FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   944   945   946   947   948   949   950   951   952   953   954   955   956   957   958   959   960   961   962   963   964   965   966   967   968  
969   970   971   972   973   974   975   976   977   978   979   980   981   982   983   984   985   986   987   988   989   990   991   992   993   >>   >|  
expectations are raised by the admission of new States that are ruled by women. They may wish to divide--and conquer. One plan is, instead of dual Chambers of opposite sexes, to mingle in both the Senate and the House. And this is more likely to be the plan adopted, because the revolution is not to be violent, and, indeed, cannot take place without some readjustment of the home life. We have at present what Charles Reade would have called only a right-handed civilization. To speak metaphorically, men cannot use their left hands, or, to drop the metaphor, before the government can be fully reorganized men must learn to do women's work. It may be a fair inference from this movement that women intend to abandon the sacred principle of Home Rule. This abandonment is foreshadowed in a recent election in a small Western city, where the female voters made a clean sweep, elected an entire city council of women and most of the other officers, including the police judge and the mayor. The latter lady, by one of those intrusions of nature which reform is not yet able to control, became a mother and a mayor the same week. Her husband had been city clerk, and held over; but fortunately an arrangement was made with him to stay at home and take care of the baby, unofficially, while the mayor attends to her public duties. Thus the city clerk will gradually be initiated into the duties of home rule, and when the mayor is elected to Congress he will be ready to accompany her to Washington and keep house. The imagination likes to dwell upon this, for the new order is capable of infinite extension. When the State takes care of all the children in government nurseries, and the mayor has taken her place in the United States Senate, her husband, if he has become sufficiently reformed and feminized, may go to the House, and the reunited family of two, clubbing their salaries, can live in great comfort. All this can be easily arranged, whether we are to have a dual government of sexes or a mixed House and Senate. The real difficulty is about a single Executive. Neither sex will be willing to yield to the other this vast power. We might elect a man and wife President and Vice-President, but the Vice-President, of whatever sex, could not well preside over the Senate and in the White House at the same time. It is true that the Constitution provides that the President and Vice-President shall not be of the same State, but residence can be acquired
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   944   945   946   947   948   949   950   951   952   953   954   955   956   957   958   959   960   961   962   963   964   965   966   967   968  
969   970   971   972   973   974   975   976   977   978   979   980   981   982   983   984   985   986   987   988   989   990   991   992   993   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

President

 

Senate

 

government

 

elected

 

husband

 

States

 

duties

 

fortunately

 

imagination

 

infinite


extension

 

capable

 

Washington

 

accompany

 

gradually

 

initiated

 

unofficially

 

public

 
attends
 

Congress


arrangement

 
clubbing
 

single

 

Executive

 

Neither

 

Constitution

 

residence

 

acquired

 

preside

 
difficulty

sufficiently
 

reformed

 

feminized

 

United

 
children
 
nurseries
 
reunited
 

family

 
arranged
 

easily


comfort

 

salaries

 

police

 

called

 

handed

 

civilization

 

present

 

Charles

 

reorganized

 

metaphor