The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-01-01
BY n. 1. HAYWOOD,

At the very beginning / must beg
the reader to bear in mind throughout
that the views here presented are
those held by the feminists and not
by myself. While there are many ten
cts OF the woman's movement which
must receive the support Of every sin
cere person there are many others
which are. to say the least, somewhat
questionable. Rather than make any
attempt to sort the good from the bad
have chosen to attempt to interpret
the things as whole and as an out
slider.
There is a fundamental difference
between feminism and woman's suff-
rage. The latter Is merely the attempt
now being made by organized women
the world over to secure for them
selves q voice in government. But the
former is that movement, sometimes
organised and sometimes not, where
in women the world over are seeking
to. free themselves from the conven-
lions which have 50 long hemmed in
the sex and to secure q more abundant
entrance into the goods created by
modern civilization. All feminists are
suffragists but not all suffragists are
feminists. Oftentimes the latter care
for no other prerogative now enjoyed
by men than the use of the ballot but
the former demands that they shall
enjow every privilege, industrial, So
cial and judicial, now enjoyed by men.
At the very basis of the feminist
philosophy is her theory of human
nature There is no such thing, she de-
clares, as "the eternal feminine. "
Woman as we see her today is not as
she was in the beginning. What she
will be tomorrow will differ radically
from what she is today. The very
shape and texture of her body re-
fleets the social and economical con-
ditions in which she has been COMPEL
ed to live for centuries. Therefore to
argue that because she is flAbby mus
cled, emotional, intuitive rather rath-
er than logical, nottonal instead OF sys-
tematic, personal instead of abstract,
she cannot make good in the profess
sions that demand more OF what we
have grown accustomed to call mas
culine characteristics" is fallacious. II
| is the environment under which she
has lived that has made he- soft and
emotional; place her under q sterner
and more exacting environment and
| we shall see in the course of three or
| four generations a different type OF
| female body.
with entire self satisfaction what
is everywhere considered an insuper-
able obstacle to her entrance into
| many trades and professions. Won
ans new functions, they aver, will Gre
| ate new muscles and new traits. If
she is not now fitted for the new work
let her undertake the new work ID for
no other purpose than that she shall
thereby become fit.
| 1t is the feminist conception of this
same labor" that forms, it seems TO
me, the central crux of the whole fem
! mist philosophy. The fe.ninists believe
that what is noble and strong in man
has been developed through his mono
poly of labor. Has he ruggeder ply,
!! siuue? 1t is labor that has made it.
Has he a better trained mind? His
work accounts for it and not any nat
ural superiority of his sex. Has he
| excelled in art? His art is but the out
! Towering OF his toll. Has he climbed
in literature? 1t is simply the reflex oil
his work Thus in every way the fem.
| mist seeks to prove that man is super
| ior because his work has made him so
Therefore, she declares, If women is
| to life herself to mans plane of abil
ity and efficiency she must be permit
ted the same privileges of toll. That
| alone can transform her from the dec
orative and extravagant creature she
too often is into a useful and produc
tive member of society.
As things now are she can do moth
ing except perform a few duties as
mans servant or as his chfldren's
tservant. She must depend on man fol
her income, she must look to him fol
a living. He receives the bracing de
velopment of making his way in the
world while she must grow soft in 9
security won for her by another. This
protection has proved fatal to WON
ans being and must be swept away
She wills TO become economically in
dependent.
1t is at this point that the typica
feminist explanation of many present
day characteristics issues. A hundred
years ago, say they. the woman was
as much an economic necessity al
man. Her functions in creating the
necessaries of life were quite as es
sential as his own He could raise the
sheep and clip the wool but the fibrei
were useless to him until his wife
| init h0y