Evening journal., 1915-03-04
The Woman Suffrage Crisis
lFrom the New York TImes.l

coverable men have to admit that
they vote in a feminine way. for wO-
mems reasons. not mems. The voter
must help TO decide the gravest pub
lie questions relating TO labor, inter-
national disputes. measures of ma
tional defense. race problems, public
morality, monetary plans. tariffs, and
taxation. On such questions men
vote according to judgments founded
on observation and knowledge acquir-
ed in the pursuit of their daily bust
ness. Women would inevitably at
tempt to decide such matters empiri-
cally or emotiOnally
But, say the suffragists. women as
we'll as men may equip themselves
for the intelligent use of the ballot.
Individual women may and do. the
mass of women will not and cannot,
save by spending their lives in the
hard school where men learn how to
vote. II women are to forsake the
home for the counting room, the law
office. the wheat fields and the
smithy, then indeed, barring temper
amental differences that only the
hand of God can efface, they may in
/ time be able to cast a ballot which
they can explain and justify by rea-
sons which men can understand. Is
/ il worth while: Let the agitators
| for woman suffrage answer that one
question. Is it worth while to sub
vert the whole order of human So
ciety by putting women to do mems
work? Is it worth while to take wo-
man out of the school where she fits
herself for her high natural duties to
put her under tuition against
which her body and mind and soul
would be in perpetual revolt? Of
course. the most fanatical advocate
of votes for women would never
preach a doctrine so monstrOus. YET
that is the only way Either women
must work as men work, or they will
never be qualified to vote as men
vote.
Let there be no mistake as TO the
import of this argument. Il is not in
the remotest manner based upon tn,
assumption or the belief that woman
} is mans inferior, either intellectual,
: or in any other way. II rests upoI
the established fact that mans wOrl
. is different from woman's work an,
) that IL Is his work and his striving il
his own particular field that give mai
, the qualifying knowledge essential t
: intelligent voting. We are as far a
possible from insisting that woman i
{ incapable of acquiring that knowl
: edge. We do insist that she can ac
e quire it only through a radical reor
4 ganization of society which wonlC
e condemn her TO do mems tasks. Z
p bear mems burdens. But if the wo
s men we're 70 take up mans duties
e who is TO assume the womens duties
S Both are honorable. both bring thei
r rewards. one is as necessary as tn
y other. for both are indispensable [
i society. And women would be pre-
d foundly affected by taking up man
?, labors. It would inevitably be
r roughening process. women would b
e changed, and not for the better.
d there be those who would contcn
y that women must become less VIC
l. manly, that they should become mas
{, culine in thought and feeling an
ID temperament. they will not admit IN
n force of this argument: neither wi
i'd they openly admit that they wonl
81 like 10 see women become more lib
y, men. But without that transform,
"a ;ion women cannot qualify for III
n, vote as men qualify. and there is n
Nc other way TO acquire the Qualifc;
'e tion. The effect upon women is on
10 of the consequences most TO I
At dreaded.
ST No upright and decent man desir,