ARE WE ON THE ROAD TO DAHOMEY?

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIX, Issue 38, 26 June 1891, Page 17

ARE WE ON THE ROAD TO DAHOMEY?

I

E are not quite certain. It may be so, and some think we are. Already every swiper in the country is on a footing of perfect equality, so far as the franchise is concerned, with the best, the most highly educated, most learned, and most experienced in the land. Men of high parts, distinguished probity, and abounding learning have no more power or influence in the ballot box than any degraded wretch who is ready to sell his vote, or has actually sold it, for a glass of whisky. people say. This, too, may be so; the public know best. And now it is proposed to place the damts dv pave on a footing of equality with the best ladies in the country in the use of the franchise. Do the ladies in this country desire to have the franchise? There are some, no doubt, who do so; but how many are there? The giving of the franchise to the ladies implies the imposing on them of all political and civil and military duties. Logically they cannot if they once exercise the franchise be prevented from becoming Members of Parliament, Prime Ministers, soldiers and sailors, members of L.c police force, etc., etc. Once let the ladies mingle in the strife of parties, and share with men the privileges of the franchise, logically we must expect regiments of women, ships manned by women ; in a word, women must be prepared to undertake all the offices and duties of men. If the women of this country are prepared for all Jhjp, W e greatly douty. Af we paid above, jjjere,

are, we dare say, some advanced females who would feel rather delighted at the prospect. Already, we understand, there are some females in Auckland who are practising football with the view of travelling to display their prowess at this manly and not over refined game ; and are not athletics amongst the best preparations for the military and naval professions ? We should not be surprised to behold as the outcome of this and the ladies' ballot box the formation of regiments of women, in which the rivalry element may be expected to predominate. It would be an interesting sight to see a thousand young New Zealand women armed with dirk, and sword, and rifle, as the Amazons of Dahomey are armed, and drilled in preparation of actual warfare, and, no doubt, this would be regarded as very liberal, advanced, and becoming the exigencies of the day. Probably this may be regarded as a fitting preface to the appointment of an elected governor, who must, of course, have a bedyguard to protect him from incensed Conservatives. In view of the coming millenium, when some of our gallant knights may be elected governors of New Zealand, all this is a suitable preparation. What better example can we have than that highly civilised cannibal, an ex-pupil of a godless school in France, the King of Dahomey. His Majesty's bodyguard is a regiment of women, than whom none are biaver or more fierce, and none better calculated to warn off all assailants. Would it not be a beautiful sight, and a very advanced one, to see bir This or Sir That surrounded and protected from all assault by a regiment of New Zealand women, armed to the teeth, and displaying the fiercest determination to settle once for all the opponents of our Liberal elected governors ? Some say this state of things looms in the not very distant future. We, ourselves, think this is a calumny and little better than a caricature, but then our powers are limited, and we acknowledge our inability to foretell the great consequences that are to be evolved out of the policy of the hour. All that appears clear to us is that common sense ideas of prudence and justice, experience and principle, real knowledge and virtue are all to be cast prostrate under the feet of mere numbers and subjected to the contemptuous treatment of the last and and most umworthy of the population unless many politicians be stopped in their mad downward career. Already God and Christ are banished from the schools, and now an effort is being made to banish good and wise and disinterested men from the political platform and all interference in the politics of the day.