COMMUNICATION 
In the recent issue of your paper 
Miss Bates takes Mrs. White to task 
for the latter’s statement in regard to 
‘the “feminization of our public 
schools,”—a fact which is universally 
admitted by Miss Bates herself and 
, everyone else, and almost equally uni- 
ersally deplored by all thoughtful 
people. She goes on to protest 
against Mrs. White’s “unthinking use 
of, the word ‘feminization’. ” Femini- 
zation merely means making feminine 
and as ‘Miss Bates admits “the obvi- 
ous fact that most public school 
teachers are wonen,” it is hardly un- 
thinking to say that the schools are 
being feminized. Women teachers 
certainly can hardly be expected to 
make them virile, can they? Miss 
i, Bates’ irritation at the word femini- 
_ zation is due to her confusing the old 
word “feminization” with the modern 
term ‘feminism’ which has come 
to mean something quite different, 
standing as it does for the doctrines 
of a cult. The preponderance of wo- 
men teachers in our schools is unques- 
 tionably liable to result in feminizing 
our boys, in making them womanish, 
which is the exact counterpart of 
making our girls mannish, and surely 
Miss Bates would desire neither, for 
the highest type of each sex is that 
which has most developed its own es- 
sential qualities, and in this lies pro- 
gress for the race. 
Miss Bates’ most serious confu- 
sion of ideas is shown, however, when 
she mixes up women’s public spirited 
duty as citizens with the casting of 
a ballot. It is of great benefit to the 
state that it should have an intelligent 
body of public spirited citizens free 
_ from political affiliations to work out- 
side of and above all parties solely 
for the public good. No voter can 
stand aside from political parties, for 
the prerogative to vote entails its use 
upon the conscientious citizen, and 
by our vote we cannot but align our- 
selves with one side or the other. 
Anti-suffragists are opposed to wo- 
man’s suffrage not on the negative 
side but very positively because they 
want to help their country in the best, 
in the completest way. That their 
public spirit is very real they have 
amply shown. Not suffragists, but 
anti-suffragists, after the Salem fire, 
opened their headquarters as a centre 
for collecting, mending and shipping 
clothing and supplies to the sufferers 
from that horrid calamity, and again 
during these last days have those 
same rooms hummed with the whirr 
of sewing machines and the click of 
a eng 
fe 2S 
“op Pe &* ene, 
oes) 
scissors, aS garments were cut and 
made up for the Red Cross errand of 
mercy across the sea. If the suf- 
fragists are more public spirited than 
their protesting sisters they have yet 
to give the sign. 
Mrs. WiLuiAM LOWELL PUTNAM. 
Manchester, Sept. 10, 1914. 
A SUFFRAGE LETTER 
I have just been visiting on the 
coast of Maine, where | found the 
ladies busy with Red Cross work and 
of course | joined them. The ladies 
who were in charge of this work were 
suffragists from Chicago,—-not only 
suffragists, but voters! The latter 
fact gives them the more time now to 
do whatever branch of public service 
may interest them. I confess that the 
cutting and sewing of flannel gar- 
ments for the European soldiers 
seemed to me a bit old-fashioned; but 
then, war is old-fashioned! I do not 
for a moment mean to disparage the 
importance and helpfulness of the 
Red Cross work; but many thought- 
ful women of today are engaged in 
the deeper work of peace. And they 
cannot do very much for national and 
international peace until they have the 
vote. That is one of the reasons why 
we refuse to be halted in the steady 
forward-march of the woman move- 
ment and the peace movement, which 
go together. The assertions of anti- 
suffragists, in connection with Red 
Cross work, seem rather undignified, 
and even funny, when we remember 
that Clara Barton, who founded the 
American Red Cross, was a great suf- 
fragist, and that the women who did 
the most patriotic and self-sacrificing 
work in Massachusetts in our Civil 
war, were suffragists. Those women 
set aside their work for the ballot un- 
til the cruel war should be over. But 
if we go on waiting until men have 
got through fighting, we — shail 
NEVER get the franchise,— and we 
shall never have peace! 
It sometimes seems as if antis are 
interested in war and suffragists in- 
terested in peace. But in fact, let us 
note that both suffragists and antis 
are working together on the North 
Shore Red Cross Committee. And 
we know that if our country were at 
war, all our women would be as loyal 
and self-sacrificing as are Christabel 
Pankhurst and all the English suf- 
fragists at this time. 
On this same visit, a Chicago man, 
who is a very militant international 
lawyer and a peace advocate, told me 
that the women voters in Chicago had 
already begun the work of cleaning 
up that most corrupt city, and that 
throughout the state of Illinois their 
vote has already done great work for 
NORTH SHORE BREEZE and Reminder 27 
MAGNOLIA. 
An interesting exhibit of the work 
of the dressmaking class was held at 
the Women’s club-house last Thurs- 
day with seventeen completed dresses 
shown. All members of the class 
were beginners and dollar dresses 
were selected for the first work. The 
award for the prettiest and most 
fashionable dress was made to Miss 
May de Courcey. The garment was 
of block and white awning striped 
voile and was made with a long tunic, 
white vest with roll collar, white cuffs. 
Mrs. .Clifford Story’s dress was 
judged the best made. It was a sim- 
ple little green chambray house dress 
with a white collar and white cuffs 
and cost only 85 cents. The exhibit 
of the embroidery class was held Fri- 
day and samples of all the work taken 
up, which included the button-hole 
stitch, cross-stitch, punch-work, 
Swedish weaving and Italian relief 
were shown. The members of the 
class gave a party to Miss Martha 
Wonson, the instructor, in the even- 
ing and presented her with a vase. 
Miss Wonsan has been very generous 
of her time and interest in the class 
this season. Mrs. H. C. Foster mat- 
ron ofthe club, was given a large 
party Saturday evening by the mem- 
bers..of the club and was presented 
with *a very beautiful ring of ame- 
thysts-and a diamond. The affair 
was given partly in honor of her 
birthday and partly, as a_ farewell 
party’ as Mrs. Foster, after eight 
years’ work at the club, is resigning 
this year. Mrs. Foster has been 
more than faithful to the club and 
has been connected with it since its 
opening. 
Edward French has returned to 
Everett after spending the summer 
with his grand-parents, Mr. and Mrs. 
Edward Symonds. 
Mrs. Winslow B. Story has been 
entertaining her friend, Miss Bresna- 
han of Beverly, for a few days. 
W. B. Richardson has returned 
from Peterboro, N. H., where he has 
been spending a few weeks. 
Miss Florence Andrews of Glou- 
cester was a guest of Mrs. D. C. Bal- 
lou, Thursday. 
Miss Eva Gray of Gloucester has 
been a guest of Miss Amy Lycett this 
week. 
The “Minstrel Show Girls’ of the 
Women’s club made up a motor ride 
to Gloucester Thursday evening. Mrs. 
H. C. Foster, matron of the club 
chaperoned them. 
temperance. Certainly we must wait 
no longer in Massachusetts! 
Louie R. Stanwoop, 
Manchester, Sept, 10, 
