The Washington times., 1920-08-23
WRITER SAYS VOTE
IS W0MAN'S DUTY
W. L. George, English Feminist,
On Visit Here, Welcomes
New Influence.

NEW YORK, Aug. 23.-"If | were
to offer advice to American women
which would be impertinent Of me, of
course-I would say, Remember that
the winning Of the ballot is only the
beginning OF the struggle. We hear
so much OF the right Of women to
vote. To the deuce with anybody's
rights! The vote Is not right, 1t is
a duty"
This was the reply OF w. l.. George,
the English feminist and novelist,
when asked by a reporter to comment
on the passage of the suffrage amend
ment. Mr.. George arrived in America
on the day of Tennessee's ratification,
for a six months tour of the country
and study OF its problems, particu-
larly its woman problem. He was
interviewed yesterday at the Hotel
Commodore.
wOMAN's INFLUENCE GOOD.
1.-The influence of women in politics
is good, l think, on the whole" he
continued. Men and women have
different faults, which more or less
average up. but women have a GER
tain idealism which is valuable. In
America the question of the ballot
is probably not so important as in
Europe, for here the economic and
social freedom of women has been
pretty well won already. The women
were perfectly right to demand the
vote, as matter of mere self-respect.
But the important point was to de.
mand that they should not be exclud-
ed from the performance of their du-
ties of citizenship.
1--WE are building new world
since the war. 1t Is not going to be
very different world from the olo
one. but it will be little better, and
the problem the American woman
now faces Is to fit herself to play
her proper part in 1t. You have in
this country the largest block of
white women anywhere in the world,
except in Russia. The influence of
| such a mass can be very great, and,
for that reason, it is most important
to preserve the women's organiza-
tions as instruments of education and
influence. The single vote Is valua-
tle, but the power Is in the organized
vote"
HIS PICTURE OF AMERICA.
The English novelist said he came
to this country with a shadow picture
of the nation, its people, society, man
ners, morals and institutions ready
formed in his mind from his reading
of American fiction.
But judging America from that
picture" he said, "is like trying to
judge a man from his shadow. The
shadow is very like the man, but IL
needs filling in as to detail and color
That Is what l am trying to do on my
American trip"
Asked for some OF the impressions
of America CLEANED from American
fiction, Mr.. George rolled off a series
Of short, sharp picture flashes:
american women are represented
as rather sexless by the American
novelist"
american temperament appears to
be a peculiar combination of ruthless.
ness and softness of heart: Of vigor-
Gus love. hate and protest And above
all, there seems to be a strong desire,
| a will to power running through the
American character. To sum up: Big
vices and big virtues, with little in
the way of minor keys"
Mr.. George, in at least one respect
Is unusual among preseht-day English
writers. That is, in the variety OF
occupations that he has followed.
II have been trained as an analyti-
cal chemist, engineer, soldier and
business man." he said. Finally /
took up journalism, in 1907, and since
then have written on almost every
thing, from the art of the trouba-
dours' to the finance of railways
l am particularly interested in femin-
ism and kindred subjects, marriage
and divorce problems and sex mat
ters. suppose may be credited
with what some people call advanced
IDEAS"