Woman Suffrage, Pro And Con

In the last number of The Fortnightly Review are two lively papers on the opposite 6ide of this question. That in its favor is by Millicent Garrett Fawcett, widow of the blind postmaster general of England, and herself author of an elementary work on political economy. The two papers have been brought out at this time by the billa before parliament to extend the euffrage still further to women. Widows and Bingle women who own property have for several years voted for all officials except members of parliament. The bilis mentioned propoee to extend to the same class of womeu the right to vote for M. P.'s ateo. Relative to the tiuie honorod belief that women are best off in the seclusion of home, and should theref ore Btay there, Mrs. Garrett points to the fact that exactlj those nations where women are thus kept in the background are the nations that have made least progress, notably Turkey and China. She declares emphatically that it is nothing but "selfishness writ large" for women to bury their talents and intercsts in their homes and families, and let the world go to the dogs. I once heard a lady, the wifo of a member of parliament, say, at a moment wben we seemed to be on the brink of a war with Russia, that she would rather there were a war than a general electlon. She would rather, that is, than that her own domestic comfort and ease should be Interrupted, and her husband's digestión upset, that thousanda of homes should be made desolate, that lens of thousands of brare men ghould lose their lives, and their wires and children ahould taste the bitterness of widow and orphanbood. The flrst thing that women learn from bcaring some part, however hnmble, in natioual life, is to care for othtr homes besirles their own, to leaxn bow law and social custoins affect other people's children, and to test every propoeed alteration in the law, not as it maj affect their personal interes, but according to its bearing on the wel] being of othcrs. In a word, it extends their sympathies and enlarges their horizon. Whatever tends to cramp the development and hinder the liberty of one sex must inevitably react to the injury of the other, the lady declares. The tendency to sentimental politics which women might be expected to indulge will be quickly corrected by acquaintance with real politics. As evidence that women will exercise a good influence in elections, Mrs. Fawcett quotes the resolutions passed by the Atchison, Kan., women previous to a nominating conTention. They declared that they cared more for principie than for parties, and parties that expected their vote must glve them good men to vote for. Thus far Mrs. Fawcett. Mr. J. S. Stuart Glennie then takes up the weapons for the other side. He calis his paper "The Proposed Subjection of Men." He then proceeds to present an argument against woman nuffrage in England which is certainly new to America. He calis attention to the well known fact that there are nearly a million more women than men in Great Bri tain - over half a million, Mr. Glennie says. Put suffrage in the hands of women, and Great Britain would have on her hands something like tho present negro problem in the south. The triumphant majority of women would instantly seize on and control everything. The smal! minority of men would be nowhere, and the political subjection of man would be complete. Then he attacks another point. He tell8 us that before the Clirist ian era women enjoyed equal personal and property right s with men under the ancien t Roman law. Christianity was a "religious revolt against all the emancipatory principies of the Roman juriste and edicts of thoKoman prastors." Christianity in its triumph destroyed these and the rights of women and established their subjection, Mr. Glennie says. Now, howeyer, the tendency is tho other way, back towards the independence women enjoyed in the old Chaldean and Egyptian civilization. In some particulars which Mr. Glennie mentions property laws are more favorable now to women than to men. Allml to thesa favoring conditions place the ballot in woinen'B hands. Then, remetnbering the preponderancO of women in numbcrs in England, what would happen? "There would be not danger merely, but the clearest certainty of social and political disaster." Gas pipes, the country over, are so defective that one-third of the gas manufactured is kt by leakage. That is on reason why gas costs so much to consumera. Gas cocn pañíes ought tobe compelled to keep their mains in order. The ground under&eath largo cities is so f uil of electricity that there is constant, danger of terrible explosions frorn leakinggas. Mr. Musick, of St. Louis, hos been appointed ckief of the Indian bureau at Washington. Some of the base newspaper puns on his name are very low notes indeed. Gath calis attention to the fact that Atlanta and Chattanooga, cities thatsuffered most in the south during the war, are now the niost bugy and prosperoua of cities. The governor of Michigan has a sal ar y of only $1,000. Nebraeka paid her gorernor the same until recently, whon hto' pay was raised to $4,000 a year. Peanuts are now ground into a kind of fiour, which is both palatable and' nourishing. An excellent porridge la: made of it. Rev. Sam Jones writes in despair from San Francisco that he finds baseball is a wonderfully attractlve Sabbath game out there. { The Century magazine says if América gets a navy it will bring with it peculiar temptations to "Jingoism" and perhape aggressions on we aker nations. The Century is taking timo by a very lang forelock indeed. A.t present a look of two or three yeare aJiead shows no particular eigns of the coming of the great American navy. A company haa really been formed and is at work to utilize sonie of the waterfall at Niágara for the production of electricity . Some of the rock behind the falls will be excavated. From these excavations pipes wül be thrust into the fall, and will draw off water which will turn the driving wlieels for dynamo machines. Thus electricity can be generated in such quantities that it ia bel ie ved it can be conveyed long distancea and utilized as a motive power for machinery. It is a fact that the American navy exists now chiefly on paper. It will take at least two years' oteady work to complete the vessels under way or ordered. Until then the United States can make no showing for a navy. This fact is deplored by many Americans, who have already forgotten apparently what was done on the breaking out of the war. If a war should again arise, the whole resources of the country would be applied to the construction of a navy. In a few weeks war vessels would be fitted out which would answer all purposes. The nations would see what we could do in a real emergency. The animal agitation about a new house for the presidential family at Washington ia on again. Those who oppose it say the grand oíd historio White House is u very good, comfortable home, and that a new one would be useless and extravagant. Those in favor of the new mansión, on the other hand, assert that the old house is steeped in malaria and sewer gas. The business of the presidency has grown so since the country has enlarged frota thirteen states to forty-two, that the whole White Hou.se is now needed morely for an office for the president. He or his family havo no privacy, it is aaid. Even Baby HcKee's milk bottle has to be exposed in the front windows as a target for reporters to snoot at.