Judge, 1915-08-07 · page 18 of 28
Judge — August 7, 1915 — page 18: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes anti-suffrage arguments through deliberate logical fallacies. By Ethel R. Peyser, it deconstructs common claims used to oppose women's voting rights circa the suffrage era. Each "lesson" pairs contradictory premises to expose hypocrisy. For example: men allegedly need uninterrupted time for genius, yet women have never had such time—therefore only men possess creativity. Or: women's influence is invaluable to the state, but voting (merely registering influence) would disrupt it. The cartoon "A Double Standard of Justice" visually reinforces this theme, showing women being denied authority despite eligibility. The poem "To an Anti-Suffragist" by Katharine Lee Bates further mocks the contradiction: anti-suffrage advocates publicly argue women belong only at home, yet these same women appear on platforms advocating against women's rights—proving their own argument absurd. The satire targets the logical inconsistency of denying political participation to women while simultaneously praising women's intelligence and influence.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
No more delightful or amusing char- acter has appeared in fiction recently than Old Man Curry, the owner of a string of race horses bear- ing the names of prophets like Elisha and Obadiah. Mr. Van Loan has written these delightful stories of horseflesh and the race track in his most rollick- ing vein. They promise to be the funniest stories that are likely to appear any- where this summer. They will continue until the Autumn in Colliers THE NATIONAL WEEKLY 416 West 13th Street, New York City THE MODERN WOMAY Lessons in Logic from Modern Philosophers By ETHEL R. PEYSER Lesson 1 1 ‘*MEN are single-minded and attend to business."’ * 2. **Women can be always diverted from duty by pleasures" Therefore: Baseball crowds are for the most part composed Of mee, Lesson 2 1, ‘*Men are chivalrous."’ 2. ‘'The vote will be a terrible burden to women." Therefore: ‘‘Ha, ha! You will never expect to see a man give his seat to the vote-burdened woman !"’ 0 Lesson 3 1. ‘*Business men really have no time for recreation these day.” 2. ‘*Women of to-day have far too much leisure. Everything g done for them."’ : Therefore: ‘* Women have enough to do without voting.”” Lesson 4 1, ‘‘Genius to bear fruit needs uninterrupted time.’’ 2. ‘*Until to-day women have never had time for Self-develop. ment . . . intellectually."’ Therefore: ‘‘Men alone possess creative ability.’ Lesson 5 1. ‘'There is absolutely no difference between the brains of na and women."* 2. '*Because of a su- perior brain, man will al- ways supersede women."’ Therefore: The police patrol bill reads: Women are eligible to the police force. . . . They shall not be eligible to any position of authority over male mem- bers. Lesson 6 1, ‘*There is nothing so valuable to the state as women’s influence."’ 2. ‘'The ballot is only a method of registering in- fluence."’ Therefore: ‘‘Woman’s vote would disrupt the state.'’ A DOUBLE STANDARD OP JUSTICE Lesson 7 1, ‘‘Many men work all day and are very tired at the end of te day.”’ 2. ‘*Many women just frivol at will all day."* Therefore: ‘‘All men should give up their seats to women.” Lesson 8 1. ‘*About forty-seven per cent. of the Pennsylvania Railroad stod- holders are women."’ 2. ‘*Women as stockholders have votes '’ Therefore: ‘‘Women are not fit to vote for public officers.” To an Anti-Sufiragist EAR advocate of elm and vine, forgive me if I hint That I have seen your graces shine on platform and in print Ah, well you bid ‘‘true woman”’ blow the hearth fire till it glisten; Yet where are you who counsel so, and where are they who listen? In many a hall you charm our ears with periods majestic, Proving the music of the spheres is all of spheres domestic. So stump your State, Dame Paradox, serenely unaware You are the argument that knocks your logic into air. —Katharine Lee Bates The ‘melting pot’ proved unusually successful as a means of nit ing money for the suffragist campaign in New York and New Jersey. comichooks.cqQyg