WOMAN SUFFRAGE IS WARMLY DEFENDED Mrs. L.C. French Thinks Women Should Possess Right of Ballot. Editor The Sentinel: A comment upon a Sentinel editorial of March 6. One of the most interesting points, psychologically considered, in the relation of the sexes, is the contrast between man's mental attitude to woman and her condition as expressed on different times and under different conditions in language polite either written or spoken, in editorials, essays and poems or in toasts at banquets, addresses before general audiences composed largely of women, at church
meetings where the motive is to get
women to work for large sums of
money to build a church, educate ministers or send to foreign lands to make
converts to the faith- on all these occasions woman is extolled to the skies,
there is no virtue that she does not
possess there is no quality of her's of
superlative degree, especially do men
on such occasions dilate upon the
beauty of self-sacrifice which they say
woman possesses in an eminent degree.
These speakers don't hesitate to say
that compared to woman, man is a
poor creature indeed; in fact, they insinuate he shines by reflected light
alone shed on him by mother, wife, sister or sweetheart.
But when we turn our attention to
the common law and to the statute
laws of most of our states, we are
forced to the conclusion that man's
mental attitude as expressed by these
records shows a most decided contrast.
By these, women is made a perpetual
minor. Her sons at the age of twenty-
one and the negro born into slavery
and yet only partly civilized are her
political masters. A prominent lawyer
of our city puts woman's legal condition in this state tersely thus: "The
laws of Tennessee, in effect, declare
husband and wife are one and that one
is the husband."_
Mr. Editor, an excellent way to understand the feelings of another in a
given situation is to try and put yourself in imagination in his place—suppose some one should propose to disfranchise editors, saying that they
hold positions which give them great
influence, that through the press they
really control the sentiments and opinions of the world and that to let them
have the franchise is to give them more
power than any other class of people.
The howl that would be heard emanating from the editorial sanctums five
minutes after such proposition was
flashed upon the wires would fill the
earth with clamor. And you, Mr. Editor,
who seem to appreciate so slightly
your privileges of an American citizen,
would be no laggard in the fight to
not only hold your present privileges,
but to add to them when and how you
could. Just by the side of your editorials are cuttings from papers in Tennessee expressing the greatest indignation because the democratic state
committee voted not to allow each man
of the party to express his individual
will at the poles in the nomination of
candidates. You understand this do you
or not? Then how is it that you can
not sympathize with high spirited
women whose minds have been trained
to think and who have strength of
character and opinions of their own
with the love of freedom aglow in their
breasts, when they desire to be accorded the right, privileges or power
of a voice in the government where
their lot is cast?
You say: In the three factors that
control modern civilization her position
is pre-eminent—home, church and
school." If by pre-eminence you mean
she is more in evidence than man in
these three institutions, I grant you 'tis
true, in the home she is more continuously present, in the church and
school she is largely in the majority.
But if by pre-eminence you mean she
controls either of these, then is it true
that no statement could be more erroneous. The laws of Tennessee gives
the man the sole right to decide where
the family shall live, the wife has no
right in personal property, the husband
is bound to respect, consequently does
not own furniture of the home. The
man to be sure cannot sell the house
unless the wife signs the deed, but
there is very little difficulty in the majority of cases here, the husband controls the family income and this can
easily be withheld from the use of the
wife if she does not come to terms.
The hand that holds the purse strings,
is the hand that rules the home.
In the marriage ceremony the man
says: "With all my worldly goods I
thee endow, whereas until the last few
years when if he owns real estate the
law requires the signature of the
wife to a deed of sale, he really gave
her nothing at all. The bride says nothing about giving him anything but
happiness to obey, while the truth of
the matter is she gives him everything.
When she leaves the church door with
his wife the sheriff can levy upon presents to satisfy the husband's creditors.
Is it very strange that any woman
should object to this? Except in the
Christian Science Church and a few
small sects, women hold absolutely
none of the offices in churches, therefore cannot possibly control them in
any sense. In the schools it is the same,
women fill subordinate positions In
large numbers because they come
cheap.
Now is any one to blame for this
state of affairs? Not at all. The growth
if the world is by evolution and in degrees so small as to be almost imperceptible.
It is only after development of great
character that people are willing to
accord to others the rights they pre-
tend for themselves. One of these days
the majority of men will develop to a
high degree of intelligent understanding of another's rights and evolve a
character so large and generous that
it will refuse to withhold from mother
wife and sister the rights of citizenship
in this republican government. In time
an increasing number of women will
grow in mentality until the pleasure
in a fifty-dollar hat, a Parisian gown,
or a game of bridge or a pink tea will
be eclipsed by the enjoyment gained
by the study of great and fundamental
principles of conduct and exercise of
power which comes from enlarged
responsibilities and opportunities.
In the meantime Mr. Editor, you are
right. "There is no use to fret," but
let us agitate because agitation brings
instruction, by which knowledge is
grained and wisdom increased and in
the end righteousness will be made to
prevail, for "God is in His heaven.
"All's right with the world."
L. CROZIER FRENCH.
