New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-10-31
Women Would Give New
Aid in Settling Problems,
Asserts DR.. Harris.
SAYS THEY ARE RIPE
FOR PUBLIC LIFE
All Obligations Imposed on Men
Should Go with the Ballot.
He Declares.


I OF the Eastern Council OF Reform Rab-
bis, preached yesterday at the Temple
Israel on The Social and Moral Con
sequences Of Woman Suffrage" and
pleaded for the granting Of suffrage
and all the political obligations that
would 20 with il. Or. Harris asserted
that woman is intellectually fitted for
! the vote and that the time 10 give IL
/ 10 her has come. since she no longer
/ IS and should no Longer be confined TO
the home. IN his address he said:
/ Woman dnould have a voice in the
making Of legislation that 60 vitally
concerns her precious interests Let
US say at once in all frankness that
man, as a whole, has not refused 10
grant suffrage TO woman in spirit Of
unwillingness TO share with her
boon.
Let Us not imagine the sexes lined
up on opposing sides like enemies.
Their interests are too far intertwined
for that. Those who seriously opposed
il have honestly done so quite as much
for womGn's sake as for mans. Still,
the thought is in mind that woman is
the weaker, snd therefore the sex TO be
protected. They do not like TO see
their wives and sisters Jostled in con-
| tact with the great world. They do not
/ feel il is fair TO ask them TO bear the
added burden Of public life.
But that plea can no longer be used.
/ Whether we grant political rights or
/ Withhold them, woman is no longer the
/ shielded, securely protected, in the
| sanctity of home. Indeed, we may
| ask, Was she ever quite that? She is
compelled to go out into the world to
do most Of her work
Women in All Professions.
zone in five of the women of this
1 land is a wage Garner. so that we can
| no longer speak of them all in one ex-
/ preston. Woman is entering all the
/ professions We find her among law
| yers. doctors. ministers. Not only are
/ women factory hands and saleswomen,
| but brokers, real estate dealers yes,
/ plumbers. Almost every activity rem
/ dered by men is rendered by women.
/ except that OF the soldier. Car We
/ except even that to-day when we learn
that women are fighting side by side
/ with men in Serbia?
IN the face of these stubborn facts
| can we longer voice the piatituGe,
/ 'Woman's place is in the home in the
/ sense that her whole duty IS there con-
/ fined? Yes, woman's best place is in
! the nome. There. as wife and mother,
she fulfls Ter highest and her holies.
/ function. But wnen we say that her
place is in the home we should use It
IN tho intensive and not in the eYclu-
. s.vc sense. Il should not carry n" I'M
plioation that she is out Of place any
. where else In too many cases Z
means that she should be household
druge.
Bat invention has simplifed the
home maintenance, lessened the nome
toll. Running water, electric light,
sanitary and cleaning devices, gas
stoves and furnaces have at once ban
ished whole groups OF tasks that were
part of the toll of the humble house
wife. If the rough toll in the house
has thus been eliminated by invention,
should il not mean fuller leisure for
other services by the women OF tue
world?
There is no more reason 70 suppose
that public life would lead woman TO
neglect her duties in the home than
public life induces man TO neglect his
work in the market place.
The major argument against SUI
I ~ capable of grasping political prob
lens and Of realizing the farreachirg
consequences Of legislation. Can we to-
day honestly say that woman is intel
lectually inferior? No. even though
man may have done much to keep her
so by making her a parlor ornament II
she is rich and a drudge if she is poor.
We can hardly deny woman the suf-
frage on the ground of mental inferior
ity when we md it necessary TO put a
picture at the head of each column Of
names TO be voted on in the ballot in
order that the vote may be cast by
illiterate men. Hardly, | say, can we
make that plea to-day, when the propo-
sition TO exclude the illiterate from the
right of suffrage was defeated in the
committee appointed TO draw up the
constitutional amendments.
Women Reauy Now for Suffrage.
There are men who object only to
the granting of the suffrage at the
present time. Woman is not yet ripe
epouph We could only answer this