Newspaper Page Text
Washington's fffew to Decorate the Tabie Page by JUSTICE DAVID J. BREWER, of the United States Supreme Court m wm mm I ?s BUT NOT BY METHODS OF ENGLISH SUFFRAGETTES Ballots Will Not Prevent Babies. Quality of Offspring Pre ferable to Quantity. The Lioness and the Hare fT fl 1HE question of female suffrage, II like the ghost of Banquo, will II - not down. To some, it is only . a shade, from the nether world ; while, to others, it is as one of the white-robed celestial beings who ap peared to Peter, James and John on the mountain top. : . Turning from the supernatural to the real, it is now a living, practical ques : tion. It has passed beyond the days of ridicule, -and we hear no more of its advocates as short-haired women and long-haired men. It is being considered . by thoughtful men and .women, ani mated by the desire of doing that which . shall be for the best interests of all. Speaking abstractly, it is difficult to . see how the capacity to vote, and to vote . wisely, depends on the mere matter of sex, or that that fact alone decides for or against female .suffrage. Yet not llways does abstract right determine the . question of wisdom or availability. A scheme may seem logically correct and ' perfect, and yet upon trial prove a fail ure, .'John Locke drafted a form of : government for one of the Southern colonies, which, on the face of it, ap peared to be wise and just, yet it failed f success. The consent of the gov erned, affirmed in the Declaration of In dependence, is not always of immediate application. By the late amendments to the national constitution, the emancipated slaves were made citizens and given the right of suffrage, yet it has always been a question whether the latter grant was then the part of wisdom for them or the nation The inhabitants of the Philip pine Islands were brought under our control. Full suffrage was not granted to them, and the matter is still one for fair discussion whether now or, if not now,, how soon, it should be granted. Indeed, looking at other nations, we find " that in manv of them the neonle are not yet capable of self-government. They have not the respect for legal proceedings, the self-restraint which is necessary to make safe and efficient gov ernment of and by the people. . So it is a practical question whether the grant ing to-day of full female suffrage will inure to the benefit of the sex or the States, and thoughtful men are watch ing those States to see its effects upon their political life Objections are raised, not flippantly but seriously, and to be seriouslv con sidered.' One crows out of the fact that. in many States, tne franchise bas been granted to women in respect only to educational matters. We naturally think that nothing would be of more vital importance to , them than that which affects their children, and that they would everywhere take part in educa tional questions and show their inter est by participation in the ballot; yet it Is true that they have not responded as folly as was expected. Thus, while there were about 700,000 women authorized to vote in Massachusetts on school ques tions, the number actually voting fell Irons 18483 in 1906 to 13.610 in 1907. In one hundred and eighty-nine towns, ..where 3,600 women were registered, not a single woman voted. ' In Cleveland, Ohio, the number of registered voters diminished from 6,681 in 1904 to 3,179 in 1907. They seem to have thought the . partial ballot not worthy of their at- ' tendon, and the argument is that if educational interests do not appeal to - them sufficiently to bring out their at tendance at the polls, they will also fail if the full franchise is granted. Many of our English sisters are striv ing to secure the ballot, but the means which, according to the papers, they take would not be tolerated here, and, to say the least, are-offensive. We want no "fighting Amazons"; no gathering of women to break up a political meeting, PARTY AN UNIQUE SUCCESS Patriotic Decorations and Humorous Exhibits Make Novel Afternoon's Entertainment for February 22d fhe pleasure of Miss Eunice Clark's) . presence is cordially requested at a patriotic exhibition of Washington ' Relics, to be displayed at 45 Stan hope Square on the afternoon of February 22d from 4 till 7 o'clock. is VEN those who knew the host- fLj ess most intimately had never U m neara tnat she oossessed anv . treasures in the way of me mentoes of the Father of' His Country, and curiosity was rife among the in vited guests. , Where could she have secured the famous things -in sufficient quantity to form an exhibition ? Was it by special loan from a museum or from some friend owning a collection, or how? At the door of the living- room through which the boys and girls caught glimpses of walls delightfully trimmed with tissue paper in buff and blue, stood a young lady beating a lively rub-a-dub on a small drum suspended round her neck. She was most picturesque in a Continental cocked hat wfth a baldric of tricolor worn over .her white dress. Each guest passing in received a small blank book covered in b'ue and deco rated with a tiny head of Washington. The lettering, which read "Catalogue of the Relics," was in buff. ' As, with the j . c .1 1 11., .. , aiu uiwc DooKicis, guests oegan to idiscover and to : understand the differ ent entries, bursts of laughter rang out pn all sides. or to force their way against the efforts of the police into the hails of legislation. They must appeal . to the American's sense of justice and belief in the bene ficial effects of woman's suffrage. They cannot here force their way to the ballot. It is said that the sex, as a body, is opposed to the granting of the franchise. Associations of women have been formed in different States, claiming that they believe female suffrage would be an in jury to them; that their welfare is pro moted by making the home more secure and more fully under their control, rather than by participation in public life. Beyond the open, direct opposition of these associations, is a general indiffer ence, of a large majority of the sex. They do not seem to care for it; they look upon the effort to obtain it as mere political clatter, adding that where it has been granted it is treated as only a toy. I lately read in a magazine an article by a woman describing a visit to Cheyenne, Wyoming, and what she saw take place on election day. Car- ... ..... . " Justice David riages were sent in every direction to bring the, women to the polls, and they came dressed in their best clothes. The whole thing was treated as quite a so cial affair and Seemed to have been made a sort of picnic. In this connection may be noticed some of the legislative and popular action out side of the four States named. In Ore gon in 1000 the popular maioritv against woman's suffrage was only 2,137 ; in 1906, 10,173; ana m 190s, 21,812. the latest born of the States, Oklahoma, refused to put woman's suffrage in its constitu tion. In 1907 the legislatures of six teen States defeated bills for woman's suffrage, and again in 1908 similar action was taken in eight States, and by no The first relic, placarded "Exhibit 1," .was an American flag, made, it was noticed, with only thirteen stars on the blue ground. This was tacked on the wall with a white sheet as a back ground. The explanation in the cata logue read, "The Flag of General George Washington. This beautiful ban ner became Washington's (and ours) in 1777. It has been in the family ever since, though more stars have been added." Exhibit 2 was a tiny cherry tree of the kind sold in all novelty stores and toy departments at this time of the year. The explanation in the catalogue read, "This tree belonged to the great man's father. It was cut down by George at an early age, and was never afterwards separated from him." A little farther on the laughing guests found Exhibit 3. This was a map (specially drawn), the principal outlines of which resembled the boun daries of the Thirteen Original States. Towns and rivers were given the for mer as they now exist but the names of the States themselves were omitted, for a reason which appeared later on in the entertainment. Instead of a name, each State was identified with a number. This "exhibit" was labeled "View of the United States Just After the Revolutionary War." ' Exhibit 4 was a toy cannon, mounted on a mall table with a heap- of red, white and blue balls beside it. The two Continental soldiers, bought in a nov elty shop, stood be;ir "J legislature was affirmative action taken except tnat ot outn JUakota. Further, it is urged that there. are some duties incumbent upon citizenship which women could not discharge, others the discharge of which would often be embarrassing, and still otners in which they would likely be more influenced by sympathy than justice. But this is true to no small extent of both sexes. Old age relieves the man from military, fire man and juror services. So do sick ness and physical injuries. Sympathy does not always blind the judgment. Is not a masculine juror fully as likely to be influenced by the pretty face and tears of a woman litigant as a feminine juror would be by anything in the appearance on conduct of a male party to an ac tion? My experience 'tells me that the most dangerous adversary a man has in a law suit is an attractive woman. And is sympathy, especially in criminal mat ters, always an enemy of justice? "The quality of mercy is not strained," and "mercy seasons justice." Are we sure that our rigid criminal laws and their equally rigid administration are perfect? Is not reformation as much an object of the law as punishment? Is not mother love . one of the strongest forces in a mans lite? And may we not well be lieve that woman's gentle touch upon our criminal law in all its varied processes of administration will do more for the criminal's reformation than masculine rigor and adherence to the letter . of the statutes? What man is doing more, if J. Brewer. as much, for human betterment "h: Miss Jane Addams of Chicago? II womanly sympathy does not blind In judgment, and multitudes feel that thei. uplift in life is due to her. Further in favor of female suffrage is the belief that it will tend to cleanse the pdlls and purify politics. It is asked who is doing most effective work in ele vating the character of our public schools, in cleaning and improving" th: appearance of cities, in suppressing in temperance and vice ? And if all femi nine strength can be brought into activ effort, will not the result be a wonderfi: change for the better? It is said, it i; true, in response to this, that the action: of the women reformers show a radical The catalogue read, "The firearms of Washington's day were extremely crude compared with those of our own times, but the patriotism of '76 made up for what the colonies lacked in point of weapons and armament. The balls in this exhibit are of modern date. Please A Center-piece Suitable for a Young Folks' Feast where Fun will Beign Supreme Gives a View of the Father of his Country Cross ing the Delaware with a Boat-load of Cherries. The needed Articles are Comparatively Few, Comprising a Mirror, a Few Fr-ras, a Toy Boat, a Doll Dressed in Colonial oCostume, and Cherries and Leaves that Xay be Either Artificial or Candied. . do not handle.' (Cannon and balls I ism so intense as to be retroactive and destructive : that instead of using such remedies as are reasonable and mod erate, they attack vice in a way that offends and will ultimately do more harm than good. But will not experience tend to correct this evil? Again, it is said that there is daily growing a strength of character which comes not a little from familiarity with public affairs, and that out of that strength of character will be developed a greater capacity for improving public life and morals, and that they will, as the days go by, realize that voting is a duty and not a pastime. Mere voting may not give the needed qualities, but as thev more and more take part in public affairs much of ob jection to the franchise will disappear, and unless human nature in the one sex is different from that in the other, the very effort they make in these several directions will develop .day by day a greater ability to do thai which is wise, to act with moderation and yet with firm ness, and to bring about the better day which we all believe is coming. More than that, the- heart ot the sex is against the terrible destructions of war; they will be found a mighty po litical force in favor of the settlement of international disputes by arbitration, and against the resort to the sword or the musket. Indeed, when universal female suffrage comes, it may be affirmed that the ironclad will be seen only in pictures and known only in his tory. The sweet song ' of the angels about the manger at Bethlehem will be come the universal song of humanity. But putting all the arguments pro and con together, 'whatever may be the ab stract right, the real question is a prac tical one. How does woman's suffrage work when tried? In this nation four States. Colorado. Utah, Wyoming and Idaho, have granted hill suffrage, and m at least the first three of them it has been in existence, long enough for sub stantial results. - The conditions of life in them differ, and doubtless that differ ence may affect the full signiacance of the results. One thing- is true of alL There has been no organized effort to repeal the grant. Whatever may be iso lated opinions, the general mass of the voters are satisfied. Indeed, few have expressed antagonistic views. A short time since the papers reported an inter view with the late governor of Colorado, in which he declared woman suffrage a failure, but he promptly denied any such interview. If the citizens of these States find nothing objectionable in woman's suffrage, a natural conclusion is that no injury has resulted therefrom. While it may be said that a general belief in the impossibility of revoking the grant may lave prevented any organized effort in hat direction, yet certainly the men and .vomen in those States are not so timid s to fear giving expression to their -lews, ana we snouia nave neara sucn xpression and the reasons therefor. It 3 true that this silence may be some what in the nature of negative testimony, but it is not without weight. Especially s this true when the declarations ot its riends in its favor are many and strong. Doubtless some opposition may come rom persQnal ambition and expectation eieated by the action ot tne women oters. Thus Judge Lindsay, of the uvenile Court in Denver, who has at- racted much attention by his good work n that Court, after having been denied renommation by each ot the great po- :ical parties, came out as an inde i ... ndent candidate and was elected f -inly, it is said, by the votes of wom- who appreciated his labors and ae " 1 . 1 ' .1 . . . 1.. -t t . iy should not be deprived of the bene-r- of his judgment and experience. It ould be strange if the defeated candi--tes did not feel and express them Ives against woman's suffrage. But i'cir complaint is really testimony to its I'lie. ' The relative number ofithe two sexes, tt; industries and some other matters de serve consideration. The census of 1900 that of 1910 not having as yet been -n.n sives to Wyoming 58,184 males and 34,347 females, or a total of 92,531 ; that of Colorado, 295,332 males and 244,- man executed in crayon on a large square of muslin and stretched taut in a disused picture frame. This was de scribed as "Portrait of ' Washington at the- Time of His First Presidency, 1 789-1793. ! Artist unknown." Exhibit 6 was a collection of "dolls' J tanA? from a strir" r-o'rv" T 368 females, a total of 539,700; of Utah, 141,687 males and 135,062 females, or in all 276,749; in Idaho were 93,367 males, 68,405 females, or a total of 161,772. Thus in each of the States was a preponder ance of males, in Wyoming and Idaho a large preponderance. I recall nothing in the lives of these States since that census to call for any great change in the rela tive proportions of the two sexes. . ?ZiJ&. "'ijVgj . - llrs. Clarence H. Wyoming .is chiefly an agricultural ana sio..v-raising istate, wuh no large commercial city and comparatively little manufacturing or mining. Public schools open to both sexes abound and a gen eral intelligence prevails among both. It is not strange therefore that little aggressive spirit is shown by the female voter; that there is a community of thought and purpose between husband and wife, man and woman. Yet it is worthy of notice that there has been little of the commercial element and, no scandal in its political life. , It is not un reasonable to believe that this is some what due to the feminine element, which, though relatively small, would be prompt to antagonize any effort of bad men to secure office or grasp for undue privilege. Certainly, so far as can be seen, female suffrage has worked no harm to and probably been a wholesome restraint up on the political life of the State. In Utah the relative proportion of the sexes is much closer than that of Wy oming. The significant feature of its life is the Mormon church. As woman is more religious than her brother, the dominance of church control over her is greater than over him. Indeed, it has often been said that female suffrage was brought about by the rulers of the Mormon church in the belief that there by its control, of politics in Utah would be made more secure. Be that as it may, it is clear : that, when that suffrage is largely a part of the machinery of a church, it is helpful or hurtful as. the interests of that church seem to its lead ers to demand. Its results cannot be considered a fair test, such as will be found where her action is free from church control. The fulness of that control in Utah is evident from the fact that, after the alleged revelation to Brigham Young, the women freely ac cepted polygamy. Of Idaho little can be said. So short a time has elapsed since the grant that results cannot well .'be estimated. Co7ora'1r is the significant State. While males preponderate, the prepon- eral Braddock's disastrous expedition against Fort Duquesne, , where he scorned the good advice of his youth ful aide Washinprton, and lost his life." The different. frolics arranged for the afternoon programme began with some novel cannon practice. Tt,' -" -! loaded with the - 1. i 1 deration is comparatively small. It has a large commercial city, another a man facturing center, while mining is a large industry. It has a large population as compared with the other suffrage States, both actually and relatively to her area. There is to be found in at least two cities the congestion of population, which gives rise to some of the most trouble some questions of the day. It has led Mackay of TSvw York. quite a turbulent life. More than once has the military been called out to pre serve order, and many instances of grievous outrages have been recorded. Intemperance and the social evil are abundant What under such circum stances has woman's suffrage accom plished? This is a question more easily asked than answered. Woman has not forced her way into politics, though she has held some minor offices and dis charged their duties acceptably. There is much talk of sending one of their leaders, a cultivated and practical wom an, to Congress at the next election. According to the best information I can get her influence on political life has been mainly in the way of restraint, pre venting the nomination of unworthy persons, and demanding, as in the case of Judge Lindsey, of the Juvenile Court in Denver, the election of the best man. She has not hesitated to take her part in school - matters, and her insistence has caused many improvements in the ad ministration of city affairs. She has not reformed everything. Intemperance still prevails and the social evil abounds. But large changes like' these cannot be ac complished solely by - legislation' or in a day. If the tendency of her efforts is in the right direction it is all that can be expected. To sum it up in a word. The woman's suffrage has not been hurtful. It has helped a little; perhaps more than can easily be particularized. If we look across the waters we find hat in some of the Scandinavian na tions full suffrage has been granted, while in many other European countries efforts are being made 'to bring it about. In addition must be noticed the change in the position of woman. Fifty years ago the only vocations open to her were teaching and sewing. If she were averse to these, or failed in them, the only al ternative was to marry, and then it was "any 'man, Good Lord, any man," or else to live with some relative as the generally despised old maid. But with in the last half century she has entered into active outdoor life and is no longer APPROPRIATE, ORIGINAL GAMES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE Suggestion for Decoration of the Table for Washington's Birthday Luncheons. Easy and Inexpensive As the pretty colored shot was pro jected toward the center of the room, the boys and gir's endeavored to catch it. As soon as any player had caught one ball he or she withdrew from the field, retaining, of course, what was caught. When the red, white and blue tissue paper Icoverings were stripped from the shot, it was found to consist of delicious balls of popcorn or ribbon candy, which were promptly enjoyed. Those who failed to catch a cannon ball were afforded a chance to distin guish themselves and incidentallv to win a prize in the game of the Thirteen Original States. For this litt'.e cards were distributed, having pencils attached with tri-colored ribbons, and the numbers from 1 to 13 inclusive written down the left-hand margin. The young folks drew up their chairs in a semi-circle, facing the map, which had formed Exhibit 3. Each boy and girl was now called on to identify the States by writing their names, as these were , supposed to. be opposite the numbers on the cards, for identification. Fifteen minutes was allowed for this feat. The players whp at the end of that time was found to have named the most States correctly won a prize. This was an interesting volume of stories from early American history. Then a merry scramble game, which consisted in seeing who could, blind folded, place a laurel wreath on the patriotic brows of our first president, -. Fach a necessary home-body. Not that home, has lost its charms, or that it will ever cease to be the place which she most loves and where she reigns supremej .but choice or necessity has driven her" into varied pursuits, many of them call ing for familiarity with public affairs and executive ability. You see them not only doing clerical work in offices, but acting as shop girls iff stores or laborers in a factory. Many have charge of large administrations, ar presidents of colleges, heads of corpora tions, and, indeed, engaging in almost every avocation of their brothers, and doing so with success. I have been told that the large apartment houses in Lon don are mainly in charge of women, who surpass men in the collection of rents. in the supervision of the buildings, en forcing cleanliness and preset-vine or der. - Manv a business man in this countrr has as his secretary a woman with whom he consults in his business transaction and on whose judgment he relies. mere is a host of female doctors. Women have invaded the pulpit and are pastors of many churches. They are found in the court room, and not a few are efficient and successful oracti- tioners. Indeed, it may truly be-affirmed that they have fully entered into the active life of the world. And now, what of the future? Female suffrage will come. Not fullv at once. but by varying steps. Woman's broader education, her increasing familiarity with U'usiness and public affairs, will lead to) it. And why not? A he chief reply is the home. God forbid that it should bs jeopardized, for upon it in all its fulness depends the best social life. In fact, is is the basis upon which growing human ity depends. And in it woman must eve be 'the great factor, the unchallenged queen. But female suffrage will not debase the home or lessen its power and influence. On the other hand, it will in troduce a refining and uplifting power into our political life. It will not stop marriage, neither will a higher education. The great natural laws of ur'ifceing will always assert themselves. 1 Speaking at a Vassar commencement a few "year since, I overheard one of the graduates say to two others, "I am simply dis gusted ; three-fourths of the girls are en gaged already." Evidently she was not one of the happy ones. It is to be hoped that afterwards she fared better. Bat woman, conscious of ber independence and capacity to support herself, will de mand true manhood in her husband. Children will come. However, the glory of the home will not be in the number, but in the quality of the offspring. Ractt suicide is not the worse offense. Thera is wisdom in the fable of the hare ana the lioness. The former, boasting of her litter, sneered at the latter for her single offspring. "Yes," was the reply, "but he is a lion." To load a home with so many children that the mother cannot give to each the full blessing of a moth er's care and attention is far worse tbaa race suicide. Not crime, but mutual self denial, should, and will, place reasonable limits on the number of the family group. Union in effort is the growing lesson of the times. Our first parents, guilty of a mutual sin, were, according to the alle gory in Genesis, driven out of Eden, that garden which gave man all things to live with and nothing to live for. Our great epic poet closes his immortal poem with these words: "The world was all before them, whett to choose Their place of rest and providence thei guide. They, hand in hand with wand'ring steps and slow, Through Eden took their solitary way." Hand in hand they went out of Edenj hand in hand they must enter the new paradise, grander and nobler than thm pristine Eden, because wrought out of the thorn-growing earth by the united labors of man and woman, and int which have entered; and shall enter, all of human toil and struggle, self-denial and sacrifice, hopes and aspirations, faith and worship. , girl or boy in turn had a handkerchief bound over his eyes and was given the laurel (cut from a green cloth and stiffened by pasting on a buckram foun dation), with a strong pin through it. All those who made their way success fully across the room without the ad vantage of eyesight and honored the Father of His Country with a garland, were eligible to draw for the prize. The foundation of another sport waa a penny flag of the smallest size obtain able, not more than about two inches in width. To arrange the game the children all- withdrew into the hall, while some elder person placed the flag upright somewhere on the scene or action. The object was not to hida the flag, but to have it displayed some where in some rather inconspicuous position, where it would not necessarily catch the eye of anyone entering the room. As soon as the flag was poised the young folks were readmitted to the par lor. The person first to sight the flag did not announce the fact, but quietly took a seat. Anyone seeing a player seated also sat down, whether he him self had discovered the whereabouts of the flag or not. This continued until but one boy or girl remained standing. This person was shouted down by tha rest of the company, who called out in unison, "General George Washing ton." The player caught napping was, of course, considered out of the game. The flag was replaced six times, sue nlavers beinsr therefore caught OUU