The Washington herald., 1914-03-18
THE OPEN FORUM.
Herald Readers Express Their Views
on Cure Topics.

10 the Editor: Just a brief comment
on Mrs. Colby's suffrage speech before
the Secular League Sunday last
slsnihcant remark Of the speaker
was that the women's movement mean.
the development of the feminine I'm mar
Is equally true tina. were not man
enemInate today there would be no
women movement The speaker re-
ferred to Rome: in fact, ALI the I'M. To
which humanity Is heir she bIaned on
the loss OF mother-rule or the rnatrI
arahate. and on mans so-called us,,rpa-
ton or power. 1t Is significant that the
sunragists have to appeal 10 a condI-
ton OF woman rule supposed to OBJ
tain only among the most barbarous
ana savage tribes. In a low state of
evolution. to point to the greatest neriod
Of woman's influence and power.
1t Is because men sre effemInate to
Gay that the woman movement obtains
Luxury, effeminacy, sensuality and COW
srdice, have always preceded the down
fall Of great nations, and whereas Mrs
Colby cited the fact Of the difficulty OF
securing recruits for the British army
(on account of the puny size of the
mem as result of the loss Of mother
rule. the truth ts that It is just because
man is becoming puny and effeminats
that women demand "emancipation
Now word with regard to Rome She
started out as a virile nation, with
strong men and yirtuoUs women. II was
II patriarchal government. Man was su-
preme. And by these qualities and this
system Of government she made herself
mistress OF the world. / cannot do bet
ter than quot from Eugene Hecker
(suffragist author of "A Short History OF
Woman's Rights'D. OF early Rome he
states: "A marked feature of the Roman
character was 'h"ir great respect for the
hCme and materfamilias. In the early
days of the republic the family tie was
rarely severed The husband was all
powerful"
But with the attainment Of complete
empire. luxury and riches effeminized
the man. They abolished brutal glad.
itGrial games, then they ''emancipated"
the slaves and then the women Dust as
il AmericaD.
Hecker states OF later Rome: The
political influence welded by women was
as great during the first three centuries
after Christ as il has ever been at any
period Of the worlds history. The pow
er Of the husband was reduced to
nullity."
Now then. here was women's golden
opportunity to prove her moral in
fTence. But what did il amount to.
With the loss of the mastership of man.
tn, women went to the dogs. and the
eternal city had its day, Cf7s A. d. II
vas conquered by 'barbarians"
What kind of men were they who
the women of Rome? Well
IN" denominations of that period rivaIed
those of Sodom and Gomorrah as is well
known Eminent thinkers OF the periOs!
advised the women to search for men
among the gladiators. This period of ef-
'eminate men and masculine women
gave birth to MessaIina C''the worst
woman that ever lived'D and to Nero.
and other male and female monsters.
There was no manhood in Rome and to
this was due the emancipation of her
y omen Juvenals satires on the effem-
macy Of the Romans are well known.
The emancipatOrs of woman in old
Rome called the movement progress.
rights equity" etc hut the real
name was effeminacy. degeneration. SEN
suality.
Iires:'' As civilization advances. the
manners become milder and the condi-
non Of the women hhDrOves till. by
l contrary excess. they arrive at domn-
un. and then a nation becomes et-
Cminatc and corrupt
In these days of free love served up in
he new name OF 'femnism'' the fact
hat there is nothing new under tho
un should be impressed upon US by
hese lines of Horace:
Our times in sin prolific. first
rhe marriage bed with taint have cursed,
And family and home
This is the fountain head of all
The sOrrOws and the ills that fall
IN Romans and on Rome"
HISTORIAN.