The Senate of the United States is the greatest forum of free debate on earth; but the counsel of the American fireside is far more powerful.  Wife and children have a vital interest in every ballot deposited by father and husband—­an interest as definite and tangible as his own.  Every voter, therefore, ought to discuss with wife and children, with parents, brothers, and sisters, all public questions, and vote according to the composite family conviction.

No greater method of public safety can be imagined than for the American family to “size up” the American public man, and then have the voters of that family sustain or reject him at the polls, according to the verdict of the household.  If such were the rule, only those men who are of the people when they are first placed in public office, and who keep close to the people ever after, would be elected to anything.

Such a method, too, would insure a steadier current of national policy, subject to fewer variations.  There would not be so many fads to deflect sound and sane statesmanship.  So by all means, young man, begin your career as a citizen by making your wife a partner in every vote you cast.

Nobody denies that men and women should have equality of privilege and equality of rights; but equality of duties and similarity of work is absurd.  The contrary idea was beautifully satirized in the now famous toast: 

“Here’s to our women:  God bless them!  Once our superiors, now our equals.”

The truth is that it is impossible to compare men and women.  They are not the same beings.  They have different characteristics, different methods, different capacities, and different view-points of life.  Each supplements the other.  Doubtless the woman has the choicer lot.  Surely this is true abstractly speaking.  Suppose we should all stand disembodied souls, or rather unembodied souls, on the edge of the forming universe; and suppose that, to these abstract intelligences, the Creator should say: 

“I am forming the universe.  I am creating a wonderful place called Earth.  I am going to clothe you each in human form, marvelously and beautifully made, the highest work of my hands.  Some of you shall be men.  To these men I will give the task of labor in the fields, of warfare with wild beasts.  It shall be your duty to subdue wildernesses, and to construct and defend a dwelling-place for this other one whom I am going to make a woman.  Therefore I shall give you men large bones to deal strong blows, and a heavy skull to withstand the like.  I shall give you courage and physical power and audacity and daring.

“The woman’s mission shall be different. It shall be for her to create and preserve human happiness. She shall do this in the dwelling-place which the man constructs for her, and which will be called home.  There shall she bind up his wounds and give him rest and comfort.  I will give into her keeping also the making of the race, and thus the control of the destiny of the world.  And so this woman shall be given delicate bones and a deft touch and voice of music and eye of peace and heart of tenderness and mind of beautiful wisdom.”