The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-03-07
Daughters Of the Poor

Daughters Of the Poor
A woman friend of mine was walk |
ing OF the principal street of one OF the |
principal towns of California some |
time ago when she overheard two |
girls in front of her talking with evil
dent enthusiasm about some woman
of wealth in the community.
''She is a perfect lady," remarked
one of them to the other, with zest
of appreciation which her companion
apparently shared. "She treats her
help like the dirt under her feet"
The girls were quite plainly of the
working class, and they were nightly
impressed with this demonstration of
gentility on the part of woman who
proved her own superiority by treat
ing her help like the dirt under her
feet"
Is it any wonder that the so-called
upper classes" treat the poor with
such disdan and self-complacent con-
descension when the poor themselves
are filed with such stupid notions of
the treatment which is their due?
And how much better than the Henry
Dubbs who grovel at the feet OF their
masters are the daughters and wives
of workingmen who are eagerly ambi-
tious to be parasitical snobs them
selves?
A No IN
foremost preachers OF England, or
perhaps she wrote to him, appealing
pathetically on behalf of her faith
in God" How can | believe in the
goodness of God" she moaned, when
my own son is bayoneted in the face,
and left dying on the field of hattle?p
Let us not deny this brokenIhearted
mother a throb of sympathy for the
tragedy which has darkened her life
But before we go further and trouble
ourselves to defend the goodness OF
God" may 1t not be well to inquire
what this woman's son was doing on
the field OF battle? Had he gone out
to bayonet some other mothers son?
And If so, and If he had gone with
his mothers consent and patriotic
dedication OF her child to his bloody
task why should she complain at God
because her boy had been given
dose Of the medicine which he went
out prepared to give to another?
No, ! Am Not brutal and / am
not wanting in sympathy for the poor
and the afflicted. But am very weary
of the way in which people will com
plain of circumstances, Providence,
and the goodness of God" for trou-
bles which come upon them through
their own stupid allegiance to the sys-
tom that makes them sufferers and
slaves. If they drink poison is the
Almighty to be blamed because it
does not lie in their stomaehs as harm
lessly as milk2 III they lie down for
| other people TO tread on them why
find fault with the nails in the OPP
| pressors' shoes? 2a al'
The women OF the world could stop
war tomorrow If they would. instead
of this they are so eager for the pa.
triotism" Of pride and greed and graft
and violence that 1t is boosted a mil
lion women will enlist for prepared
| ness" in the United States under the
leadership of the Army and Navy
League A million daughters OF
Henry Dubhs. Just rs stupid as the
men who have no eyes for their own
interests but will give time and
strength and fife Itself to fasten the
chains more securely upon themselves.
A million white women just as crassly
Ignorant of what they are doing as
were the old negroes who held their
masters stirrups while those same
masters mounted to go out and fight
to perpetuate negro slavery.
Women Could stop war at home,
and war abroad If they would. They
Won't stop them as long as they fol
low the stupid ways in which men
have walked, and do no thinking of
their own Neither will they deserve
or get any better than the male Henry
Dubb has received of the rulers of
society and politics as long as they
are eager to be snobs and parasites
themselves, and willing to bring heart.
break to other women who merely
happen to live on the other side of
some imaginary geographical line, and
speak slightly different tongue.
Feminine patriotism" is just as
shallow and sordid and selfish at bot
tom and just as ruinous to the larger
interests Of life as is the male brand
of the same lying stuff. Neither de-
mocracy nor humanity wait upon sex.
and there is no real freedom or abid.
ing happiness for any of us till all OF
us give just what we would like to
get. And what We give we are going
to get whether we like it or not
Robert Whitaker