The broad ax., 1921-02-26

meeting link between man and the
brute. That is Oriental civilization.
Milton paints animal life freeing it,
self from the clouds, and tells Us, you
reeolleet, Of the tawny lion, with his
name and forefeet liberated, paving to
get free his hind parts; so the mental
has gradually freed itself from the in
eumbranee Of the animal, and we come
around to a society based on thought
based on soul. What is the RESULT
Why, il would be idle to say that there
woman is man = equal Her intellect
summoned literature into being. Al
most as a reader she has demanded that
| Il shall be decent. Aad now she takes
her pen as a writer (here he quotes
names of women) and controls the
world, as the seepter of genius al
ways controls it, no matter what lips,
male or female, Gods living coal has
touched. We grant by our laws that
women may be taxed; therefore, on re-
publican principles, you must grant
that she ought TO have voice IN fix
ing the laws Of taxation. But men
say: ''woman is not fit to vote; she
does not know enough; she has not
sense enough to discriminate" I take
this idea of the ballot as the Gibraltor
of our claim.
The rule of despOtism is that one
class is made to protect the other; that
the rich, the noble and the educated
are a sort of Probate Court, to take
care of the poor, the ignorant and the
common classes. Our fathers got rid
of all that They held that no class
is safe, unless government is so ar
ranged that each class has in its own
hands the means of protecting itself.
The Briton says to the poor man: ''Be
content, I am worth five millions and
I viii protect you" America says,
"Thank you, sir; had rather take
care of myself" "
That is the essence of democracy. 1
1t is too late to say that she cannot
go to the ballot box. Go back to
Turkey and shut her up in a harem;
60 back TO Greece and shut her up in
the private apartments Of women; 90
back to the old Oriental phases Of
civilization that never allowed woman 3
eyes 70 light a man s pathway, unless
he owned her. There is a question in
the ballot box: the question-is of some
homeless wife of n drunkard; the ques-
tion is of some ground down daughter
Of toll whose earnings are filehed from
her by selfshness which the law makes
to have a right over her in the person
Of a husband who does her voting.
Give a hundred women honest wages
For capacity and toll, and ninety-nine
viii disdain TO win it by vice. That
S the cure for heentiousness. Let the /,
educated girl Of 20 have the same lib
'rty to use the pen, to practice law,
% write books, to serve in a library, {.
o tend in a gallery Of art, to do any !,
hing that her brother can do"
Since the period of that lecture the :.
'rogress Of woman has been phe-
Iomenal.
1t was asserted by an admirer of
Wendell Phillips a
That he had the skill of an Orpheus g
7 to soften the brute; q
The fire of Prometheus to kindle e.
mankind: a
granny listening sat melted and mute, a
Slavery sank seorehed from the o.
glance" In
Mr.. O'Brien's lecture was received a,
18th applause by the large attendance. =
ssistant States Attorney Charles c.
oe, is Chairman of the Speakers
ommittee of the Club and on each
-Onday night at Dwight's Hall, 3O6 E.
'rd street, some speaker is introduced
inform and entertain the members.
ter the regular business is completed.