Women -- Suffrage -- History; Women -- Suffrage -- United States -- History; Women's rights -- History; Women's rights -- United States -- History
When we reach the highest development, moral and spiritual forces
will govern. That women can and do govern even in our present
undeveloped condition is shown by the fact that three-fourths of
our educators are women. I remember when it used to be said, "You
can not put the boys and girls into the hands of women, because
they can not thrash them." To-day brute force is almost entirely
eliminated from our schools. That women should not take part in
government because they can not fight was probably true in ages
gone by when governments were maintained by brute force, but it
does not obtain in a government ruled by public opinion expressed
on a little piece of paper. Women as a class do not fight, and
that is the reason they are needed to introduce into government a
power of another kind, the power with which women govern their
children and their husbands, that beautiful law of love which is
to be the only thing that remains forever....
Our statesmen are doubting the success of self-government. They
say universal suffrage is a failure, forgetting that we have
never had universal suffrage. The majority of the race has never
expressed its sense in government. We are a living falsehood when
we compare the basic principles of our Government with things as
they are now. It is becoming a common expression, "The voice of
the people is not the voice of God." If you do not find God in
the voice of the people you can not find him anywhere. It is
said, "Power inheres in the people," and the nation is shorn of
half its power for progress as long as the ballot is not in the
hands of women.
What has caused heretofore the downfall of nations? The lack of
morality in government. It will eat out the life of a nation as
it does the heart of an individual. This question of woman's
equal rights, equal duties, equal responsibilities, is the
greatest which has come before us. The destiny of the whole race
is comprised in four things: Religion, education, morals,
politics. Woman is a religious being; she is becoming educated;
she has a high code of morals; she will yet purify politics.
I want to impress upon the audience this thought, that every man
is a direct factor in the legislation of this land. Every woman
is not a direct factor, but yet is more or less responsible for
every evil existing in the community. I have nothing but pity for
that woman who can fold her hands and say she has all the rights
she wants. How can she think of the great problem God has given
us to solve--to redeem the race from superstition and crime--and
not want to put her hand to the wheel of progress and help move
the world?
Mrs. Hannah Whitall Smith (Penn.) pronounced the benediction at the
closing session.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account