The Ballot For Women

for !iny rational discusión of this ques tion, ïo ignore it is to imijsc the dia cussion mainly worthiess. Jthe human race is to exist in the future, tcoman is to be iis molher. That poiut is settled in nature, not by masculino arrogancc. Now, mo'herhrod is not the occupation of a moment. Pur months preceding 'hi.' faot of rrfaternity the body 8 ooDlrolled bj it, taken much out of' its ordinarj coutves, set iiidc from mnny of its sev'erer labore. Por weeks a f ter the complotion of raotherhood it ia la'.d by for rcoupcration, its functions absorbed wfth promesses of recovery and nutrition. Afti-r this, in my ngfat state of body or society, comes n ye in which the ob.üd eau nol be for many hours at ii time separated from its mother'ij bi The body of' the. mothcr is also in tlio extraordinary process oí' receiving and asBtmilatÍQg nouriábmeat for tu - no inoonsideiable task. Not only ruo the pbjsical poworg fally prèóccupicd both before and after maternity, bat nèither body nor mind s in regular and normal aetion for lift: 's oommon us:t. Thero is an exaggerated sensiti eoess. Things at other timos hardly notiocd bscoroe, to the keener sor.sibil itics, csciting and ful! of poril to tbe wöman, ind to the üfu devsloping svithin or at the brsast. Tho eafety of the mother, tho pb.ysicnl and moral soundness and balance of tho child, téquine defensa ngair.et many otherwise hcalthful contesta. Aaide fjm the child's dependance npon her for tiutrition, evtry rigbt-hearted mother reeognizes one absorbing, bhpreme rcspousibility for the derekipment and training ol the sul committed to her, uot by human íujustiae, but by a divine, constitutional necessity ; a respoDsibility no otber can take, and whieli no truc woman woulJ eommit to any othor - no, not to a'i angel from Heaven Tb ese exigent du'.ies of materoity inny ba said naturally to occ upy a woinm from twenty to forty-five years of ag The avèrflge numbor of obildren to a ma'rfïago 6fty yeara ago, wr.s not aneight; ao average produotiveness in oach mothcr at leaat evcry tbird yeartiH pust, age. Wenced uot botold of the immeiisc dranght of such reproduotioTi apon the system, nor of tbe meascara and labor of such a householcl. That t was fully adcijuate to the forcee of the robilster vsroman of a artificial civilizatinn than Cmrf, all women will agroe. YefTDr Pcaely, an nuthoriiy second to non siys that the f these proliflc motbeis were longer than tho-e of the unmarried women ■ir day. The dcereasc of tbisproi'!'ac:i"eT!e?s of Inte is evident. It is certain that meas ures are aetively and sjftt ly aüd widely taken to prevent the natural productivotief-'s cf marriago, meRSuroi reacliing up from the abouiinations brought to prevent conception, oven to the monetrous crime of foetal marden The cndeavor, iu marriajge, yet to bo rid of the paii:s, confinement, and expense of materuity, is tho portentous fact of our civüizatioD, the root of immoraütics end less, of disenses destructivo to men and women. It devolops moriKtrous lus's; iii vados to destroy the purity of home, the h'olinesa of the marriage bud, and corrupts tho souls that ought to bc most spotless. A return at once to tho normnl idea of the marital relntion, is the necessity of our time, whether for morality, religión, or theperpetuatton of the raoe. Certain et tho best stocks of the, world are on tho high rond to extinotioo and til;; t by the foulest meaus ever used to cxtermiiüi'e a tace ! Now for the boariag of wornnn suffrage on this matter. Masculino women on the platform have heaped ridicule on the hunible, loving mother'rf dutv. Mud wonieu have esultingly foretold the day .hca tho unwedded iimong vvomoo shouid be the names of houor. ]Jut we will not dweil on this strong token of' llio i.ndcreurrcnfof the movemetit, for the deennt women of tho platform now promise that they will still bo tivcs and motlicrs. Woman vetes ; is in all the professions ; aspires to oüice ; is pecuniarily independent of man. These ire the main points sougbt. The sufFrage is preciou3, and demandcd bccause it is held to be the root of cach of theso growths. Now for motherhood 1 Will tho prpfosaions hinder motherhood ? Professional dutics ar.d responsibilitios, the hope of profespional suoeefs, must forbid frequent maternities in professional women. The draughtsoï maternity upon aotualphysical fibility would ditable ber from the arduous physieal nnd mental labora essential to professional success. The delioaoy of thst estáte would retire her from public, parsuite for very considerable periode, The peculiar physieal condition. affecting the sensibilities, tho peril of the efforts and exeitement of public life, wouid debar her from the active dutics of her professiou for periods too greut to leavo any ho])cof No man could suceeed in tho miuistry if every Ihitd or even íifth j'ear he must witlidraw írom its active service. No phypician, with rucIi un understanding, would hopo to establish a practico. Iiis Grut 3'ix months of absence would dcstroy Buch as hc had been able to gain. The wóman of tho law would find it hard to gather her circle of oliente, un1op8 she could givc tbcm f.iir prospecta of continuoua attendauce upon thcir interes'.s. The woman in politica! life would Cnd the probabilities of maternity a perpetual bar to her ambitions. In short the professional woman wonld bc ander bonds to tacoen to clcar hersell of the dutiis of motheihood not only bat from evcry Buspioion ofperil of sucb arreste in her pareuits, Only by guaran'y agaiütt obild-besring could sho have aoything likc equal chance with man. Morcover, she h under bonds not to success only, but also to honor and duty 8he bas no right to nssutne the pnstorate of a parish, nr.d then, mny be at the ver}' crisis of the spiritual life of raanj cut herse'if off from power to hold tho oversight of so vital íifíairs. Sho Ikik no riglit as a phypioian to gather iuto her hands tho charge of the livcs and healths of a grcat cirele of families, and then withdraw herself for maternity, leaving them in sioknosa to dcatli. 'J'uking tho gravo rcsponïibility, bhc uust ïoltl herself clear to meet it. She has no right to ndueo ciroles of cíienís to ontrust to her their leg:il interests, and ihon, fairly acquninted wilh their afiairs withdrsw hcrsflf to ntiy private and domestic concern whntever. Slie lias no right to induce circlos of clients tö entrust to her their legal interests, and then fairly acquainted with tlieir afiairs, withdraw hersi If to any private and domestie concern wh a te ver. She has no riglit in politicnl life, to tako positions aud Loniji'S at tlic hand of any communiry, or party, and tben,may be at the supremo moment of party nccessity or public peril, put herself out of power to stand at her post and discharge her great duties. Professional succoss end professional honor alike put berin bonds RgaioBt raotlierliood. The obrious and ouly answer must be, "Then these women must avoid maternity. Tiiat is not their only duty. - Others are paramounfc. Slie DOed not be a mother." Th:it is frank, and puts the case on ifs truo grouuds. Let us pursue it. The?e women shall be celibatos ! Ent are not all our reformera braciog tlieir plea for woinnn at tlie polls by saying, "Men are not men without women, and women are not women without mon." I ïavc heard ít ono hnndred times, and what's more, I bolieve it ! These celiate women iu the mwrietry. Uw, politics, medicine, separated froin the coinmon, restful sympathies of liLe, outside of home circles, ra.spcd, 'burdeued with ho vexaii' in toüs of succcssful or ■ ■esíful Rinbilfons ! Man so circumstanced would be, as a class, miserable, vortblüfs, ppecdiïy left outside the eseem, confidence, or employ of their fel ows. We w.int na celibato professions either of men or women. Wc shall ncver ontrust religión with its dclica'o minstrio?, our families, nor tbc state, to any class of celibatos. Every such class initcs corruption of wanners, moráis and aitb. No, no ! The world will nerer rust nor try tho mastery of celibato Wiimen in religión, medicine, nor state era ft. But these professional women will ïavo hoart3 will as heads. InetidOts 'or lovc, tujiderness acd homo will have v;;y. Marry, forsooth, they must and will ! Yot they nre under bonds to suocess and honor not to iuterrupt their professional pursuits by the lor.g pauses of frequent maternity. 'i'iiuy oaonot givc the Uower of thiir days aud energy lo reproduciion. Wbat follows? Why this. These Icading women, most honored and famous iu maniagc, but preventing maternity, must bt-come consjpicuously infamoug, a contagión of the devil through society. Th at fashion is pravaleot eaough ! Wliat should befall if our brüliant, splendid women in the pulpit, at the ba:-, in medicino and od the forma, shoulti set everywhere tho illostrioTis exatnple of proetitutioD in marriagc? Woc worth the day ! Yct tliis must be ia any day which shall see women Clüüg puccesst'ullj tbrough Ii!e the proi'e.jsions or even tho trades. Who is ready, by celibacy or fruitlessness of our nblest women, for these only would suooeed, to eco these best minds, and if uncorrnpled, theso best hcarts, taken out of all the Üdos of human descent ? ís our blood so rich ihat we can stand tLis thiuning ? Wüat can a class oí our best, mado women do in their singlo lives to atonc for tho loss of sons and daughters of so worthy stock ? It is ti question of oue woraan, barren, in a profüssion, or a thousand generations of her grand blood to people and make ;j;reat the futuro ! I for ono believe in the thousand generaliona of noble women and mon, rather than tho onc WOman's good right arm, though she slash and huw never so grandly. Blrs. Wesley, in her motherhood of sous and Methodism, was greater than she could havo been by any uost royal work whieh had hiudercd those sons from being so well born. Above all, who is rcady to see this best blood among women kept out of fu ture geuerations by processes most foul whose full tendenoy should bo to cor rupt the domestio and marital relations of the generation iu whieh tiiey live? - Nothing could atone for the sad exatnpies of' these famous, succo?sful, bui willfully childish wives. Thcy woulc be, as a class, a contagión of the very siu and shame which doth most besei our time. So hero is my trouhlo. If women are to be mothers, to any noticeablo ex tent, they enn't be Euccessful in tho pro fessions "aud tho trades. The tendency will be frightfuily strong, in all ambitious women to celibacy with its vices, or to marnage with the namelcss sh:imcb which shall ïrurent maternity. The woinan-reformer8 are hnrd after a succass which will forbid inaterüity in al who aspire to reach it. Specimen women entering public Hfe at fit'ty and reaching success, iuvolve no difficulty aud prove nothiug. Venera blo wonicn, grand in war with wrong whose public lives bcgan after their children wero wcll reared, boast theil homes, and prove, Fplendid as they are tho glory of tho devcloping powor of ma lerrnrty.