South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-10-21
TAKES NO STAND
ON WOMEN s VOTES
Position of Catholic Church on
Suffrage Explained by
Father Conway.

docs the Catholic church approve
OF woman's suffrage and OF women
in politics? What do you think OF
this feminist movement and Of wom-
ans rights?
These" said Father Bertrand L.
Conway, Wednesday In an interview,
ARE questions which have of late
been put 70 me oftener than any others
and great interest is always displayed
In their answers.
''ln the teaching Of our church there
are no formal decisions On modern
developments OF the woman question,
but we can readily gather from the
divine revelation which we maintain
pure and undehled. the moral prin-
ciples that should guide ones judg-
ment In the matter
''WOman's rights has been defined
as the whole ideal which consciously
or uncOnsciOusly IS inspiring women
in many lands 20 shake of a multitude
OF traditional laws and conventions
which have hampered her freedom OF
action, az compared with mans, from
the beginning OF history.
THE whole question Is one Of jus
tice. Are the claims put forth by
women today founded in justice or
right? Has she or not, as a matter
OF fact, been deprived in the past OF
her right by reductions invented and
perpetuated by man?
Salvation First.
ITO put things I'm the Christian per-
spective. we must at the outset say
ones eternal salvation comes first. 50
that II one is free to attain ones final
destiny, the possession of God for all
eternity, the restrictions Of sex, birth.
custom. or law are in comparison un-
important Many Of our modern fem
inists are utter pagans, and OF course
set their fundamental vision OF Chris
tiority aside.
"StllI this being kept in mind, Cath
Ollie women are bound TO further every
interest of their sex, and if there are
evils unremedied to protect against
them in any form in which that pro-
lection can be heard and made effec-
tive. If there is any injustice today in
the status OF women, Catholic women
ought TO be the first to seek the rem
edy.
some have declared that the Cath
ole church never did recognize the
rightful claim of women, and that our
literature has ever sanctioned disre-
gard for women.
"It is true that the church was for
centuries dominated by the old RO-
man law which regarded women as
inferior by nature. and that the Chris
tan conception OF natural equality or
moral and religious formula took some
time to develop. Christian writer's
also looked at things from a super
natural viewpoint and thus insisted
more on supernatural rights than on
natural ones. Women did not object
in the old days, so the many tradi-
tional restrictions in vogue when taken
az a matter of course. In our ascetic
writings. the warnings on the subject
OF wOmankind are not expected by the
intelligent 10 be panegyrics of wom-
ans good qualities.
Gods Two Ideals.
There are certain principles that
Catholics always bear in mind. We
know that God has expressed his ideal
OF humanity in two types, man and
woman, and that therefore no resent
ment should be felt against Him on
the score of sex disabilities which are
natural. While we grant that some
OF the differences between man and
woman are due to tradition and edu-
cation, not all are.
There are certain differences in
mind and character that depend on
essential differences of function and
structure: and that they do not be-
token superiority or inferiority. but
aptitude for different things. both es-
sential for the welfare Of the race.
The church in estimating her saints
has always ig&ored sex; she demands
the same SAINT atty for the weak women
that she requires Of the strong man