The Washington herald., 1914-11-15
WOMEN GODLD
HAVE Had VOTE
Miss Stanton Says Initial Sufs
frage Convention Blum
dered IN Asking.
M0RMoNS ENJOY RIGHTS
In Fact. Mrs. Guilford Points Out that
-Four States Where MormOnism Ex-
lists Received Them First.
M0RMoNS ENJOY RIGHTS
- MRS. SIMEON n. GUILFoRD,

ny MRS. SIMEON H. GUILFoRD,
1fenber Executive Board. Peunsgirania Association
oppossd TO Woman Sufraee.
A suffragist writer recently stated that
'.the sntis have shown no direct proof
that the majority Of women are opposed
to suffrage"
Granted that the "antis' may have
omitted many things that would appeal
to the suffrage mind as proofs" we
have to admit that IL the facts and fg-
ures In regard to the suffrage movement
are eandidiy examined, they prove abso-
lately the general opposition by both men,
and women to woman suffrage. They
hardly need any comment.
HCouId Have Had Franchise.
First, we viii examine the causes be-
hind several facts noted by sufragists
themselves. In the introduction to the
fourth volume Of the History Of Woman
Suffrage" Miss Elizabeth Cady Stanton
says this-and the book was copyrighted
In 1so2:
II the first organised demand for the
rights Of women-made at the memorable
convention Of Seneca Balls, N. Y, in
1s4s-had omitted the one for the fran
chise those who made It would have
lived to see all granted. 1t asked for
woman the right to have personal free
dom, to acquire an education, to earn
living, TO claim her wages. to own prop
erty, to make contracts. to bring suit
TO testify in court, to obtain a divorce
on Just grounds, to possess her children
to claim a fair share in the accumulations
during marriage. An examination of
chaper "a will show that in many of the
States all these privileges are now ac-
corded, and in not one are all refused
For the past half century there has been
a steady advance in the direction of equal
rights for women. In many instances
these have been granted in response to
tho direct efforts of women themselves"
Now, Of course, many Of these great
important rights of women were not de-
nied even before the memorable con-
vemtion of IS4S In 1924 Mary Lyon. who
founded Mount Holyoke in 1881. studied at
Amherst under Prof Eaton to- become
qualified for giving experimental instruc-
ton in chemistry. ." This certainly does
not bear out the suffrage slogan that
before the agitation for women's rights,
they were mot permitted to learn the
alphabet" does it? T. +
Education Progresses.
The truth Of the matter is that the
edueation of woman has progressed in an
absolute parallel to that of man, just
as women have shown an aptitude and
desire for education. Women have eX-
ceIled in learning since the days Of Sapho
and Xanthippe, and no one, as far as
we can find out, ever started an anti
edueation'' Taovement among women.
An amusing proof Of this Is the dis
patch last week regarding the increas-
ing opportunities women are enjoying in
Egypt They are acquiring educations,
the report says, because since the es-
tablishment Of institutions Of learning for
he
reached a stage Of eFudition where
they demand educated wives, and the
parents are now compelled to see to
their daughters education that they may
make suitable companions in life"
So. many of these great rights which
suffra Eists have learned to use as proofs
Of woman's wrongs are chiefly imagi-
nary. A woman last week pointed out
TO me the horrible situation Of the
Chinese women" where a wife is taken
into the family OF her husband and COM
PEELED to obey her mother-in-law or any
senior member OF her husbands family.
This is truly pitiable, but when we learn
that the husband himself is not much
better off, and must obey without Ques-
ton his grandmother, his aunt, or his
older sister, IL she happens to be the head
OF the Chinese clan, it assumes the pro-
portion of a national custom rather than
wrong to women only.
And II the suffragists contend with
much pathos. as they often do, that many
women in Eastern countries are polyga-
nous wives. we will admit that such q 1
deplorable custom exists-with the con-
sent of the women concerned, Just as
polygamy existed and is still often |
charged to exist in Mormon Utah, Wyom- |
ing. Colorado and Idaho, the four States |
in the Union which have been longest
under the "benefcent'' influence of
woman suffrage!
Other Rights Enjoyed.
According to this testimony 3f Miss
Stanton, every other demand made at the
convention in 1S& has been realized but
the franchise. The legal Industrial and
social status Of woman is not inferior"
to that of man in any State, unless Y
IS contended that a degraded position Of
women exist; in these aboVe-named suf- !
frage States where MorInonism il prac-
ficed, and where many observers charge
that pOlygamy endures in secret. Former
Mormons themselves are among those
who bring these charges, and the Church |
OF the Later Day Saints hasNnot brought
any llbei suits against those who have
charged some OF its highest dignitaries |
with practictng polygRmy.
Thousands Of laws exist in every State |
for the exclusive benefit OF women and |
children, and some Of the so-called re-
formers themselves do not take the trou- |
bic to Io0lG up the statutes before they |
start to decry their nonexistence. Two |
Incidents win sufffee to prove how little |