W. T. STEAD ON WOMAN SUFFERAGE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2150, 5 August 1907, Page 4

W. T. STEAD ON WOMAN SUFFERAGE.

While in New York recently, Mr. W. T. Stead addressed the Collegiate Equal Sufferage League. Ho said that since -the Lord had seen fit to put boys and girls in the same family, he had never believed that should bo separated. He had never belonged to any club to which women were not admitted, and never addressed a meeting from Which women were excluded. He wittily told of an announcement that “\V. T. Stead will speak to a meeting of men only,” to which ho sent word “No, I will not', there will bo one man who will not be there if women are not admitted,” so when ho reached the place he saw notices posted, “For men only, but women are invited to attend.” At another time he received word that at a certain, meeting of a men’s organisation at which ho was to speak they couldn’t’ possibly let women in, because the men had taken all the seats, and he wrote back, “There will be room for one women, she can have my place.” Continuing, he said: “Anything that serves to separate men and women and prevent one from having the advice and help of the other is bad. Male clubs, mate legislatures, male barracks, are bad; they need humanising. Any organisation from which one sex is barred is inhuman, anti-social, and dangorous. I speak particularly of the male organisations, because there aro so many things that, the men can bar you from, and so few from which you can bar them.”

He further said that the suffrag.otto movement in England was not one of revolt against- men who do not believe in woman suffrage, but those who have promised and will not do, and closed by humorously telling of the -trembling members of Parliament who had 1000 policemen to protect them against a mere handful of women, who had not even ' the physical strength to strike.