The Use and Need of the Life of Carrie A. Nation [71]
former husbands and fathers, and the Romans,
their last husbands, and forebade bloodshed by saying: "You will have
to kill each other over our dead bodies."
If those heathen women by their act could reconcile two nations, is
it not a rebuke to women in this Christian age for their cowardice in not
coming forward and demanding recognition in the matter of being a
go-between, for one class of men are arrayed against another..
A hundred thousand of our sons are being sent to drunkard's graves
and a drunkard's hell every year. By a bold stand for the right, to defend
our loved ones, let us rush between and stop this deadly strife, with the
same heroism of the women of Rome, "over our dead bodies." Women
will get the ballot in time, but it can be hastened only by women themselves.
It will be a great victory for mankind when women can veto the
curse of mankind. The mother impulse is stronger with women than any,
and when she can protect her offspring, she will make a greater effort
to do so than now. She will not then do as many now do, make her
body a manikin to hang the fashions of the day on. She will not then
display her form to attract the vulgar gaze of the world. She will not
place the corpses of cats or birds on her head. She will not wear mops
at the bottom of her dress to sweep up the filth of the earth. She will
not wear shoes that injure her as the heathen do. She will not put her
body in the vice of a corset, displacing the organs of her body, unfitting
her to be a mother, causing more than half the surgical operations in the
hospitals. She will then discuss character more than fashion. She will
be ashamed of her silly, giggling and meaningless conversation. God
said, "a man shall not wear that which pertains to a woman neither shall
a woman put on a mans garment for all that do such things are an
abomination unto God" women will then see the vulgarity and immodesty
and sin in dressing in male attire or in any other form of indecent
exposure of her person.
Young men often say to me: 'Mrs. Nation, if I go to see young ladies
I can learn nothing from them. They are not interested in the subjects
that are improving to young men. They read only trash." Also
they say: "I cannot afford to marry. I cannot support a woman. Their
wants are so many.' Dress is a remnant of barbarism. The Indians
delight in different colors, the plumage of birds, the skins of animals,
even rattle-snakes. We retrograde to their level when we attract the
vulgar gaze to such vanities.
God said: "I will make man a HELPMATE," a partner, a helper, not a
hinderer to success in any way. What kind of mothers will this class
of women make? It is said that a mother does more to mold the mind
and heart of the child before it is born than can be done by any one from
its birth up to twelve years. God sent an angel to the mother of Samson;
told her "not to drink wine or strong drink" before the child was
born. Why? God wishes here to teach that mothers can injure their
children or entail on them vices before they are born.
Women will triumph in this battle. The devil knows it and has put
forth every effort to forestall this great reform. Look at the shop windows,
loaded with every style and fashion to attract the eyes of the passing
woman. Things that will be but a burden to her, will cause her to use
the earnings of her husband and the patrimony of her children and destroy
her mother influence and bring upon her just censure of her husband.
This is not the rule but the exception, for women, if they are not false,
spend more for the advancement of their families than themselves. There
never will be a club or other organization of women that will ever make
any regulation that will in any way injure the welfare of their offspring.
And the interests of men are safe in the keeping of good women.
Woman is also a power for evil. Solomon, the wisest, was not wise
enough to keep out of the toils of bad women; and Samson, the strongest,
was not strong enough to break away from the bad influence.
their last husbands, and forebade bloodshed by saying: "You will have
to kill each other over our dead bodies."
If those heathen women by their act could reconcile two nations, is
it not a rebuke to women in this Christian age for their cowardice in not
coming forward and demanding recognition in the matter of being a
go-between, for one class of men are arrayed against another..
A hundred thousand of our sons are being sent to drunkard's graves
and a drunkard's hell every year. By a bold stand for the right, to defend
our loved ones, let us rush between and stop this deadly strife, with the
same heroism of the women of Rome, "over our dead bodies." Women
will get the ballot in time, but it can be hastened only by women themselves.
It will be a great victory for mankind when women can veto the
curse of mankind. The mother impulse is stronger with women than any,
and when she can protect her offspring, she will make a greater effort
to do so than now. She will not then do as many now do, make her
body a manikin to hang the fashions of the day on. She will not then
display her form to attract the vulgar gaze of the world. She will not
place the corpses of cats or birds on her head. She will not wear mops
at the bottom of her dress to sweep up the filth of the earth. She will
not wear shoes that injure her as the heathen do. She will not put her
body in the vice of a corset, displacing the organs of her body, unfitting
her to be a mother, causing more than half the surgical operations in the
hospitals. She will then discuss character more than fashion. She will
be ashamed of her silly, giggling and meaningless conversation. God
said, "a man shall not wear that which pertains to a woman neither shall
a woman put on a mans garment for all that do such things are an
abomination unto God" women will then see the vulgarity and immodesty
and sin in dressing in male attire or in any other form of indecent
exposure of her person.
Young men often say to me: 'Mrs. Nation, if I go to see young ladies
I can learn nothing from them. They are not interested in the subjects
that are improving to young men. They read only trash." Also
they say: "I cannot afford to marry. I cannot support a woman. Their
wants are so many.' Dress is a remnant of barbarism. The Indians
delight in different colors, the plumage of birds, the skins of animals,
even rattle-snakes. We retrograde to their level when we attract the
vulgar gaze to such vanities.
God said: "I will make man a HELPMATE," a partner, a helper, not a
hinderer to success in any way. What kind of mothers will this class
of women make? It is said that a mother does more to mold the mind
and heart of the child before it is born than can be done by any one from
its birth up to twelve years. God sent an angel to the mother of Samson;
told her "not to drink wine or strong drink" before the child was
born. Why? God wishes here to teach that mothers can injure their
children or entail on them vices before they are born.
Women will triumph in this battle. The devil knows it and has put
forth every effort to forestall this great reform. Look at the shop windows,
loaded with every style and fashion to attract the eyes of the passing
woman. Things that will be but a burden to her, will cause her to use
the earnings of her husband and the patrimony of her children and destroy
her mother influence and bring upon her just censure of her husband.
This is not the rule but the exception, for women, if they are not false,
spend more for the advancement of their families than themselves. There
never will be a club or other organization of women that will ever make
any regulation that will in any way injure the welfare of their offspring.
And the interests of men are safe in the keeping of good women.
Woman is also a power for evil. Solomon, the wisest, was not wise
enough to keep out of the toils of bad women; and Samson, the strongest,
was not strong enough to break away from the bad influence.