Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1914-11-09
CALLS CATHOLICS
( SUFFRAGE FRIENDS
Vice-President of Welfare So
ciety Makes Address at Po-
IiticaI Union Tea.

"Tqual Suffrage and the Catholic
Church" was the subject of the ad-
dress given yesterday afternoon by
Miss Sarah McPike, of New York.
vice. president of St GATHERINGS Wei
fare Society, at the tea OF the
Women's Political Union, held at
headquarters. 70 Halsey street. Miss
McPilSe asserted that very often peo-
pie are wont to say that the Catholic
church is opposed to equal frinohise-
ment
"This is not true" declared the
speaker, II think we can show a
longer list of Catholic c1ergymen who
favor women suffrage than any other
denomination.
Miss McPike declared that some
people think there must be something
radically wrong with a reform that
has met with the staunch opposition
of men like Rabbi Silverman and
Cardinal Gibbons She pointed out
that Rabbi Silyerman's attitude may
have some foundation in the tradi-
tional scorn bestowed by men of his
race on women as CLEANED from such
a proverb as, "A man Of straw is
better than a woman of gold;" 'the
badness of man is better than the
goodness of woman" and the touch
ing tribute TO coniugal affection con-
tanned in the aniable sentence, "A
dead wife is the best goods in a mans
house." and the beginning of the
orisons of the Jews of two thousand
years ago. II thank thee. o Lord be-
cause thou hast not made me
hereto, thou hast not made me
slave, thou hast not made me
woman" But the cardinal-archbisho
of Baltimore, she added. has no such
heritage of tradition and prejudice
to combat, as women of the Catholic
faith were the earliest adherents OF
disciples and martyrs.
Women on Church and state.
In tracing the influence prominent |
women had in the affairs of the early |
church and state. Miss McPike said |
that when Matilda, Countess Of Tus- |
cany. waged strenuous warfare for |
thirty years to defend the church |
against the might of the empire, she |
was never once reminded that won- |
ans place was in the home. She |
declared that the chivalry to which |
the antis love to refer was rampant |
In Europe when ungrateful France |
permitted Joan of Arc to be burned |
at the stake.
mo one considered st. Catherine |
of Sienne unsexed when she used her |
wisdom and eloquence to persuade |
Gregory XI. to return to Rome after I
such distinguished leaders as Petrarch |
and Dante had failed" she continued. |
''No one was scandaliZed because her
emotional religious exaltation was
tempered by a vigorous intellect One
of her biographers has described her
as a prophet, politician and a saint.
j never heard of man who achieved
the distinction of being a politician
ard a saint of God at the same time
Never within the lifetime of the
youngest woman present, she de-
clared, would any reforms in hours
of work or living wage for working
women or the white slave traHic be
written into the laws of New Jersey
or New York while women are dis |
franchised class.
Miss Elizabeth Hooley the hostess |
of the day, was assisted by the
Misses Katherine and Alice Hooley
and Miss Rose Mooney. Next Sun
day Mrs. Adelaide Johnson. the suf-
frage sculptor. will speak on "Fa-
nous Suffragists I Have Known"
Mrs. Clara V. Laddey, of Arlington,
will be the hostess.