WOMAN'S PLACE IN NATURE 141 



for or against ; because the whole quackery of politics — votes, 

 representation, parties, caucuses, divisions — has now been dis- 

 covered by the intelligent part of mankind. But the name of 

 Science should not be dragged into this welter of fraud ; and I 

 have enough good northern blood in me to resent rudeness to 

 women under any plea. It may or may not be wise to give 

 them votes ; there may be other reasons against it ; but those 

 urged by these farthing-dip bearers in the name of Science are 

 not hers. Her light is shed equally on all sides of a question — 

 not only on one. Come then, let us see how the same argument 

 will apply to the other half of the race, the males. 



Woman's only duty is motherhood, they say. But surely 

 we might as credibly affirm that man's only duty is fatherhood. 

 If the franchise be excluded on these grounds, none but 

 bachelors and spinsters should have it. But sociologists main- 

 tain that these are the least worthy of it because they have not 

 performed the duty of parentage to the State. If, then, only 

 parents should have it, why not mothers as well as fathers ? 

 And the mother's share of the burden is far more onerous than 

 the father's, involving often the health of a lifetime, and, indeed, 

 life itself. Moreover, nearly the whole care and teaching of 

 young children is in the mother's hands — in addition to many 

 other duties. True the father provides the livelihood ; but, 

 hour for hour, is his work harder, or more difficult, or more 

 painful than the mother's? Scarcely; and on this count, if 

 either must be excluded from the franchise, it should be the 

 father. As regards spinster and bachelor, it is the latter who 

 neglects the duty, because it is only he who is always, or gener- 

 ally, able to marry if he chooses. So here again the woman's 

 case wins. 



But if the performance of natural duties to the State gives 

 the first claim to a vote, what shall be said of the men who 

 neglect to train themselves for war ? If it is the duty of woman 

 to be a mother, it is that of the man to defend her and his 

 country. The woman performs her part of the obligation — with 

 travail and at the risk of her life ; but how many of the young 

 cubs of the day who deride her claims to the franchise perform 

 theirs ? What of the idle, unhealthy, and dirty crowds who boo 

 the women at their meetings, but who, likely as not, would run 

 like rabbits at the first shot of war if ever they had strength to 

 reach the front? This is the just answer to their contemptible 



