Correspondence WOMEN'S RIGHTS.

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 133, 7 May 1892, Page 2

Correspondence WOMEN'S RIGHTS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THIS STAR. Sir — Truly this is a progressive age. Here we see women holding temperance meetings and petitioning that august body, the Licensing Bench, not to grant any more licenses, as if they were used to it ; and are not stopping there either, but are making the biggest bid at wearing the breeches women ever did make when they want to yote. Oh, dear ! What shall we poor men do '? Here we have been living all these centuries under the delusion that it was our duty to look after the women ; and now comes the awakening by our finding that they want to become members of parliament, and to try to govern us. What they would do when they got in the House it is difficult to say, unless, we repeat what one of their number was heard to say, namely, that " If a lot of women got in the House it would be one continual click of tongues, as, womanfashion, they would all want to talk at once, and the listeners would be the few men who could muster up courage enough to go and hear them. As for reporting what they would talk about, no shorthand or anything else would be able to keep pace with their tongues, unless Edison came to the rescue and invented something in the steam " talk recorder " line. If he did, the report on their politics would probably read thus : " Did you see Mrs So-and-so's hat ? I wonder what the feather cost, the hat didn't match it at all, did it ? and as for the style of her skirt, it was abominable ; why she ought not be allowed in the House, did she, &c." Besides, it takes a man all his time, as a member of the House, seeing to the duties that position involves, and we may naturally ask " Who is to look after our homes if our wives are to go Parliament, and get our teas ready ? and, last, but by no means least, who is to look after that important member of the household — the baby ? It seems as if we most assuredly will have to put him (or her, as the case may be) to bed ourselves, while onr better halves (must be) talk politics. Why, I even have to wash up so that my wife can attend the " Cake and Apron" fair regularly. I hope none of our sex will take any of the members of the W.C.T.U., with their white emblems, for Salvationists in mourning, if they do they will make a mistake. And as for their coffee palace, why, talking about tea or coffee even makes me wish my part of their number would come home and get tea ready, As a parting shot, we men might say that it our homes were made nice, clean, and cheerful, with a wife that would talk less and mind the house more, there would not be so many men drunkards as there are. I am, etc., A Took Married Man.