The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-12-08
EN[ MY
OF FEMALE SEX,
SAYS GIBBONS
Cardinal Declares Vote RObS Wom-
an of Grace and Character
DETRIMENT TO NATION AND RACE
Political Life Has Not Been Benefited
or Purified by Woman
Suffrage.

Washington, Dec. S.-The first ma.
tional gathering OF women opposed to
woman suffrage was opened here yes
terday with addresses by Maj-Gen
Leonard Wood, Miss Mabel T. Board.
man, member of the American Red
Cross central committee and Mrs
Arthur M. Dodge of New York, presi-
dent of the national association oppos-
ed to woman suffrage, under whose
call the convention is held Cardinal
Gibbons sent a special message and
former Senator Elihu Root of New
York York had prepared a paper to be
read on the constitutional phases of
the proposed equal suffrage amend
ment. Relief work done for the Red
Cross by auti-suffrage' organizations
was Miss BOardmans S subject.
Cardinal Gibbons sent a message
deprecating woman suffrage, which
was read. The cardinal declared: The
insistence on a right of participation
in active political life is undoubtedly
calculated to rob woman of her grace
OF character and give her nothing in
return but masculine boldness and eff
frontery. Any occupation, however
alluring in its specious pretense,
which draws woman's attention from
her most exalted duties of mother
hood will result in detriment to the ma
tion and the race.
"As far as ] have observed, it ap-
pears that woman suffrage to the ex-
tent that it has been granted in this
country has not changed the result
of the election There has been a
larger vote but the results have been
the same as they would have been if
women had not voted. Thus it seems
that our political life has not been
benefited or purified by the entrance
OF woman into the political arena,
though the domestic life OF those en-
gagged in this political work must have
been neglected or at least impaired.
81 regard "woman's rights women
and the leaders OF the new school of
female progress as the worst enemies
of the female SEX" continued Cardi-
nal Gibbons. Il wish | could inn
press on American women the dan
gers that would attach to such limo
vations.
The most precious, undeveloped as
set of any nation is its children. An
all-wise God through the law of Ma
ture has committed this precious
treasure in special manner to the
mother Women cannot vote intelli-
gently unless they give time to an in
telligent study of political questions,
and all such time taken from the
household will be injurious to the fu-
ture generation. without giving to the
present generation any appreciable
benefit in the purifying of the ballot.
when | deprecate female suffrage
| am pleading for the dignity of wom-
an, am contending for her honor.
am striving to perpetuate those peer
less prerogatives inherent in her sex
those charms and graces which exalt
and make her the orna-
ment and coveted companion of man.
Woman is queen. indeed. but her en-
pire is the domestic kingdom. The
greatest political triumphs she could
achieve in public fade into insignih-
canoe compared with the serene glory
which radiates from the domestic
shrine and which she illuminates and
warns by her conjugal and motherly