Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-12-08
WHAT Is A LADY?
QUERY OF SUFFRAGTSTS
Reply to Challenge Boldly Flung
From anti" Both at Schaff
Civic Bazaar
PREFER WORD "woMAN'

what every sufrrarist wants 10 know
about this time s. what from the anti
viewpoint constitutes a LADY,
4 tiny remark. but Of IN exceedingly
incondary nature was made in the anti
booth ~ the recent Schafr civic Bazaar.
Things were pretty tame and q bold anti
up and nunE this challenge AZ a suifragist
sister who CHANGED TO wander out ot her
own precinct into the rival camp
The rank aud nle NJ the surrraht lists are
not ladies' The leaders are ladies' but the
great majority " suffragsts are not
The remark has circulated and from one
ot tolerant amusement the attitude ~ the
Sunrngists has changed to one of consuming
curiosity
What is LADY, Does being q member
ot the common herd n mere rank and
hlcr exclude one from "ladyhuod'2 or has
lady become q vulgar term. lcss preferable
TO the generic word woman
WOMAN" GREATER THAN LADY"
1t would seem 70 me-" said Mrs George
\. punn,uE, chairman ot the Woman SUI
frage party that tho statement that the
rank and nle of the Woman suffrage party
are not ladies' ia a great compliment for
we are better than nero ladies' the dcvcl-
opmcut ~ lady being only a question ut
education and environment. We are women
with widor vision striving earnestly FOR
better things by asking for Our share OF
responsibility all along the line I have
always liked Tennysons verse:
ASi S"a smss nSari, t;s a." ,S more ban c2rSnS;t S
Or Eleanor NJ Etcistand Moore. although
one OF the leaders In suffrage activities in
Philadelphia, doubts H. according to the
strct anti meaning, she can be claascd ns
II lady.
Peoples opinions dlncr" she said. "as
"A ttIN /
sons who think they are ladies. whCna-n9
understand the term-they are not ladies'.
lady never gives oGrcnsc-uor does she
take lt-unless Il is Intended She In not
'catty' person. gossip, nor ~ she n
scandal al-monger The code of ethics and
the code OF breeding are the same. when
the good Saxon term lady was adopted
the standard OF breeding was negligible
and manners primitive Ladies ate with
their fingers, did their hair about once q
week aud slept au nnturcl
WHAT CIVILIZATION HAS DONE
The growth " civilization resulted in
a change NJ connotntipn of the word lady
| There IN misty sort Of notion prevalent
now In the minds uf some that To- bN q
lady one must live apart from the common
| herd In an atmosphere OF violet sachct and
lingerie ribbons In the candle light of SO
cial eNclusivencss. where the thruh OF the
great worlds heart is never heard Such
"A person may be gentle but surely not a
lady for her heart and symp1thics have
not yet been COnsecrated to humanity and
she has not yet become what We call colo
qulally "a good mixer
Certainly the rank and file of the wom'
AN Suffrage party are not ladies, Some OF
us are only near ladies' though we hope
| to improve as God gives us grace. Some
OF us are stll at the bridge playing stage
ten'drinking ovcrfond Of frills given 10
powderlng our noses thinking chiefly OF our
own pleasure and our own little worlds
But give us time and-givc us suffrage
Then we shall at least have chance 10
broaden our sympathEcs and become more
truly noble women among whom the dis
tinctou OF lady may bc-as. indeed, II
should be-vulgar and superiluous."