ATTACK ON MARRIAGE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14691, 27 May 1911, Page 2 (Supplement)

ATTACK ON MARRIAGE.

A " COMPULSORY TRADE."

AMUSING SPEECH IN DEBATE.

Miss Cicely Hamilton, the dramatist, amazed and amused an audience, chiefly of women, at the Queen's Hall recently, with what was alleged to be the views of a modern woman on marriage.

The occasion was a debate, originally stated to be on Women's Suffrage, between Miss Hamilton and Mr. G. K. Chesterton.

Miss Hamilton began by confessing that she did not care a button whether she ever got a vote or not.

The only thing that interested her, said Miss Hamilton, was when the good time would come when women would cease to be looked upon as merely a wife, mother, or mistress, and become a human being.

" As to all the talk about losing the crown of womanhood—don't listen to it," she continued. " The beauty of motherhood is a somewhat degrading thing."

The only thing now for a woman to do was to be " charming," in order to attract a man. " Oh," sighed Miss Hamilton, " the years I have wasted in trying to be charming! But I gave it up. What does it matter whether I please 'em or not ? I am going to try and please myself." Among the rest of her sallies were — " Why not make ourselves, instead of the men, happy for a change ?" " Before your duty to your husband or your.children you owe a duty to yourself." " Gentlemen, hitherto you have been our all-in-all. Now you are being reduced to the position of an episode." " Marriage for men is a voluntary institution. Marriage for women is a compulsory trade." " We have been compelled to earn our living for generations as ■' fascinating dogs !'" Mr. Chesterton Replies. There were loud cheers when Mr. Chesterton, his turn to speak having come, bluntly dismissed all this as " bosn," and laughed heartily. The audience laughed with him as he continued " I am not prepared to make so violent an attack on the female sex as Miss Hamilton has done on mine. She has told us women have been reduced to a state of torpidity, that they are slaves, craven and cowering before the tyrant man. " Well, I seem to remember my mother, and my grandmother, and my —and they must have been exceptions." Women had never been kept systematically out of either dignity or authority. _It was only democracies that had denied women the power of ruling. _ History was full of great gueens and priestesses, and heads of religious houses. Miss Hamilton complained that Mr. Chesterton had only talked about women as wives and mothers. A woman without a husband was a mark for fcorn and hissing. (Cries of Rubbish !") "Good Lord in Heaven!" was Mr. Chesterton's reply to this outburst. No respect for a woman except as a wife! Had she ever heard of the Elgin Marbles, put up to honour a virgin ? And the Vestal Virgins ? And St. Theresa ? And St. Catherine of Siena ? And Joan of Arc ? Men respected women as they respected all their other ideals." " When we want to laugh at ourselves, we represent ourselves as comical-looking fat men like me. But when we remember the glories of our race, we bring out Britannia, a beautiful woman. Did anyone ever want to put whiskers on Britannia ? "I profoundly believe that women have not the vote for the simple reason that, if they were asked to vote on it, they would vote against it."-