216 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



lions, and although ^'society" may not recognize her, she has developed a 

 noble independence of character, which makes her unmindful of the 

 slights and snubs of those who live like the lilies. She finds pleasure 

 and happiness in the absorbing interests of her work. We have women 

 phj'sicians, lawyers, ministers, editors, lecturers, almost beyond compu- 

 tation. There is hardly a newspaper in the country, but what has a 

 woman connected with it in some way. We have also women horticul- 

 turists, women farmers and women stock breeders. All these are 

 modest, quiet, unassuming, well bred women, whose occupation has in no 

 way made them coarse in manner or mind. I might also mention a great 

 many business women, illustrating farther how all occupations are open 

 to women, even to the practical butcher. All this illustrates the ability 

 of woman to fill any place in the world's economy. Surely the scope is 

 wide enough, from the pulpit to the bar and shambles. 



THE SUFFRAGE QUESTION. 



A word on the suffrage question. There is no good reason why woman 

 should not vote as well as the negro or the illiterate foreigners who seek 

 our shores. Her qualifications are infinitely superior to theirs. All 

 intelligent men acknowledge this, while most of them say that they are 

 perfectly willing she should vote "if she wants to.'' That is right. 1 

 find more men who are willing to grant the privilege, than women who 

 are desirous of availing themselves of the privilege. For myself, I have 

 never nor will I ever question woman's intellectual and moral fitness 

 to exercise this right, so dearly prized by the other sex that they hesitate 

 to extend it to women and idiots; but I have and do question the 

 expediency. What is to be gained? That is the question to be 

 answered. The principal argument brought forward is Ihat admitting 

 women to the rights of the ballot will alleviate her conditions as a 

 worker in the world and make her pay more just and adequate, give her 

 new importance, and also permit her to share with men the fat offices 

 under government. That the mere bestowal of the right to vote upon 

 women would at all affect those great forces of supply and demand 

 which govern the wages of the workers the world over, no one at all 

 conversant with the principles of political economy can believe. That 

 which governs wages is in no way related to the casting of the ballots. 



The first step a girl should take toward a successful career, and it 

 is a very important step, is to make up her mind what she wants to do. 

 A strong purpose in life comes as near as anything can to insure success. 

 The work into which you can put yourself and your best self is the work 

 for you. Every trade or profession once mastered is a mere tool. 

 Sagacity, knowledge, imagination — these may be real forces just as 

 truly as muscular strength — but to accomplish anything they must be 

 put to some real service. Self culture has been called a storage of power. 

 But sometimes these intellectual gains are sought merely for the sake 

 of personal satisfaction. There must be earnest work to accomplish 

 anything important. There is compensation in the struggle by whi^h 

 character is strengthened, even at the cost of delay. It is never worth 

 while to be too much discouraged by unavoidable circumstances, even 

 when they seem the worst. A strong will and a clear head will get the 



