger
of warning; he drew the knightly
sword of protection; he did not level
the brutal pike of censure and con-
demnation His scholarly mind ap-
preciated the cause of the rottenness
of imperial Rome, and believing that
history repeats itself, he trembled for
his country. know from experience
how hard it is for old men to adopt
new notions, or to accept new ideals
Visions are for young men; old men
must dream dreams" and cling to
their traditions. They dislike to be
rudely awakened, and are ever hold
ing back against innovations and
changes. The world moves forward,
ever forward, because the young men
will seek to progress. 1t is the ideal
civilization of conditions in society
when the two forces are equalized,
and the young and progressive Wis
ionaries are counselled and directed
and held back by the wisdom of their
seniors. Old men see the world rush
ing along pell-mell, helter-smelter,
going to the devil, so to speak, and
we mourn in spirit. 'The old order
changeth, yielding place to the new,
ard the transitions are so startling
that they hurt US cruely.
Tackles Suffrage Issue.
I am led to make few remarks on
woman suffrage, although it is a Ien-
gerous topic to handle just at this
time. l 1atter myself, however, that
my well-known reverence for good
women will shield me from being mis-
understood. The idea is fast becom-
ing a practical issue, and senators
will realize the importance of our OBJ
tanning as much accurate information
in regard to it as the nature of the
subject will permit Much valuable
data could be obtained in States where
the experiment is now being tried.
Vital statistics should by all means be
gathered in those States wnere wo-
man suffrage already obtains. We
ought to have records made Of the
birth rates, death rate, divorce and
other things affecting the everyday
social life of the people, which would
IN hundred years say, show Us
whether female suffrage has affected
these things injuriously or not.
In Rome, when the manners and
customs with regard to women began
to change and they were given more
privileges than they had ever enjoyed
before. divorces were so largely in
creased that free love became the
rule the birth rate correspond!ngly
decreased, as Leckys History shows.
Now it is a beautiful dream that fe-
male suffrage will purify politics. be-
cause our ideals of women are so high
and we regard them so absolutely as
the sources of goodness and purity.
that we cannot conceive of their not
elevating and helping anything they
touch. But the vital and important
hing for US to consider is the effect
on women themselves. We had better
endure the evils of corruption in poll
tics and debauchery in our govern
ment rather than bring about a con-
dition which will mar the beauty and
dim the luster of the glorious woman
hood with which we have been faml-
liar and to which we have become ac-
customed all of our lives. We can
better afford to have degraded and
corrupt politics than degraded and
bad women. To have both in ever
increasing degree, as was the case in
Rome, would make the world so un-
speakably horrible, as well as so cor
rupt that good men and women both
would disappear from the face OF the
earth, and civilization would be blot
ted out like it was in the dark ages
after the fall of Rome. indeed, l am
Sc thoroughly a convert to the be-
lief that "you cannot touch pitch
without being defled,'' that l shudder
to think of the consequences to the
womanhood of America should suf-
frage become universal, taking in both
sexes and all races. Yet the expert
ment is going to be tried, l fear.
The Ballot Privilege.
know the demand for suffrage on
the part of women is growing too fast
for old fooioc likn mo tn SfOn it. eX-