PersonallyIfeelthatitisexactlyasmucha“right“ofwomenasofmentovote。Buttheimportantpointwithbothmenandwomenistotreattheexerciseofthesuffrageasaduty，which，inthelongrun，mustbewellperformedtobeoftheslightestvalue。Ialwaysfavoredwoman’ssuffrage，butonlytepidly，untilmyassociationwithwomenlikeJaneAddamsandFrancesKellor，whodesireditasonemeansofenablingthemtorenderbetterandmoreefficientservice，changedmeintoazealousinsteadofalukewarmadherentofthecause——inspiteofthefactthatafewofthebestwomenofthesametype，womenlikeMaryAntin，didnotfavorthemovement。Avoteislikearifle：itsusefulnessdependsuponthecharacteroftheuser。ThemerepossessionofthevotewillnomorebenefitmenandwomennotsufficientlydevelopedtouseitthanthepossessionofrifleswillturnuntrainedEgyptianfellaheenintosoldiers。Thisisastrueofwomanasofman——
andnomoretrue。UniversalsuffrageinHaytihasnotmadetheHaytiansabletogovernthemselvesinanytruesense；andwomansuffrageinUtahinnoshapeorwayaffectedtheproblemofpolygamy。
IbelieveinsuffrageforwomeninAmerica，becauseIthinktheyarefitforit。Ibelieveforwomen，asformen，moreinthedutyoffittingone’sselftodowellandwiselywiththeballotthaninthenakedrighttocasttheballot。
Iwishthatpeoplewouldreadbookslikethenovelsandstories，atoncestrongandcharming，ofHenryBordeaux，bookslikeKathleenNorris’s“Mother。”andCorneliaComer’s“Preliminaries。”andwouldusethese，andothersuchbooks，astracts，nowandthen！PerhapsthefollowingcorrespondencewillgiveabetterideathanIcanotherwisegiveoftheproblemsthatineverydaylifecomebeforemenandwomen，andoftheneedthatthemanshallshowhimselfunselfishandconsiderate，anddohisfullshareofthejointduty：
January3，1913。
/ColonelTheodoreRoosevelt/：
DearSir——Isupposeyouarewillingtostandsponsorfortheassertionthatthewomenofthecountryarenotdoingtheirdutyunlesstheyhavelargefamilies。Iwonderifyouknowtherealreason，afterall。Societyandclubsareheldlargelytoblame，butsocietyreallytakesinsofewpeople，afterall。Ithought，whenIgotmarriedattwenty，thatitwastheproperthingtohaveafamily，and，aswehadverylittleofthisworld’sgoods，alsothoughtitthethingtodoallthenecessaryworkforthem。Ihavehadninechildren，didallmyownwork，includingwashing，ironing，house-cleaning，andthecareofthelittleonesastheycamealong，whichwasabouteverytwoyears；alsosewedeverythingtheywore，includingtrousersfortheboysandcapsandjacketsforthegirlswhilelittle。Ialsohelpedthemallintheirschoolwork，andstartedtheminmusic，etc。ButastheygrewolderIgotbehindthetimes。Ineverbelongedtoacluborasocietyorlodge，norwenttoanyone’shousescarcely；therewasn’ttime。Inconsequence，Iknewnothingthatwasgoingoninthetown，muchlesstheeventsofthecountry，andatthesametimemyhusbandkeptgrowinginwisdomandknowledge，frommixingwithmenandhearingtopicsofthetimesdiscussed。AtthebeginningofourmarriedlifeIhadjustasquickamindtograspthingsashedid，andhadmoreschooleducation，havinggraduatedfromathreeyears’highschool。Myhusbandmoreandmoredeclinedtodiscussthingswithme；ashesaid，“Ididn’tknowanythingaboutit。”
WhenI’daskhe’dsay，“Oh，youwouldn’tunderstandifI’dtellyou。”SohereIam，atforty-fiveyears，hopelesslydullanduninteresting，whilehecanmixwiththebrightestmindsinthecountryasanequal。He’sastrongProgressiveman，tookveryactivepartinthelatecampaign，etc。IamalsoProgressive，andtriedmybest，aftersomanyyearsofshut-inlife，tograsptheideasyoustoodfor，andreadeverythingIcouldfindduringthesummerandfall。ButI’vebeenoutoftouchwithpeopletoolongnow，andmyhusbandwouldmuchrathergoandtalktosomewomanwhohasn’thadanychildren，becausesheknowsthings(Iamnotspecifyinganyparticularwoman)。IsimplyborehimtodeathbecauseI’mnotinteresting。Now，tellme，howwasitmyfault？I
wasonlydoingwhatIthoughtwasmyduty。Nowomancankeepupwiththingswhonevertalkswithanyonebutyoungchildren。Assoonasmychildrengrewuptheytookthesameattitudeastheirfather，andfrequentlysay，“Oh，motherdoesn’tknow。”Theylookuptoandadmiretheirfatherbecausehe’samanoftheworldandknowshowtoactwhenhegoesout。HowcanIurgemydaughtersnowtogoandraiselargefamilies？Itmeansbythetimeyouhavelostyourfigureandcharmforthemtheyareallashamedofyou。Now，asabelieverinwoman’srights，doalittletalkingtothemenastotheirdutiestotheirwives，orelserefrainfromurginguswomentohavechildren。Iamonlyoneofthousandsofmiddle-classrespectablewomenwhogivetheirlivestoraiseanicefamily，andthenwhobecomebitterfromtheinjusticedoneus。Don’tletthisgointothewaste-basket，butthinkitover。Yoursrespectfully，。
NewYork，January11，1913。
/MyDearMrs——/：
Mostcertainlyyourletterwillnotgointothewaste-paperbasket。IshallthinkitoverandshowittoMrs。Roosevelt。Willyouletmesay，inthefirstplace，thatawomanwhocanwritesuchaletteriscertainlynot“hopelesslydullanduninteresting“！Ifthefactsareasyoustate，thenIdonotwonderthatyoufeelbitterlyandthatyoufeelthatthegravestkindofinjusticehasbeendoneyou。Ihavealwaystriedtoinsisttomenthattheyshoulddotheirdutytothewomenevenmorethanthewomentothem。NowIhardlyliketowritespecificallyaboutyourhusband，becauseyoumightnotlikeityourself。Itseemstomealmostincrediblethatanymanwhoisthehusbandofawomanwhohasbornehimninechildrenshouldnotfeelthattheyandhearelastinglyherdebtors。Yousaythatyouhavehadninechildren，thatyoudidallyourownwork，includingwashing，ironing，house-cleaning，andthecareofthelittleonesastheycamealong；thatyousewedeverythingtheywore，includingtrousersfortheboysandcapsandjacketsforthegirlswhilelittle；thatyouhelpedthemallintheirschoolworkandstartedtheminmusic；butthatastheygrewolderyougotbehindthetimes，thatyouneverbelongedtoacluborsocietyorlodge，norwenttoanyone’shouse，asyouhardlyhadtimetodoso；andthatinconsequenceyourhusbandoutgrewyou，andthatyourchildrenlookuptohimandnottoyouandfeelthattheyhaveoutgrownyou。Ifthesefactsareso，youhavedoneagreatandwonderfulwork，andtheonlyexplanationIcanpossiblygiveoftheattitudeyoudescribeonthepartofyourhusbandandchildrenisthattheydonotunderstandwhatitisthatyouhavedone。Iemphaticallybelieveinunselfishness，butIalsobelievethatitisamistaketoletotherpeoplegrowselfish，evenwhentheotherpeoplearehusbandandchildren。
Now，Isuggestthatyoutakeyourlettertome，ofwhichIsendyoubackacopy，andthisletter，andthenselectoutofyourfamilytheonewithwhomyoufeelmostsympathy，whetheritisyourhusbandoroneofyourchildren。Showthetwoletterstohimorher，andthenhaveafranktalkaboutthematter。Ifanyman，asyousay，becomesashamedofhiswifebecauseshehaslostherfigureinbearinghischildren，thenthatmanisahoundandhaseverycausetobeashamedofhimself。Iamsendingyoualittlebookcalled“Mother。”byKathleenNorris，whichwillgiveyoumyviewsonthematter。Ofcoursetherearebaseandselfishmen，justasthereare，althoughIbelieveinsmallernumber，baseandselfishwomen。Manandwomanalikeshouldprofitbytheteachingsinsuchastoryasthisof“Mother。”
Sincerelyyours，THEODOREROOSEVELT。
January21，1913。
/ColonelTheodoreRoosevelt/：
MydearSir——Yourlettercameasasurprise，forIwasn’texpectingananswer。Thenextdaythebookcame，andIthankyouforyourreadysympathyandunderstanding。IfeelasthoughyouandMrs。RooseveltwouldthinkIwashardlyloyaltomyhusbandandchildren；butknowingofnootherwaytobringtheideawhichwassostronginmymindtoyournotice，Itoldmypersonalstory。
Ifitwill，inasmallmeasure，bethemeansofhelpingsomeoneelsebymoldingpublicopinion，throughyou，Ishallbecontent。
Youhavehelpedmemorethanyouknow。Justhavingyouinterestedisasgoodasatonic，andbracesmeuptillIfeelasthoughI
shallrefusetobe“laidontheshelf。”……Tothinkthatyou’dbothertosendmeabook。Ishallalwaystreasureitbothforthetextofthebookandthesender。Ireaditwithabsorbinginterest。Themotherwassosplendid。Shewasideal。Thesituationsaresostartlinglyreal，justlikewhathappenshereeverydaywithvariations。
Anarrativeoffactsisoftenmoreconvincingthanahomily；andthesetwolettersofmycorrespondentcarrytheirownlesson。
Parenthetically，letmeremarkthatwheneveramanthinksthathehasoutgrownthewomanwhoishismate，hewilldowellcarefullytoconsiderwhetherhisgrowthhasnotbeendownwardinsteadofupward，whetherthefactsarenotmerelythathehasfallenawayfromhiswife’sstandardofrefinementandofduty。
Inthespringof1895IwasappointedbyMayorStrongPoliceCommissioner，andIservedasPresidentofthePoliceCommissionofNewYorkforthetwofollowingyears。MayorStronghadbeenelectedMayortheprecedingfall，whenthegeneralanti-Democraticwaveofthatyearcoincidedwithoneofthecity’soccasionalinsurrectionsofvirtueandconsequentturningoutofTammanyfrommunicipalcontrol。
Hehadbeenelectedonanon-partisanticket——usually(althoughnotalways)therightkindofticketinmunicipalaffairs，provideditrepresentsnotabargainamongfactionsbutgenuinenon-partisanshipwiththegenuinepurposetogettherightmenincontrolofthecitygovernmentonaplatformwhichdealswiththeneedsoftheaveragemenandwomen，themenandwomenwhoworkhardandwhotoooftenlivehard。IwasappointedwiththedistinctunderstandingthatIwastoadministerthePoliceDepartmentwithentiredisregardofpartisanpolitics，andonlyfromthestandpointofagoodcitizeninterestedinpromotingthewelfareofallgoodcitizens。Mytask，therefore，wasreallysimple。MayorStronghadalreadyofferedmetheStreet-CleaningDepartment。ForthisworkIdidnotfeelthatIhadanyespecialfitness。Iresolutelyrefusedtoaccepttheposition，andtheMayorultimatelygotafarbettermanforhispurposeinColonelGeorgeF。
Waring。TheworkofthePoliceDepartment，however，wasinmyline，andIwasgladtoundertakeit。
ThemanwhowasclosesttomethroughoutmytwoyearsinthePoliceDepartmentwasJacobRiis。Bythistime，asIhavesaid，Iwasgettingoursocial，industrial，andpoliticalneedsintoprettyfairperspective。Iwasstillignorantoftheextenttowhichbigmenofgreatwealthplayedamischievouspartinourindustrialandsociallife，butIwaswellawaketotheneedofmakingoursingoodfaithbothaneconomicandanindustrialaswellasapoliticaldemocracy。I
alreadyknewJakeRiis，becausehisbook“HowtheOtherHalfLives“
hadbeentomebothanenlightenmentandaninspirationforwhichI
feltIcouldneverbetoograteful。SoonafteritwaswrittenIhadcalledathisofficetotellhimhowdeeplyimpressedIwasbythebook，andthatIwishedtohelphiminanypracticalwaytotrytomakethingsalittlebetter。Ihavealwayshadahorrorofwordsthatarenottranslatedintodeeds，ofspeechthatdoesnotresultinaction——inotherwords，Ibelieveinrealizableidealsandinrealizingthem，inpreachingwhatcanbepracticedandtheninpracticingit。JacobRiishaddrawnanindictmentofthethingsthatwerewrong，pitifullyanddreadfullywrong，withthetenementhomesandthetenementlivesofourwage-workers。Inhisbookhehadpointedouthowthecitygovernment，andespeciallythoseconnectedwiththedepartmentsofpoliceandhealth，couldaidinremedyingsomeofthewrongs。
AsPresidentofthePoliceBoardIwasalsoamemberoftheHealthBoard。InbothpositionsIfeltthatwithJacobRiis’sguidanceI
wouldbeabletoputagoodlynumberofhisprinciplesintoactualeffect。HeandIlookedatlifeanditsproblemsfromsubstantiallythesamestandpoint。Ouridealsandprinciplesandpurposes，andourbeliefsastothemethodsnecessarytorealizethem，werealike。Aftertheelectionin1894Ihadwrittenhimaletterwhichraninpartasfollows：
Itisveryimportanttothecitytohaveabusinessman’sMayor，butitismoreimportanttohaveaworkingman’sMayor；andIwantMr。Strongtobethatalso……Itisanexcellentthingtohaverapidtransit，butitisagooddealmoreimportant，ifyoulookatmatterswithaproperperspective，tohaveampleplaygroundsinthepoorerquartersofthecity，andtotakethechildrenoffthestreetssoastopreventthemgrowinguptoughs。Inthesamewayitisanadmirablethingtohavecleanstreets；indeed，itisanessentialthingtohavethem；butitwouldbeabetterthingtohaveourschoolslargeenoughtogiveampleaccommodationtoallwhoshouldbepupilsandtoprovidethemwithproperplaygrounds。
AndIadded，whileexpressingmyregretthatIhadnotbeenabletoacceptthestreet-cleaningcommissionership，that“Iwouldhavebeendelightedtosmashupthecorruptcontractorsandputthestreet-
cleaningforceabsolutelyoutofthedomainofpolitics。”
Thiswasnineteenyearsago，butitmakesaprettygoodplatforminmunicipalpoliticsevento-day——smashcorruption，takethemunicipalserviceoutofthedomainofpolitics，insistuponhavingaMayorwhoshallbeaworkingman’sMayorevenmorethanabusinessman’sMayor，anddevoteallattentionpossibletothewelfareofthechildren。
Therefore，asIviewedit，thereweretwosidestothework：first，theactualhandlingofthePoliceDepartment；second，usingmypositiontohelpinmakingthecityabetterplaceinwhichtoliveandworkforthosetowhomtheconditionsoflifeandlaborwerehardest。Thetwoproblemswerecloselyconnected；foronethingnevertobeforgotteninstrivingtobettertheconditionsoftheNewYorkpoliceforceistheconnectionbetweenthestandardofmoralsandbehaviorinthatforceandthegeneralstandardofmoralsandbehaviorinthecityatlarge。TheformofgovernmentofthePoliceDepartmentatthattimewassuchastomakeitamatterofextremedifficultytogetgoodresults。Itrepresentedthatdeviceofold-schoolAmericanpoliticalthought，thedesiretoestablishchecksandbalancessoelaboratethatnomanshallhavepowerenoughtodoanythingverybad。
