Life — October 6, 1910 — page 26: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

“LIF E- Miss Jawbones Takes Charge OW, dear readers, that I have taken charge of the Suffragette Depart- ment of Lire, I wish it distinctly to be understood that I will tolerate no levity. I know the tendency of tyrant man to poke fun at our sacred It is a thing to be ex- from brutes who, from time immemorial, have preferred those of our own sex who possessed personal beauty and agree- able dispositions to those of us who have minds of our own and voices to speak them, Beware, sirs! Don’t any of you try to get funny with Priscilla. cause. pected As I sit at my desk this beautiful autumn morning little letters of congratula- tion come fluttering down like lovely leaves from the dear trees divesting themselves of their summer apparel. And this, too, suggests another sweet thought. We have all heard the silent dropping of the ballots in the boxes com- pared to the falling of the snow, Would it not be better that the ballots, instead of being monotonously white, should be tinted so as to match the costumes of the ladies who deposited them? Then, too, the ballots might also be scented with such lovely perfumes as violet, attar of roses and musk, each party, perhaps, having its own odor. Then the polling places would be an aesthetic joy instead of recking with the fumes of bad tobacco, as they do now. There are some monsters of men who might use these differences in the colors and odors of the ballots to corrupt the voters, but I have no doubt we could get enough ladies to pass a law making this a state’s prison offense. Think of it, dear sisters. That was a delightful tribute which came to me from the gentleman dressmaker in Paris—three lovely hobble- skirts, all in the latest shades. And better yet is his poetic idea that the hobble-skirt was intended as a bit of symbol- ism, hinting at the fetters which man has thrown about our sex. Lee I am glad to see that so many of my down-trodden sisters are wearing the hobble-skirt. It is a mute but elo- quent protest. It demonstrates our mental superiority and shows our fitness to guide the destinies of our country. Better yet, in almost every case our oppressors—the male creatures who make the life of the American woman a constant hell of deprivation and suffering—have to pay the bills. When we shall have secured the ballot I can imagine no more impressive sight than thousands of American women in hobble-skirts marching—no, not marching, but proceeding—to the polls to deposit votes voicing their pro- test against centuries of man’s inhumanity to woman. I am surprised that “ suffrage” was not included in the list of the most beautiful twenty-five words in our lan- guage to which an English periodical has just awarded a prize in a competition among its readers. “ Suffrage” is not only one of the most beautiful twenty- five words in the English language—it is the most beautiful word, A sister writes to know whether we should welcome a divorced woman to our ranks and permit her to be a leader among us. Why not? A divorce is always the result of man’s brutality or perfidy. The whole town of Reno is populated with suffering women unjustly delayed by man-made law in their efforts to free themselves from the shackles of matrimony. We who have never had an opportunity to put on the accursed fetters can best aid our suffering sisters by securing the ballot and then passing a law which shall make divorce possible only for women. This would, with- out doubt, bring about an era of moral improvement in our best society. It would give society women the whip-hand over the tyranny of their husbands and with the former having the right to do exactly as they please there would be no more scandals in high life. In my mail I find this inquiry from one of our most indefatigable speakers at street-corners : Dear Miss Priscitta:—When a lady suffragette making a speech and is interrupted by a rude man asking a question which the lady is unable to answer, is the lady justified in coming down from the plat- form and slapping the man’s face? Hurrah for our cause! Yours for suffrage, Sornte Louptatckt Certainly! That is always a proper argument in a dis- cussion with a man when you find you have no answer to what he says. But it would be wise first to make sure that there is a policeman near by, because the man might not be a gentleman and might slap back. Be of good heart, dear sisters. promised to espouse our cause. “The Colonel” has That will surely settle it Priscilla Jawbones pee 16 my gusy | (ln {| ‘ ii Yo fi t Willie Firefly: say, MISTER, DO YOU WANT TO HIRE A BRIGHT boy? comicbooks.com