Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-01-25
SAYSLADY ASTOR|S
EARRING INFLUENCE
Critic Declares Woman's Pres
cnce Is Uncomfortable in
House of Commons.
CAUSES OPINIONS REACTION
Sense of Congruity" Rebels
Against Unwonted Spectacle,
1t Is Alleged.
ny LORD HUGH CECIL, N. r.

ny LORD HUGH CECIL, N. T..
LONDON. Jan. 24.-One of the most
1,n 5,,ei,s,S events OF this session OF
of the first woman membcr-Lady
Nancy Aston
The member for Plymouth is quite
the notice that has boon taken OF her
by the press. The press. indeed, treats
her much as q monthly nurse does a
baby. calling attention to all the nor
,aai acts OF new member as though
thoy were stupcndous cccentricities.
Eut apart from the individual char
acteriStics Of the now member there
is more Legitimate field Of public in
ter.st in considering how far women
are rightly admitted TO the House OF
Commons.
do no, think am mistaken In
d woman in Parliament has produced
certain reaction OF opinion among
a,PeE sar7 ~I3y 81 e9 a5S
1919 was passed. and the barrier ex-
Guiding women rom the House Of Com
mons was overthrown.
.Drcach of Tradition
There seems startling breach OF
Tradition In the Presence OF woman
IN the House. and the sense OF con,
by actual experience than p imagin
alton. rebels against the unwoutcd
spectacle. DouDtiess much OF thus is
mere novelty; but IL is. OF coursc, true
that a great breach OF the tradition
OF Parliament has taken place.
10 note that. II Lady Astor had sat in
tho House OF Commons Of the Model
Parliament IN tho year 1898. IL is not
her sex that would have seemed TO
our medieval ancestors her most sur
prisinsly inconEruous characteristic to
lnernOership OF the House OF Commons.
the realm
Two Distinct Classes.
According TO Ia. ancient theory Of
The British Constitution. the subjects
f,F Inc St,t. 81 iSst don TINT de-
finite and mutually exclusive parts
peers and co;nnoncrs. Both have the
aad. accordingly, any one who Is not
peer is tried by common Jury. even
Tor felony and treason. But peers arc
oncnses, because only members OF tho
House OF Lords are their equals.
And i I'M, rule a.s app'es ye not 9ny 10
.Aato- committed a murder she would
be tried by the House CT Lords al
OF Commons-an inconsistency whc h
would have seemed to the medieval
;ntnd quite shSek:nS pui ,oe sg,a is n1
mcmbtr Of the House.
Tho truth il that membership OF an
assembly raises quite different qucs-
ton from the general question OF the
ntncss OF women Tor political work.
Equality of the Sexes.
II IS 4 great misfortune that in all
tho long Controversy that took place
about womens suffrage and the po!iu-
cal and civil rights OF women a,tcn-
ton was concentrated almost entirely
on barren and unsatisfactory dispute
about what WAS called the equality OF
the sexes.
because in truth human beings arc so
ar.ousiy unequal that there is not
great advantage IN an inquiry hoy
much oi the inequality arises from diff
ference OF scX, and how much from
difference OF individual charactcris-
IT is. OF course, true tina, Tor some
purposes men. and for some purposes
women are commonly more eiicient
many exceptions even 10 those gen
ordinations that they have only lin
!tci Importance.
Pnriin snentnry Talent.
So far as 9crsonal capa asy goes
should not sit in tho House OF Com
mons. Probably the genera! level OF
parliamentary talent is a good deal
lower among women than among men:
out that there are quite a number OF !
exceptional women who are much litter
VINO actually attain to that distinction.
Accordinsly. i The question .i is to
Se decided on the ield OF sGualiiy OF
which side will obtain the victory.
ISu, when you are dealing with Inein-
borne In mind that one of the mos,
Important functions of membership IS
the influence which each member exer-
cises upon the other members.
TO import. therefore, woman as
member of the House OF Commons is to
do something utterly different from
giving tina, woman vote. when |
woman votes in poll ing booth her
sex has no particular signi',chnce' t9r
IKE membership. is essentially
relative.
Importance OF Sex.
The sex OF one person has only
meaning and Importance in relation to
person, tbereforc, Is acting alone, his
oc her sex matters little. But when
So ION, NIX hS sexes in an ASSEMBLY sex
the relation of member to member is
resnec, to the whole to which they be
fiuence of tho relation between men
and women In respect to their sexes
TO introduce; therefore, women into
ment of confusion.
The whole process Of putting minds
corporate judgment may be formed is
disturbed and confused. The reaction
of thought; sentiment and passion of
women is essentially different. because
OF tho influence that one sex always
has upon the other.
"ScI Influence Inevitable,
Agreement between a man or q
woman or disagreement between a
man and woman are different things
tween two men or between two women.
They are complicated by the inevitable
influence OF sex.
Nothing can really be more silly or
slovenly minded than to say that be-
cause woman has vote she must
also sit In the House of Commons
The two questions are utterly dis.
tinct. One turns upon the sufifciency
of her capacity for giving a vote; tho
other turns not only in the sufficiency
Of her capacity to sit in the House Of
Commons, hut also, and much more i'm
nortant upon the influence that the
other and therefore. upon the corpo-
rate sense of an assembly In which
both men and women sit.
For myself, therefore. notwithstand-
ing the interesting personality OF the
new member. ] regret the result Of tho
Plymouth election, and earnestly hope
that no other constituency will fol-
low the example OF Plymouth.
Thief Abandon- Stolen Beer.
ZION CITY ILL, Jan. 2t.---A thief
10 BIO successful must be devoid of q
guilty conscience. This was tho weak
ness Of a man who stole two SEES of