Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-02-16
Women Should Mind Their Own eusi-
ness.

Edward ]. Ward, adviser of the civic
and social center development Of the
University of Wisconsin, has said and
written some things concerning the
duty Of women to mind their own
business" that are Of especial interest
to the lawmakers of Maine at this time.
Some Of these sayings may appeal to
those who oppose equal suffrage, be-
cause all the argument they have Is
that women should mind their own
business"
Mr.. Ward says:
I'm the old days. when mans sphere
amounted to something. when prac-
tically all of them spent most Of their
time in war, government consisted of
councils Of war" for devising meth
DDS of doing harm. Then government
was mans business and for women to
participate in it would have been to
take up the work of men. But as we
have come away from barbarism, as
this sphere of mans activity has
shrunken and fallen into disrepute,
government has become more and more
the organization and control Of the
means of human service, the promo
ton of human welfare. In other words,
government has become more and more
the organization of womans sphere.
Man should have a voice in this.
for in spite of the age-old habit Of self
ishness ard hostility. developed
through thousands of years Of prac-
tice in hurting people. which tends to
make him carry on even the useful &C
tivities which telong to woman's
sphere with something of the war mo-
tive and manner, and with a good deal
Of the old gambling practice mixed in,
, and which makes it hard for him to
think in terms of the common welfare,
he is the child of his mother and he
has III him a finer element, latent ca
pacity for constructive united service.
Yes, mon should have some voice in
regulating and controlling the indus
tries, the education of children and all
the matters relating to the welfare of
the camp. that is, Of society.
But. of course. the fact that man
participates does not limit the pri-
mary responsibility Of woman in this
sphere. She started this business of
human service She can no more
shirk her share in the ordering and
control of society. in the mutual inter-
! service which we call government
without shir'5iDe her duty as woman
than in the old days she could shirk
the dutv of preparing the food and
! making the camp n pleasant. well-or-
! derAd, clean place in which to live.
! Women then should mind their own
! business. That is, women should vote
in the modern government, for this is
their proper sphere. except in it's de-
structive. anti-Social, military express
sion. which has gone from local and
city and State affairs and will be gone
/ from national affairs as soon as we get
! sense enough to put through a few
world bargains such as the neutraliza-
ton Of the Panama Canal, provided an
international parliament with an inter
rational police force is established al
The Hague.
And men ought also to vote in the
modern government, is spite of the fact
that this IS women's sphere. because
well, because any number of reasons
! they pay taxes the same as women dc
and they should have a voice in saw
ing how their money shall be spent
i they have to submit to the laws Just
as women do, and they should have
| something to say in framing those
laws: and anyway. it would not be
honest for us to have a government by
a sex when we pretend to have a dem
! ocr1cv"