The commonwealth., December 17, 1896, Image 1

About The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923

Image provided by: Mississippi Department of Archives and History

                
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AN INTlW^NMjAMR BŸ MRS
' **Oiv* Wmim the Ballot end You Put • W tap
•it In HwHantft* Strike C«p Into the
■ ■»pin at th* l l ama. 1 */
». . They, whew étendard of thmttdrae of
fe - what life offen to women to women
differs from my own, wlO not reprove
P this article; but upon the wisdom of
fe . the scheme for the enfranchisement of
sw< women I dare boldly join issue with
. the suffragist, yho, "given iip to a de
lusionf are fest approaching fathom
lees sbyseee of danger in the pursuit of
1#; their mild project of moral social and.
political regeneration, by means of the
},m Haltet, ft tea
É'|S| FEARFULLY ATTRACTIVE THEORY,
0 I admit; and I am surprised that there
' are not more converts to the foith; but
äkthere are few each "capables" in the
fez vBfranlumd file of womankind, as the
Fjt Hp« in this cense. Most of their
lip oSwn-troMlen sisters are only of a rc
epecteble medium, and made of the
M» common material of humanity. Many
Ijlfe are slaves to en over-sensative nervous
organisation, and a retiring delicacy of
spirit, and could not survive the con
templation, even, of this overturning of
ffi: all their preconrieived ideas of
t allotted place in the world,
f Ho few V
a
I®
;
Woman's
tiro immense assimnla
tive pow«r of those who are endeavor
to strike the shaeh
t
ing, by evwy
les off the poor deluded soul, who
prefers the heavy and wearisome com
pterait of the jog-tool path in life, I
V •>, _ .. , . - . , , ,
rigNtag.the state of interdepend
existing between husband and
, MM changing the conditions com
/prising now one whole and undivided
liSBYh j. m. . , ,
», „r.lRterest. These want no emancipation,
■ pitiful creatures I They do not eompre- as
bend the glory and dignity of the idea!
They do not understand „that it is posai- °f
T, 1
We they could ever gladly or even will- to
fngly forfeit the powers and privileges
they now possess as autocrats of their
households, or the loving wives and
,, . .. , ", ... , ,
mothers of the home—beside that eher- 0
foiled hearthstone, foe object ot her be
highest Mid noblest aspirations and de
votion. No, noi Time is busy with
, , , 3
the work of change with all on earth,
and brings with it many new modes of
thought and action, but the truehearted
woman has a revelation in her own na- ft
.T . , " , , . ,
-, ... fore .which advises her of her highest
Vocation, her best estate; and it will bd in
impossible to revolutionize her wholel
( . -^5......... ». „» . —. ... k
y character (to foe extent of peteuading
her she can he so happy and honored in La
foe one shejH
Uher position th
hurt
at Jney might feel the
W effect of *1 l(!e «pinions and influent'
Äfe these agitetdrs—these weary veterans in I
II" the cause, "whose locks upon their i
time-worn temples" have grown thin
and grey In this work, warmed bv a 1
■#V never-ceasing and most Apostolic zeal.
And the younger disciples who are fol
jt" lowing in the footsteps of those whose
I feet are faltering, how eloquently they
whisper pleasant. fictions into the ears
ot foe women of the land! Slay they
ever be so many fictions, so many
dreams!
I would like to "wreathe the rod of
,J criticism with roses;" and though 1 set
ijf myself in judgment on these worthy
"■ women, it is with due respect to their
wisdom, learning and strength of pur
pose; but I must sound a note of warn
tug to my sisters of the South, who
from apathy, lieedlessness, or from un
awakened consciousness of their cap
tivity to a remorseless tyranny! are not
keeping watch over their dearest inter
v
e o
î
f;
eats.
I do not look ntthis question from the
suffragists' point of view; and 1 shall
[ uut myself ina posture of resistance, for
t I am ht warfare with 'all their desires
r _aspirations, in so much, at least, an
kt they »«ect the fate of woman. I have
,)'■ earnestly endeavored to understand
4 what is woman's proper and most ex
alted attitude toward the human race,
*' in what sphere she could most fully ric
her nature, and what detriment
aocrue to her by assuming the ob
ligations of citizenship. I can come to
but one conclusion : that God made her
to be the helpmate of man. not bis rival
or competitor; and that what is needed
most for the elevating of mankind is tlie
concentration of woman's acknowledged
power in the performance of her old fa
, miliar duties of wife and mother. These
, relations, I conceive, cannot bo violated
4 without pain and calamity. It is a ra
4 ' tional arrangement of society; and even
"- were in the end persuaded to vest
political power, would it,
a complete tearing down and re
ng of the whole framework of
piety? The result would be Inevita
bly disastrous. Woman is not unde
veloped man. The Law of the sexes is
/ distinct God so made it; and when
women disturb or distort it, a Nemesis
will "lash with a whip of scorpions"
those Who have dared to Violate this iin
* changeable decree- R would be a lier
Itageol f woe, indeed, for the general ions
to ohme; and no fond, shallow argu
this class of women should bo
a moment's serions considéra
!
•K
velop
could
m
with
, nient* of
j 1 allowed (
ft, l tien. Can there beany mental obliquity
t. . ' (il these wonld-be reformers that docs
^ t them to look at the question
•oper light? They disregard
pfotely foe first principles of poliii
t (Wl science, to demanding everything
t for foe rights of foe individual, rather
r then foe just claims of foe greatest
t number. It is a political maxim that
'/ the Interests of foe wholepeople must
I be considered in preference to the
J wishes of » tow.
' It la a common
i and thaw-giant day
r bitious female element, realized, would
i* menace the welfare ot the whole world.
im not
W in
S eril of humanity;
reams of thin am
Suppose they should fail to find the
; relief they anticipate from this ineas
( are! When they shall have sacrificed
their former position for worse than
nothing; and when the disillusionment
comes, it will be impossible to sot up
:v: again the broken idols thrown from the
altars of their homes; nor can kindly
Time ever efhee the Vestiges of their
% cruel, iconoclastic work. They will re
1 1
alize too lat* how utterly they have to
foitadi greater joys
foncé in the "golden
or in honor and «I
names be Sdÿ"
■-'Mied
tongue
This i« a « death
philosophic, •
l digciffsfujr
;
h
and chimôd on every
of fa
on
»dp
III
ng«
ere aie.
to beciisjassfo
fleeted uponaw
fraught ?wl®aftf)re
ly ra
i> is momentous, and
.jaKrefluin the
world is. 'porififfo'laolinWfo believe.
If any ijpdy (iffoon fthirij, at anytime,
put to the'' voté 'ët 'the ntatos thft qnea
tion of universal female enfrauCnise
meiili, 1 hr. vo fttUh that there shall be
found 'enough wise men ted women to
4efeat it.
Oft'o ionidii., fiu bulht. uiiii
« («((port in hir hand tu strike
the liOrnu fif the hmne.
Thpdivmo iire of motherhood would
soon die out in her breast; and.that
nnrsery wherefrom the fair gardens of
human life have been planted, will no
longèr be the. scene of her dearest joys.
The golden promises ibc future holds
for woman is not the part of a mSn,
(Uod forbid she should ever descend to
his level:) but the perfecting fend ele
vating. of lier own sex, thereby raising
men to a, higher plane of thought and
action. This is to be done only through
a beautiful display of moral loveliness—
through love and sympathy, and sweet,
pure unselfish lives—not by the brute
force of law - but the persuasive elo
quence: of women whose lives reflect all
the excellencies men love and believe
in. The world have gone much
awry when tb<r' ' Jlis fail; and every
wise and gooeg . dit would rejoice to
have some ofle' set it right, and bring
back a remnant, however feeble and
mutilated, of the spirit of "good old
times."
you put
deep wto
ARGUMENT Oir THE SUFFRAGISTS. ...
The demand <5f woman, suffrage is
based upon the idea Of individual indu
resjiohslhility-^that the
a#1 he mftn' Is a citizen;
I ,en dence and
woman, ns well
notm ,jy qualified for, but entitled to
oxercise the rights, privileges, responsi
bliities and duties of citizenship,
The ftriuunent pro must consider
woman always as a wife und mother—
those who are neither are to be treated
as exceptions. The argument proceeds
upon the assertion that every individval
°f th ? without regard to
sex, is entitled, not only to suffrage, but
to all the outgrowths tliqreof, Sich as
office-holding, etc.
It is claimed that it is a natural gift.
vest women with
the ballot, and at once the pnritactiou
0 f politics will begin- -moral ideas will
be advanced and moml men only, or
women, will lie supported in elections.
All ikis. because women are morally
and religiously superior to men; less
subject to corruption by bribes; lcssun
der the Influence of liquor interests, and
eyen iw compared with honest, temper
ft S" nd œnscientfous men, possess a
cleuror and more acute moral apprelicii
»ion ' -that, in fact, their parlicinatiori
in polities will be for the elevation of
Ibo workl. '
The 'advocates of female suffrage
j},.,j, p, will redound to tlie benefit
La
We will suppose î they are
he best motives,)and that
beli eve fjiat noVonJy wjll
" Mto lp ji frfö hut tliat the
'ten will alad derive
I
i
jim
SShkWM
lliiiniense benefit from it.
v It is not h Mituriiï, but a xHtluiury
.light; and even within its present
rounds, unlimited manhood suffrage
has not proved an unmixed good. His
tory records many lessons to the con
trary; and the fact that in free coun
tries the tendency is constantly to uni
versal suffrage, proves no more than the
tendency to anarchy find to despotism.
The third - poipt involves the Conse
quences of suffrage.' Certainly, this
will not be ,i direct result to say that
women will be purer, and better wives
and'mothers, or better as women hold
ing neither ei these sacred relations—
thin would be claiming too much.
In fact, clergymen, and others of del
icate conscience and sensitive natures
abstain from politic* The bettering of
women then, by their votes, must be a
reflex action, through the general im
provement of all tlio people.
X do not think men can afford to agree
to any proposition which is calculated
to lessen woman's power as a tuorul
forte. In politics, the bust men will
différas to tlie wisdoni of respective
politics raid candidates—-so, the good
women would soon learn that n voter,
to make his vote of any account, must
belong to a party to an urgauizdtion
agreeing upon main points, and ignoring
minor diiihronccs of opinion, and subor
dinating lesser interests.
There is no doubt women would vote
for prohibition, for the suppression of all
sorte of vices and evils and usa rem
edy, would invoke force (law is force.)
but moral character and habite are not
to.be enforced by legislation and bntin
duces evasions and contempt of the law.
As woman , stands now, she is the
.•oiiec'.ive force in society, and
her constant, never-ending work'is re
storing its declining morals. To enable
her to do this, the natural purity and
goodness of her soul works in example
and precept upon the plastic hearts and.
minds of children and youth, upon
whom she brings to bear the powerful
influence of luve. gratitude and rever
ence--nor is she less powerful with
manhood, for the persuasive power of
her beauty, Uftr purity, her tenderness,
la v devotion, patience, fortitude and
self sacrifice are acknowledged by men
in all (heir relations to women.
As to the foil'd, premise that .It will
conduce to the lienolitof the whole race,
it is
V
gre.u
ni open question as to whether
woman's milui'uce, exerted in the natu
ral way would not bo more powerful
than dhv.'.t antagonism in the arena of
politics. \Y i th my own ideas Of woman,
in such direct, opposition to those, of thé
wiifragists, ) conclude il Is not only the
bestirnt the only wife method to leave
the ballot to men; All the women of
first rate genius who have lived were
modest ami feminine, and believed that
in their position in the family rplatimis
they slion«. in-their fairest light. '
They were for them, noble and legiti
mate functions, and as mich they loved
and cherished them. ,
Man s objection to woman suffrage is
that they hold them too good and pure
1o be soiled by contact with the contam
inations of politics; and there is great
danger that-a loss of, their respect fqr
women and- the consequent,decline of
female influence would follow an asso
chiilob of the sexes in the struggle and
passion of political contests. They are
also averse to it. because 1 Showing so
well the great, burden of the responsibil
ities of citizenship, they are loth to shift
them upon I lie delicate shoithlhrs of foe
women tiny love.
(CoiiUnnutl <fii j>a£uH.)
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ANDKERCHIEFS,
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And HötS»
THIS DEPARTMENT IS AWAY
AHEAD ANP STILL GROWING
AND WE SEE NO REASON WHY
IT SHOULD NOT.
With Manhattan Shirts, Striven«
Drawers and Lovely Tinted Wool
Underwear.
Bill & Caldwell's fine hats would
sell themselves, All we have to do
is to show them.
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1 Shoes, Shoes, Shoes
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. . î ..IT 18 AH UNQUESTIONABLE
FACT THAT WE ARE HEADh .
r.-\ % QUARtERS 'FOR SHOES. WE
! i HAVÄTÖKMI» ALL GRADES
i « * FOÄMAN, WOMAN AND-CHILD.
From the everyday plow ]
TO THE FINEST PATENT LEATHBR.I
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Come and See Us.
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Headquarters for Pure Drugs
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I um now prepared to sell in job
lots all kinds of Patent Medicines
and other drugs at prices which
None
but the.
NIcDteat
Reliable
fanci Accurate
Pha rmaciste
Allowed
toF'ill
Special
Attention
Given
to the
Prescription
Trade.
Defy
Competition.
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♦
If the Planters and Country Merchants will Give m'e a Ti*ial Order
I will Convincelhem that I can Save them Money.
N1 \ r Stock of'
I hâve also the largest and most Varied ^
Stock of Cigars ever brought to Greenwood-- : when you
and in job lots I will sell as cheap as they can : Come
be bought anywhere on earth less the freight, : Don't Fail
etc., and ask that you give me a trial order. : to Come '
In my Retail Department can always be : to S ee t- v .
found the most expensive or cheapest Cigar
the market affords.
CHRISTMAS GOODS
Complété
ii
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And will'bo sold before the Holidays. I bought them to sell
and sell them 1 shall, -.évqn If I.am forced to »
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