Page:Women and the State.djvu/7

5 the rights of the industrious in regard to the fruit of their toil, the protection of the honest from thieves, the punishment of evil-doers, the safeguarding of health—all these are questions moat vitally affecting the family and the private relationships of parents and children and husbands and wives, and yet they are the subject of legislation at every point. Could anything affect women more closely than these questions do? If war is declared, who pays ultimately the cost but the women who give up their men to fight? If finance and taxation are the question of the day, who does the nation's buying but the wives and mothers? If public health is under discussion, who is more vitally interested in pure foods acts, in a pure milk supply, in clean streets, sanitation and hygiene than the mother? Who is more anxious than she for the prevention of crime and the safeguarding of home and children? Who is more concerned than she that a wise national policy shall prevail, and that extremists with impossible socialistic doctrines and their advocacy of mob rule shall be stopped from a career of anarchy and pillage and shall be prevented from getting even temporary control of the State? All these are questions of politics, and women are vitally interested in them.

HOW WE ARE GOVERNED. Civilisation is being torn in two at the present time by conflicting theories regarding the ideal form of government. At one time there were but two forms of government thought possible, the monarchical and the republican. The