The Washington herald., 1914-12-27
women CAN END
War, SHE SAYS
All Needed Is Franchise, En-
lily Kershaw Perry
Asserts.
FORECASTS BIG STRUGGLE
Conflict Between Men and Women Not
Improbable in Development
of World.
By EMILY KIRsHAw PERRY.


We are in the midst of the Christmas
season, known all over the world, as
the chiIdren's time OF year. 1t is the
season when all hearts are sympathetic
and responsive to the claims Of children.
Even the ''Scrooges'' Of the world rIAlx
hearts and purse strings and beconsS. II
even for a time, the willing slaves OF
childhood. All over the world. that is
in all the parts of the world where men
are not engaged in killing the fathers
and grandfathers and big brothers OF
al the children not Of their own par
tSoallar country or the country Of their
aIlfes Think Of il! Christmas! Where
are the children? Where are the Christ
mas trees, the churches, with their
bright lights and gay carols? Where are
the mothers?
There are Christmas trees in Europe
this year. Yes. in the homes not yet
sacrificed to the juggernaut OF war.
There are churches in Europe this
Christmas. There are carols, too. The
homes that are allowed to be festive are
the homes of those exempt from COM
pulsive military service, or those where
The demon of murder I'VE have ceased
dignifying this kind Of carnage by the
mockery 'Angel of Death'D has not yet
struck. In most of the churches they
are praying that war may cease, yes.
But how? They are worshiping the
Babe of Bethlehem by praying Him to
use His miracle-working power in giving
to their guns swifter, surer, more far
reaching means Of death, and to the guns
Of their enemies harmlessness and dis
use.
May BE Forced to War.
There are as many Kinds OF women
in the world as men, with as many diff
ferent ideas on questions concerning man.
kind, but it will be left for a future age
to tell those ideas and thoughts, put
ting them into one concerted voice, say
ing, This is the woman's point of
view This is especially so Of war. The
women's voices have been heard weep
ing and lamenting their dead. They have
been heard to say, why do men fight
to kill what is so hard to bring into the
world2" But when that question grows
and swells in volume as it surely will, into
one tremendous strain, from the lips of
all women, the words will gradually
change into forgotten words OF COM
mand, Thou shalt not kill" Whether
or not there i'll ever be the anomalous
situation Of the women of the world ar
rayed in battle against the men Of the
world, to save the lives Of men, 1 do not
know. Let US hope they will not be
driven that far. They never will unless
forever forced into a sphere where ''in-
direct influence is their only weapon.
The day when the women's voice will
be heard in matters of government in
the United States is not far distant. With
the Christmas season comes special oc-
casion for rejoicing. The direct influence
OF women has been felt. National as
well as State legislators have awakened
to the fact that there is a large woman's
vote in the West to be reczoned with and
are needing the wishes Of those women.
In every State where women vote, in the
West, woman suffrage was made for the
first time, the main issue in the last
campaign. Whether Republicans, Demo
Gratis or Progressives were elected to
Congress, the campaign speeches made
by the candidates for election hinged on
the one subject Woman Suffrage"
Democrats were heard expatiating on the
large minded, generous good wishes of
their party for the success of the women
and they would have left the subject
there except for the far reaching in
fuence OF some women speakers in their
midst, who were not content to stop at
the good wishes of the Democratic party,
but insisted on greater elucidation Of the
subject for the knowledge of the women
voters, and suggested making plain just
what the national Democratic party had
done and had kept from being done for
suffrage in this SiXty-third Congress.
Then these gentlemen waxed eloquent
and tried very hard to prove to intelli-
gent, wide-awake women what was un-
provabIe.
In these cases the men were either
defeated altogether or the majority of
their vote was tremendously cut down |