The Washington herald., 1914-06-21

fourths Of the prominent women are
confirmed smokers, 1t Is evident on every
hand that the feminist tendency to i'm
itate the vices Of men Is q live issue
Mrs. Wilcox sees clearly on this point.
ARGUE as we WILL" she says, 'of the
Importance Of good fatherhood for chill
dren. the fact stubbornly stares us in
the face that a mother carries her un-
born child under her heart for three
quarters of a year, and her condition,
mentally and physically, during that
period Is Of more vital Importance to the
child than the condition of the father" !"
Yet, Miss Mary winsor, president Of the
Limited Suffrage League. of Philadelphia
has declared that IF men may smoke
cigarettes In restaurants and hotels,
women should have the same privileged!
The great physical fact that feminists
ignore, that woman. as a potential
mother, has rights and special privileges
that must be accorded her for the pro-
lection OF the whole race shows every
Intelligent person that the woman cannot
be considered an Identical equal with man
in every respect
Instincts to Protect Race.
II there is any natural right that can
not be questioned, II Is the right of the
mother and her child to protection. This
is measure Of racial preservation that
Is practiced by the lowest orders of ami
mails We find that man has always
sought TO give woman this needed pro-
lection. In savage tribes, this instinct
has made cruel and selfish laws to re-
strict the wife and mothers liberties.
In semi-civilized countries, hoods, masks
and foot-bindings were resorted to to
guard the wife against other men. In
highly developed races, the honor Of the
male and. the ideal OF the Christian Vir-
gin Mother has created a conception or
woman as little less than a deity If she
fulflls her duties as wife and mother,
and as little less than a demon If she
doesn't
1t is strange, perhaps that this instinct
to protect motherhood and childhood,
whether in savage tribe or civilized state
is shared by the women as well as the
men, The Chinese woman who bin6s her
feet, and the Mohammedan woman who
conceals her face acquiesce in practicing
these customs long after the male has
ceased to demand them. Likewise, in
higher civilizations, it is the woman and
not the man who is found in the fore
front defending the wearing OF dress
that assists in the conservation of de-
cency and modesty. Yet what is de-
cency, modesty or morality but the ideal
or an ancient instinct to preserve the
race?
In every age and degree of civilization,
the majority OF women are agreed with
the majority Of men as to the moral
practices and customs that best protect
the family and the home. ConsiderinE
the intimate relation between the sexes,
1t is impossible that any vital disagree
ment between them can exist on this
point. But there are always rebels, both
men and women, who have forgotten both
who seek to follow their selfish impulses
regardless Of consequences. The man
who shirks his duty to the community
and his family is harshly dealt with. Tn.
laws Of every State make him a GRIM
inaL
So much so that it is generally recoE-
nized that a mans breach OF promise to
marry is a serious injury for which a
woman may recover practically what
ever she asks. Man made these laws to
protect childhood and motherhood; to
compel his brothers to respect the rights
of women. Hitherto, the woman rebel
has been judged harshly also, and her
failure to practice the calling and virtues
Of motherhood in order to give herself up
to a life of idleness and pleasure severely
punished by her sisters.
Cult of Rebellion.
But OF late the woman rebel has raised
her revolt against the common good Of l
the mother, the family. and the race TO |
the dignity OF cult and called It ''femin- !
ism" Now she breaches without fear |
doctrines that would have been consid- |
cred grossly immoral a generation ago |
Hear Mr.. Floyd Dell, in the New Review
Tor June, on Socialism and Feminisn:"
Now it is plain that IL women were to
claim every new right and at the same /
time insist on retaining every old privi-
ege. the result would be a pretty state |
of AFFAIRS. We today define feminism in |
terms which exclude all merely senti-
mental or even humanitarian efforts on |
behalf OF women.
The passage Of laws restricting the
hours Of work for women is not feminist