The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-05-26
Editor Nirg lnian

Women and Social REIMBURSEMENT.
Editor vrginian:
sr.~-As I interpret the spirit Of the age IT is
related to woGnanhood peaceful read justment
will take place In the three great spheres Of So
ciety namely the state, the church and the
home
In the state: The securing OF full suffrage
viii prepare the way for other great changes.
With this political right obtained. sex Will not
dehar woman from holding any office Of the
State. Efficiency alone will determine what per
son shall hold a particular office, For educa-
uonAI purposes the amount of money expended
will he much for one for the other.
The chief professions, such as the legal and
medical will be open to women and men alike.
In making the laws to be written in the State code
women will participate However, just the laws
enacted by men now are, or may be, 1t is both
unjust and inexpedient to deny women share
in making them Surely women VIII have even
greater RESPECT for law than they now have when
the arbitrary will Of the other Is not the
sole maker. Again, sharing freely in the al
fairs of the State will do much to eVince the
falsity of the time-honored belief that women
ar less irresponsible for their moral
conduct. one cannot but observe how this be-
Lief npedes ACTIVITY and freedom of woman
hood In many Of the wolnan,s- schools for
exanrple, the discipline is quite worthy OF that
employed in childrens schools. The strict sur
VIGILANCE exercised the students tends to
nourtsh the weak traits of their character and
to repress selfreliance and self-confidence-
Moreover, giving women a fun share in State
affairs viii use much of laaeir energy and
thought that is now given to fashIonolatry Of
ten at the expense Of comfort health and char
acter.
In the Church In the church, in the State,
men have monopolized the resources Of leader
ship. And though the church has been Of in
estimabiy benefit 10 women, it S not guildess
Of being iinperious and Of imposing disabilities
on them Women have been constantly re-
minded that nature has gwen them a position
3.,ly t,a4,,e
ard they must, therefore, serve in subordinate
capacity Speaking for church that claims
two hundred and twenty-five million members
Cardinal Gibbons. in a popular work, makes
known the attitude Of the Roman Catholic
church; Neither Mormons Millerites. nor
The advocates OF free love Of wodnan's rights,
SO called. find any recruits in the Catholic
church" While the attitude Of the numerous
Protestant churches, with aggregate of sixty
five million members varies, vet sofne OF the
, strong Christian bodies express disapproyal by
modestly saying the giving Of women equal
( rights with mon Is not IN harmony with sle
spirit of the church. Through sheer gratitude
and because it deals with many things of
most vital concern TO wouanhood, the church
should accord women every privilege that its
male members have. 1t requires women to sub
scribe to creeds, to submit TO prescribed forms.
obey it's laws, take certain in enter
ing its services, without allowing them to par
ticipate in forming and making the creeds laws,
etc. In dealing with divorce, for example. is the
/ church not unjust? may ne In
nocent and as hlameless a the founder of the
church himself IN the cause for which divorce
may be granted. and yet the arbitrary will of
man decides whether She shall remaTry.
The Christian church will remove the tram
mels from womanhood,
In the Home: A horne pre~lpposes marriage.
Society has expected woman, first OF all. to be a
homemaker and has denied her any agrees
siveness in seeking a mate. question the com
mon belief that natives indelibe pen has
t,ac do styao
iieible quantity" Willis marriage viii continue
to be a great consideration in the life of woman.
society Will secure 10 them alternative means OF
livelihood and alternative careers.
The last vestige of social stigma will also
be hfAed from spinsterhood As result of
these changes neither economic nor social pres
sure Will cause woman TO marry. In word,
marriage with women, as with men. will be
purely voluntary. Greater freedom in enter
ing marriage will tend to insure greater liberty
nd equality after marriage The larger class
Of wives whose husbands hard la
borers, who think they designed only for
pets with no home but a boarding house, child
less whose only object in LIVING is to exploit
the lightest pleasures. in short women who con-
tribute nothing OF material. intellectual or moral
wealth TO society. will be required by public
opinion. to Justify their existence. Ira the home
there wilt he guardianship, double headship,
equal interest of husband and wife in each
others property the abolition of dover and
courtesy and other changes Of moment.
The readiustment of women in the State, the
church and the home, along the lines Indicated,
will certainly insure greater stability to these
great institutions of society. Moreover the re-
moval Of every disability and trammeI from
women will allow them, by Of educa-
ton and experience, to discover the real disa-
biliies imposed upon them by nature and the
artificial imposed upon them by society.
To actualize the proper Reimbursement, however,
IL will be necessary to scale high walls OF preiu-
dice TO shatter some stereotyped traditions and
TO dissolve petrifed ideas For example,
many women are obsessed by the idea that the
Creator has lowered their alone with a
quality they call dignity--a quality that win