The Responsibilities of Women as Citizens.

White Ribbon, Volume 4, Issue 47, 1 April 1899, Page 8

The Responsibilities of Women as Citizens.

(Paper road l>y Mrs Sh«‘ppnr<l before C’onventurn.) In aivording to the ropiest of thefonvention t<» prepare a paper on Women as Citizens, I should like it t«*be clearly understood that in all the main duties and privileges of eitizenghip, there should U* hut few lines of distinction drawn lietHtrn women and men. A woman is an adult human Wing, and a man is neither more nor less. It is true that in the | m st, and t veil now, men enjoy privileges that are denied hy law to women, but in the exactions of legal duties and penalties the distinction between the sexes is less cleirly marked While the offices of justice an* reserved for men solely, women an* hanged for murder, imprisoned for theft, and fined for drunkenness, as freely as if they were men M h le women may have no part in the actual making or administration of laws, they are, if they

break them, regarded as responsible adult human brings, and must suffer the penalties like men. It is greatly t«> Ik* regretted that we seem to have no word in common use by wlueh the adult human being may l>e designated, regard - less of sex. In the ancient Sanskrit, Gothic, and An loSaxon tongues, the word “ Man ” applied to both sexes. Evt-n now we may r ad in our Hi hies, “ And God created man . . . Male and Femalecreate 1 He them.” But in later years, although we have In***h wittily told th t “ Man embraces woman, ”uie 'word “ man ” has lieen so exclusively used for an adult male person, that its earlier meaning as a general and comprehensive term has ls*en almost lost. Possibly it has ls*en reserved for us in these uttermos* parts of the earth to recover the use of our Mother tongue. It will Ih* seen then, that speaking generally, 1 hold that woman as a Citizen should Ik* generally regarde 1 as an adult humanizing. And liefore passi g from this |m»int of view I should like to give one im»r • knock at that fusty old argument which even now is iieing used as a reason for depriving women of a share in Governmental affairs. The argument is that Government is based on force, and that as women cannot fight, they have no right to share in Government. The correct answer to that of course is that civilised Government should not Ik* based on force, hut on justice and reason To that answer may be added the re tor'; tha* women don't w ant to fight, but they could if they did. The late King of Hahoiney's Ihnlv guard of Amazons amply proves this. Hut although women are exempted from the pcrilsof military service, yet in the function of child-liearing, which is far more necessary to t e State than fighting, women incur a gieater risk to their lives than war presents to the average man The exemption from ,the liability to take up arms is but a slight reconqieii.-e for the dangers of maternity. While, however, all claim that in most respects the citizenship of men and women should rest on the same ha.* is. yet, because of the difference in function arising from sex. it must necessarily follow that women w ill attach greater importance to some phases of civic life than do men. It is to s« me of those phases that 1 wish to call your attention. One of the principal tea n-es in which mankind differs from the lower order of e rent ion is the family lib*. In man only is to Ik* seen successive generations living together, mutually helpful and protective. And as tin* individual is tin* unit ot tin* family, so the family may Ik* considered as the unit of the State. Whatever is kid or g* h m| for the individual affects more or less the whole family. And whatever affects the family, has an influence for giK*d or evil on the community We are really and truly members one of. another, and whether we like it or not must ls*ar each other’s burdens, or pay the |tenalty In the far back ages those families that were united, whose lueiiilzrs were socialistic, and sought each other’s welfare, grew and prospered. As they increased in huiiilkts, they formed trilzs, and the triU*s in time grew into nations. Those families that were m t united, were vulnerable to the attacks of enemies or the privation of hunger and their members perished or were enslaved. Care for others, whether it Ik* called Altruism. or Socialism, tr Philanthropy, has been imposed on us a* a divine law. for we

cinnot maintain our physical or spiritual life without it. We see, then, that the State is an enlargement of the family, and its members are bound together by a net-work of ties of kinship and mutual interest. Regarded as an embryo State, it w ill l*e seen that the family is a splendid tiaining ground for g«M>d citizenship. It is in the family that we learn to venerate the a ed, to can* for and protect the weak, to respect and obey those in authority, to make concession to the rights of others, learn, in fact, all the essential parts of g*hh! citizenship. If we have go*Nl and happy families, we shall have a g<Ksl and happy community. Whether she Ik* mother or daughter, sister, wife or aunt, a woman who is a good citizen will find her first duty in her home, which she w ill strive to make all that a home should Ik*.

Now what are the characteristics of a good home ? Cleanliness, comfort, order, economy, health, justice, peace, and go*Nl-will. These arc w hat every g* m mi woman stri es to promote in her home. And these an* pnvisoly the conditions that are necessary to the State. If they do not prevail in the community it w ill be difficult to maintain them in the family. For the protection of her home, worn in must take an interest in many matters that an* bs» often left solely to man. She w ill Ik* anxious for a plentiful supply ot g**Nl water, and desin* g<kh! sanitary arrangements for the community. She will oppose the formation of narrow streets, and the growth of slums, with their attendant filth and squalor. She will st*e that the efficient management of railways, tramways, and public vehicles, tie* lighting of the str«>ots. tin* can* of roads and footpaths, an* all necessary to the comfort of the community inhabiting her ow n an*l other homes. In her desire for health, she will consider hospital questions, the op‘rations of tin* ealth Acts, the hurtfulness of alcohol, tin* n vessiiy for natural systems for preventing and curing disease. As many of the rules to promote tin* order and g*nm 1 conduct of tin* community are enf*»re«*d by tin* police, worn in, in her capacity as citizen, will Ik* specially anxious that the incmh *rs of tin* police force should Ik* notable for their own go*»d conduct. The question of justice must occupy a large jH»rti* n of her attention. The removal of unjust laws, the framing of Uqter ones, tin* character of «>ur repr**sentati »*s, the qwstiou of t.rcition, and thecon net of «*ur Law Courts w ill Ik* taken into consideration The goodwill which sln* promotes in he* own home she will wish to spread throughou the community. Goodwill is one of those comprehensive terms which seems to take in all the others, and to contain both tin* La* and the Prophets. We cannot have g»*od w ill, that is. w ill good, without trying do good—g*H**l to theaged, tin* weak, the erring, the down-tr*widen, tin* helpless, the waifs and strays. And s.» old Age Pensions. Charitable Aid, ilunicipil and Prison Reform, Labour Laws, Education (including Industrial and Technical Schools), Reformatories, and every uietluKl proposed to *l** good to anyone w ill receive her Carnes consideration. The woman who is a g*hhl citizen, cannot Ik* content with things as they are. She will Ik* ant oils to see the princq les wh ch sue strives to c 'iry out in her heme extended to the community. It may he said again, as it has so often been said before, “ Cannot these matters U* left to

the men while we attend to our horn* l *?” To that we would say, “ Certainly not, any more than they could l*e 1«* t t<* the women while the men attend to th**ir shops, or fa ctories, or farms. The welfare of the Stat«*. lik<* the w«*lfare of the family, of which it is an enlargement, n**eds th** car** and attention of kith imm and women. Hy the formation of the Women's Chr'st’sn T»*mp**ranc«* I'nion. w«* hav»* publicly acknow--1 «tg <1 our Im»1 i«*f in th«* necessity of woman's work f«»r the c immunity. Kv >rv one **f our departiii**nts of work is an avowal of th** conviction that the community n****ds our assistanc *, and in asking f«»r the franchise, «e sought for th** |x>w«*r to w*>rk sid<* by side with iii**n, I f****l c**rtain that if we in this colony had taken lull advantage of th<* many departments of work establi h**d by Miss Wills *1 and others, we coil I 1 have covered the whole ground of civic lib*, and th r<* need have lN*en no other society of women in Sew Zealand. The object of our Union is not to m**ot together to sing and pray. The brave women who founded th** W. C. T. U. *li*l iu«***t ami sing an<l pray, but it was only preparatory to work, and hard and disagm* ible work for the community. Are w * prepared to do likewise? I should like to see ea*h one «>f our I'nions a centre of thought and energy, working actively for everything that would help th** community in which it evists. The deadly calm, ami dull monotony which so often jiervades our meeting* should In* broken up. The daily newspapers are full of topics an 1 •(lies ions which n*quir*» our thought and discussion, and the settlement of which will largely affect the welfare of our homes. (’an we not try to first edu ute each other in these matters, and then educate our neighIsuirs ? Someone has said that Christianity means life in earnest, and I think “ Life in Earnest,” would be a good motto for the coining year. ♦