Raster writes that it is not necessary to take the menacing nagging of some fanatic women seriously. Does he mean his article does not have to be taken seriously? His main reason is that women do not want the right to vote.

It is hard for us to say that a nominal amount of women do not want suffrage but we will even concede that most of them do not care about their rights to vote, This is because of our having given them a wrong education and of having surrounded them for centuries with prejudices which dulled them to their own interests.

The attainment of suffrage is in the interest of woman as the development of the political and economic conditions interest and touch her often far deeper than the man. Notice the rise of prices and fall of wages because of the tariff.

Besides the interest any woman has in a reasonable molding of political and economic conditions she possesses an incontestable right for co-operation on legislation. She fulfills the same allegiance to the government as does the man and equal duties should have equal rights.

Do not take exception to the fact that women are not subject to military service 2since in several countries, men are also not subjected. Besides for a woman it is as great a sacrifice to send her husband, sweetheart, son, or brother to war while she remains at home in constant fear for the life of her loved one.

Not only has the woman the right to participate in public matters but she also has a pressing interest in it. And if this right has not been acknowledged by the legislature of most countries then it is for the reason that so far men have made laws in their own interest and to the disadvantage of women.

There would have never been such important laws about divorce and subsistence for children born out of wedlock or about adultery on the part of women in contrast to men, if women had participated in legislation.

The reason that women as yet do not have much interest in public affairs, prefering gossip and newspapers to economic and political questions, lies in the fact that they had no right to participate in these questions. If they possessed the right they would soon learn how to make use of it to the fullest extent. But it is disgraceful and humiliating that women should declare it not proper to show any interest in politics, that this is against feminism, that men will look after those matters, etc.

We feel sorry for a slave who does not feel his chains, but more pitiable is one 3who boasts about his chains. And to this number of unfortunate ones belong a large number of our women.