This is not an indictment of the whole German people; it is an indictment of the militaristic-bureaucratic ruling class, which, persuaded of its divine inspiration and intolerant of criticism,[432] has plunged the country into a devastating war.  It is not unlikely that the end of the conflict will mark also the overthrow of the Hohenzollern dynasty.  The spirit of the Germans of 1848, who labored unsuccessfully to make their country a republic, may awake again and realise its dreams.  In concluding this chapter, I wish to enlarge somewhat upon the philosophy of suffrage as exhibited in the preceding chapter.  The “woman’s sphere” argument is still being worked overtime by anti-suffrage societies, whose members rather inconsistently leave their “sphere,” the home, to harangue in public and buttonhole legislators to vote against the franchise for women.  “A woman’s place,” says the sage Hennessy, “is in th’ home, darning her husband’s childher.  I mean——­” “I know what ye mean,” says Mr. Dooley. “’Tis a favrite argument iv mine whin I can’t think iv annything to say.”  A century ago, the home was the woman’s sphere.  To-day the man has deliberately dragged her out of it to work for him in factory and store because he can secure her labor more cheaply than that of men and is, besides, safer in abusing her when she has no direct voice in legislation.  Are the manufacturers willing to send their 1,300,000 female employees back to their “sphere”?  If they are not, but desire their labor, they ought in fairness to allow them the privileges of workmen—­that is, of citizens, participating actively in the political, social, and economic development of the country.

As women enter more largely into every profession and business, certain results will inevitably follow.  We shall see first of all what pursuits are particularly adapted to them and which ones are not.  It has already become apparent that as telephone and typewriter operators women, as a class, are better fitted than men.  They have, in general, greater patience for details and quickness of perception in these fields.  Similarly, in architecture some have already achieved conspicuous success.  One who has observed the insufficient closet space in modern apartments and kitchenettes with the icebox in front of the stove, is inclined to wish that male architects would consult their mothers or wives more freely.  In law and medicine results are not yet clear.  We shall presently possess more extensive data in all fields for surer conclusions.

A second result may be, that many women, instead of leaving the home, will be forced back into it.  This movement will be accelerated if the granting of equal pay for equal work and a universal application of the minimum wage take place.  There are a great number of positions, especially those where personality is not a vital factor, where employers will prefer women when they can pay them less; but if they must give equal pay, they will choose men.  Hence the