The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1915-05-20
Miss TarbeIl on Woman Suffrage

Miss Tarbell on Woman Suffrage
An anomalous point in the hand
ling Of the question Of Woman's
suffrage in this country in the last
sixty-ilve years has been the vul-
garizing Of the woman il sought TO
dignity. Sufrragists have been in
the habit Of focusing attention on
the limitations and hardships OF
woman's life, attributing them al
most exclusively TO the lack Of the
ballot. To excite enthusiasm for
their cure they have directly or by
implication belittled woman's func-
tons and position and pictured the
higher and nobler place the ballot
would give her. The general result
Of this insistent and exclusive EN-
phasls has been to strip woman OF
the honor Of a digniiled past, to OBJ
scure the fine and subtle qualities
which dlfferentiate her from man.
and to make her hottest function
thing to be apOlogzed for.
While this may have been good
practical campaigning. IL has been
poor ethics and still poorer public
policy. II had been founded or
false assumptions. Woman's posi-
ton in society is not now and never
has been as inferior compared with
mans as the sufrragists affirm. Al
every period Of the worlds past
there have been women whose aver
erage was as high as that OF the
civilization 10 which they belonged
A brutal, heavy-witted people pro-
duced slavish women; an magma
tive. sensitive, energetic race pro-
duced highly organized and highly
efficient women. Men and womer
have always crawled or scared TO.
gether. The lot of woman is hard
but the human lot is hard. II is lif,
in a society which is still feeling il!
way, which puts the heaviest bur.
dens on woman.
The assumption that the improve
ment Of woman's position depends
upon the vote is quite as unsount
as the charge Of her inferiority
Sixty years ago il was held that thu
only road to the broad and full plaI
Of education which the new Demo
cratic scheme made imperative, wa
the ballot, but that scheme has beer
realized to the full without singh
womans vote. Free and diversified
professional opportunity was said L
/ depend upon suffrage, but woman
can be almost what she will today
II has not taken a vote OF hers 4
set professional doors ajar, and the!
will surely swing further open, bal
lot or no ballot. Undoubtedly tn,
argument for suffrage which toda!
causes most hesitation among tn,
thoughtful and sympathetic who ar,
not convinced of the wisdom OF ex
tending suffrage to women, is tina
fair conditions and wages for tn,
great body of women in industr!
can only be realized by giving then
the suffrage, that they need il 70
self-protection. The rapid advanc,
which protective legislation 70
women and children is making. tn
absolute certainty that il will b.
soon as perfect as has been con
ceivcd and will be improved as IA
pidly as it is learned now TO i'm
prove ii, the absolute certainty tina
wages depend not on votes but eco
/ monte laws, are the best answers [,
/ this, The woman in industry is aft
| or all hut a transient-her working
! lie averaging but few years. Sh
graduates from shop or factory L
/ real life. The best that can be don
/ for her is lo see 10 il that this brie
I industrial period does not impai
her physically or morally for he
high functions, and above all tina
II does not lead her 10 believe ever
dimly that there are happier o
more useful things than those L
which she instinctivcly turns. 4
training that will lead her to appl,
her powers with appreciation am
enthusiasm TO domestic and not L
political life is what she needs
4 Moreover, as class the industrial
woman as we see her today vii
pass as this country regains the in