We may ask, to be sure,—Why need you vote? If new power is here, of a
character which solves old tough questions, which puts me and all the
rest in the wrong, tries and condemns our religion, customs, laws, and
opens new careers to our young receptive men and women, you can well
leave voting to the old dead people. Those whom you teach, and those whom
you half teach, will fast enough make themselves considered and strong
with their new insight, and votes will follow from all the dull.
The objection to their voting is the same as is urged, in the lobbies of
legislatures, against clergymen who take an active part in politics;—that
if they are good clergymen they are unacquainted with the expediencies of
politics, and if they become good politicians they are worse clergymen.
So of women, that they cannot enter this arena without being contaminated
and unsexed.
Here are two or three objections: first, a want of practical wisdom;
second, a too purely ideal view; and, third, danger of contamination. For
their want of intimate knowledge of affairs, I do not think this ought to
disqualify them from voting at any town-meeting which I ever attended. I
could heartily wish the objection were sound. But if any man will take
the trouble to see how our people vote,—how many gentlemen are willing to
take on themselves the trouble of thinking and determining for you, and,
standing at the door of the polls, give every innocent citizen his ticket
as he comes in, informing him that this is the vote of his party; and how
the innocent citizen, without further demur, goes and drops it in the
ballot-box,—I cannot but think he will agree that most women might vote
as wisely.
For the other point, of their not knowing the world, and aiming at
abstract right without allowance for circumstances,—that is not a
disqualification, but a qualification. Human society is made up of
partialities. Each citizen has an interest and a view of his own, which,
if followed out to the extreme, would leave no room for any other
citizen. One man is timid and another rash; one would change nothing, and
the other is pleased with nothing; one wishes schools, another armies,
one gunboats, another public gardens. Bring all these biases together and
something is done in favor of them all.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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