OUR AMERICAN LETTER.

Evening Star, Issue 7628, 2 June 1888, Page 4

OUR AMERICAN LETTER.

0 Keoijuij, lowa, U.S.A., April 28, 1888. WOMEN IN COUNCIL. The recent International Council of Women at Washington was an interesting and important gathering in many respects. It included among its members some of the most distinguished representatives of the sex of this and other lands. The convention discussed many topics connected with the rights, the duties, and condition of womes. Several of these matters were of great importance, and of a character to commend themselves to every right-minded generous person. There is room, however, for the general criticism, that too much attention was given to topics beyond the rango of woman's sphere. They were not satisfied to discuss questions of a practical nature, but must soar away into the realm of speculation and rhetoric, which, like Ko-ko's flowers " that bloom in the spring," have nothing to do with the case. When we are told, for instance, that "the true woman is yet a dream of the future," by reason of masculine injustice and oppression, and that " the golden age of peace and prosperity" can only be brought to pass through feminine participation in law-making and the adjustment of all political affairs, it is difficult to repress a smile. And so, too, when it is asserted that woman's " birthright to supreme self-sovereignty " is proved by the thoughts and emotions which invade "the solitude of her soul," the common matter of fact readers find it difficult to guess their glittering conundrums and to make application of their peculiar logic to the facts of everyday existence. Underlying all these discussions, and pervading every question in oiie form or another, was the old demand for suffrage. Many of these womes are intelligent, welleducated, and given to habjts of thought and expression, so far as the more ordinary affairs of life are concerned ; apd pome have attained distinction jm the fieldsof temperance reform, educations and home and personal purity. But )the moment they get into a convention of this sort they seem to lose control of their faculties, and drjft off into spaces of distance and mystery, where it is impossible for the average citizen to follow. They may be wise aa Solomon, but their wisdom wHI not profit us, if we are unable to adapt ourselves to their system of instruction. Among these delegates were two American women—Mrs Elizabeth Cady Stanton and iss Susan B. Anthony—who have been in the .van of suffrage for many years. They are regarded as amply qualified to bo leaders of the movemeafc, and competent to give counsel and inspiration to their younger and more inexperienced sisters. They are regarded as having all the stern, praotioal, ahd unsentimental qualities of men, with very few or none of their weaknesses. An incident occurred in the organisation of this Convention which developed the fact that these two old conspicuous and experienced leaders are scarcely competent to manage politics, run conventions, conduct campaigns, apd enact legislation ; that these two women have not yet obtained such control oyer themselves cs to enable them to control others. If these twp are not yet qualified, the others will scarcely make the assumption. The relations of Miss Helen Taylor and Mrs Ashton Dilke wew not harmonious. Miss Taylor had in a moment of confidence informed Miss Anthony that she could nop attend a Convention where Mrs Dilke was Jo be present, and, without making any ch&tfjjps, left the sting of insinuation in the tail of hev &ote. Miss Anthony Bhould have kept this to herself, but she spread it broadcast among the deiegaipß. The delegates should not have noticed this bit fif personal friction, but the other leader Stanton) had no such thought; it was too choioe a morsel. Prom the platform she informed $e public about it, and improved the oc.c&sjon $> wjden the breach.

She stigmatised Miss Taylor as "a disagreeable, hateful old spinster," who is jealous of "a younger and prettier woman." More than that; she said that she wrote to this old maid, and notified her that she herself 'Miss Taylor) has not lived a life that was above suspicion, nor had her mother nor John Stuart Mill before her. Further back in the jgenealogy Mrs Stanton does not go. It ia horrible to fancy what she might have found by climbing higher. When Mrs Dilke was questioned by a reviewer about this affair, she made the remark—" The whole matter must be considered as a matter of politics, and justifiable on that ground." This incident is most fortunate. It roveals the full scope of a conspiracy, for the consummation of which Mrs Staunton and her associates threaten affiliation with Herr Most and Mormonism if men resist much longer. American sympathy may be pretty equally divided between the ugly old spinster and the young pretty woman. It is well thatt his affair has come to light. If this be the kind of politics that the women would introduce, what man is safe ? What would be the condition of society after the first campaign ? Good Lord deliver us. WOMEN SUFFRAGE IN KANSAS. It will be remembered that two years ago the State of Kansas canceded the right of suffrage to women at municipal elections. Here is a partial result of recent elections as shown by Associated Press despatches : Oskaloosa, Kas., April 4.—[Special.]-The result of the city election on Tuesday in this city, in which the Mayor and five members of tho City Council, all consisting of women, were elected, seems to have attracted attention all over the country, as telegrams are coming in from all quarters asking for particulars. The reasons for the somewhat remarkable action can be stated in a few words. There has been a vigorous kick from the law and ordei element in the city on account of the lax manner in which former administrations have managed municipal affairs, especially in regard to the enforcement of the prohibitory law, and bo advantage was taken of the State law permitting women to vote and hold office in cities of tho first, second, and third class, and a ticket put in the field and triumphantly elected composed of representatives of the gentler sex. Mrs Mary D. Lowman was chosen as Mayor, and the following ladies were elected as members of the City Council : Hannali A. Morse Sarah E. Balsley Emma Hamilton Carrie L. Johnson Millie Golden. As stated, these are representative women, the wives of well-known citizens who are prominent in business and professional circles. The experiment is not looked upon in the nature of a joke, though there was a hilarious serenade given to all the candidates the night of the election, but as the new Mayor had her bangs put up in papers she was unable to appear longer than to bow her thanks, and, therefore, her speech of thanks for the honor will not go thundering down the ages. Anothor new-elected councilwoman sent her apologies for not appearing because she was putting the baby to bed and did not feel like intrusting such duties to her husbanl until ahe'liad drilled him a little more. In fact, the new honors seemep to raat rather heavily upon all the ladies, so that none of them were able to make speeches of any length in reply to the serenade. It is predicted that there will be many reforms instituted, and it is intimated that a C'ty Marshal will be selected from among the rank 3 of the women. Seriously, however, it can be said that the ladies manifest a perfect willingness to assume their novel duties, and they will not only have abundant encouragement, but it is believed the experiment tried for the first time in this country will be entirely satisfactory. Wichita, Kas., April 4,—At the city election comparatively few women exercised their right of franchise fewer even than at the last election. At some voting precincts there was not during the whole day a woman voter. About 200 women had registered, yet of that number not one-half voted. Those who did exercise tho right fell into line with the men, and as their turn came, handed their ballots to the judges of the ehttion. They were in no cases treated with disrespect. The election here is in favor of the Anti-Prohibi-tioniats. Valley Centre, twelvo miles north of here, ia of the third class, and no registration is required. Every woman but one voted, and took fav more interest in the election than the men. They had their teams, and electioneered with great energy. The men, in fact, stood back and watched them out of curiosity. Several feminine quarrels occurred, and two cases of hair-pulling and womanly wrangling at the polls are reported. There were two candidates, one Prohibitionist and the other AntiProhibitionist. Two-thirds of the women's votes went for the former, the remainder for the latter. Wellington, Kas., April 4.—The Republicans elected three of their candidates for Councilmen in the city election here, while four were elected on a fusion ticket in opposition. Only about twenty per cent, of the women vited, but these went solidly for one candidate or the other, and controlled the result in several instances. MEN AND WOMEN. " Ouida," in writing about women's rights in thp ' North American Review,' said that women's agitation for the right to vote, and clamor to do this and that other thing that men alone have hitherto done, would make men hate women, ant} lead to estrangement and bitterness betvveen them. And she argued that amity between men and women, and a consequent willingness on the part of both to dwell together in the marriage relation, were more important to the world; that women could not afford to endanger that relation by the estrangement between the sexes likely to grow out of " woman's rights," so called. One observes occasionally a man writing in some paper or other who gets angry at women's work in temperance or her talk about voting—that it is easy to see, if all men were of his mind, they would have nothing to do with women, and " Ouida's "forecast would come true. That is one side of the shield ; but Mrs Mary T. Lathrop shows the other side in a way that is not likely to embitter men against women very much. She says : J do not know what you may think of the woman's crusade, but let me say, as a woman who stood inside it, that the womanhood of this nation never laid such a tribute at the feet of its manhood. If you want to find out what a boy is worth, go and ask his mother. By the time she goes into the jaws of death to give him birth, and then puts into him her days of lovo and nights of care, and he stands before her strong and clean and tall at twenty-one, she can tell you what he is worth from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet; and when the legalised dram-shop takes hold of him and tears him down fibre by fibre, and puts oaths on the lips that she used to kiss, and crushes out his mother's hopes, it is no wonder she makes outcry. If you want to know what a home is worth, go and ask a loving womam who has kept herself as pure as God's lilies for her marriage day, when, with a great shine in her eyes, she puts herself over into the hands of one man for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, until life's end. And when the dram shop, with its fearful curse, crosses the threshold of the home they built together, and takes down her strong tower of hope, stone by stone, and degrades the father of her children, it is no wonder that woman makes outcry. What was the woman's crusade ? It was a long'smothered sob breaking into a cry ; it was a midnight prayer coming abroad at noonday. You ipen sometimes say to us, as we stand in plapes like this, " Home is your kingdom." We do not dispute it. We know it better than you know it, But it was our kingdom that was outraged. You say to us, standing ballot; less and defenceless before this vampire of our civilisation. "You do not need the ballot, we defend you by love and by law." Do you, when for eighty-five years, by well-defined license legislation, motherhood has been uncrowned and her children slain by law, and you have made no protest against it ? You have prayed about in prayer meeting; but when it came to tho sweep of the empire in the ballotbox and in political organisations you have made no protest. Oh men, I do not believe a civilisation is worth much that cannot protect its women and babies. And, grand as you are, and strong as you are, and true as you are, you will never be able to protect your women and yonr children and the saloon at the same time. Oh, in shame," in very shame, either get up and strike down this enemy of the home and of wifehood and of childhood, or else put the ballot Into the hands of your women for their own protection. MATTHEW ARNOLD ON AMERICA. Matthew Arnold, the great English critic, has written an article on American Civilisation in the April number of the 'Nineteenth .Century,' has raised quifcp a breeze in this country. Many of our writers and newspaper men think his strictures very ungracjftus, in view of the treatment he received at our bands whfle in this country. With Mr Arnold civilisation and civility are much the same thing. Good manners, and the mental and moral and social qualities, of which they are the fruit, make mankind at its best in his view. When o. man undertakes to tell us that our manners are not good, and how to amend them, he takes a risk, of course,

that we will not love him, After a careful reading of his article, I do not find much amiss with it. He thinks Mr E. P. Roe ridiculous as a litterateur ; he talks of English writers in the same way when he pleases. Critics have spoken in the same way of each other in all lands for many generations. He says of us that as to politics Americans}] have made institutions that work well and happily ; that the reports of official and judicial corruptions are extravagant. A man like Major Peudeunis, an old brand, with a small income, who can find his element in London, would find life intolerable in America ; but the multitude have more comforts and conveniences in this country. That there is an equality of people here, the absence of which he thinks is a defect in England. That American women are charming and natural, but their voice and intonation are not. That America is poor in architects and architecture. That the American newspaper writes for the multitude, and so their intelligence, tastes, tone, and manners fall below distinction and culture. That the constant tendency is not to bravely and honestly tell the people what they do amiss, and that should be done better, but the desire for public favor tends to extravagant bragging about all that is done well, and that in a way as to make Americans feel that they have reached perfection in all things. Mr Arnold says in conclusion : Common-sense criticism, I repeat, of all this hollow stuff there is in America next to none. There are plenty of cultivated, judicious, delightful individuals there. They are our hope and America's hope; it is through their means that improvement must come. They know perfectly well how false and hollow the boastful stuff talked is; but they let tbe Btorm of self-laudation rage and say nothing. For political opponents and their doings there aie in America hard words to be heard in abundance ; for the real faults in American civilisation, and for the foolish boasting which prolongs them, there is hardly a word of regret or blame, at least in public. Even in private, many of tbe most cultivated Americans shrink from the subject, are irritable, and thinskinned when it is canvassed. Public treatment of it, in a cool and sane spirit of criticism, there is none. In vain I might plead that I had set a good example of frankness in confessing over here that, so far from solving our problems successfully, we in England find ourselves with an upper class materialised, a middle class vulgarised, and a lower class brutalised. But it seems that nothing will embolden an American critic to say firmly and loud to his countrymen and newspapers that in America they do not solve the human problem successfully, and that with their present methods they never can. Consequently the masses of the American people do really come to believe all they hear about their fine nervous organisation and the Tightness of the American accent and the importance of American literature ; that is to say, they see things not as they arc, but as they would like them to be; they deceive themselves totally. And by such selfdeception they shut themselves the door to improvement, and do their best to make the reign of des Oemcinc eternal. Jn what concerns the solving of the political and social problem they see clear and think straight; in what concerns the higher civilisation they live in a fool's paradise. To us, too, the future of the United States is of incalculable importance. Already we feel their influence much, and we shall feel it more. We have a good deal to learn from them; we shall find in them, also, many things to beware of, many points in which it is to be hoped our Democracy may not be like theirs. As our country becomes more democratic, the malady here may no longer bo that we have an upper class materaliscd, a middle class vulgarised, and a lower class brutalised. But the predominance of the common and ignoble, born of the predominance of the average man, is a malady too. We can frankly confess about all that Mr Arnold claims ; yet when we have done that the debate is not ended, but really just begun. The supreme question, after all, is whether that is the better civilisation which makes a few highly specialized and accomplished individuals, or that which does the best for the multitude. Specialise social forces into making an upper class, and the product will be an English lord or lady—a very high and graceful product of human kind. The world has produced nothing better. But that, by Mr Arnold's own admission, leaves "a lowerclass brutalised." And there is nothing more brutal in the world than that of the English populace. The old sea pirate and robber isn't half skin deep under its ruffianism to-day. Diffuse social forces everywhere so as to lift the multitude, as the distinctive aim of government is in America, and you have all the faults of which Mr Arnold complains, but also all the advantages to the people which he concedes. Ho is not wholly reasonable to be worried about our conditions—whether better or worse for the world will be known later. We are young yet.