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Conservative and Unionist Women's
Franchise Association.

The Progress of the
Women's Suffrage Movement

by

Mrs. Henry Sidgwick

Presidential Address to the Cambridge Branch of
the C. & U. W. F. A. at the Annual Meeting on
May 23rd, 1913.

CAMBRIDGE

BOWES & BOWES

1913

+PRICE TWOPENCE NET.+




THE PROGRESS OF THE WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT.

     _An address to the Cambridge Branch of the Conservative and
     Unionist Women's Suffrage Association at their Annual Meeting on
     May 23, 1913. By Mrs. Henry Sidgwick._


It seems to me sometimes that we do not cheer ourselves as much as we
might by thinking of the immense strides our movement has made in the
last fifty years; so I propose to say a few words about it this
afternoon, although there is not of course anything very new to say. For
we need cheering because, notwithstanding the general progress of our
cause, we are just now suffering from a serious set-back due to the
action of the militant societies. They are clearly and visibly setting
people against us. And it appears that not only in this country are they
raising up enemies against us, but that _our_ militants are hindering
the movement in other countries.

Moreover, what is much worse than injury to the special cause which our
society exists to promote, the militants are injuring our country and
the cause of civilization and progress. The very existence and
usefulness of society depends on the maintenance of law and order. The
protection of the weak, the possibility of development in well being
generally, all that society stands for, depends on its members being law
abiding--on their respecting law and life and property. And here we have
women, while urging that their admission to a formal share in the
government of the country would be for its advantage, at the same time
teaching by the most powerful method they can use,--namely,
example--doctrines subversive of all social order; teaching that persons
who cannot get the majority to agree with their view of what is
advisable in the interest of the whole should injure and annoy the
community in every way they conveniently can--proceeding even to
incendiarism, and apparently threatening manslaughter.

It is heartbreaking that such things should be done in a good
cause--and it is especially hard for women to bear because it hurts
their pride in their own sex. They have to see not only their country
injured, and the cause of women's suffrage, in whose name these things
are done, retarded, but they have to see the reputation of their sex for
good sense and sober judgment draggled in the mud.

This is the most serious--indeed, I think the only serious set-back our
movement has had. It has on the whole been sufficiently wisely conducted
to secure almost uniformly steady progress from its small beginnings to
its present great proportions.

In all--or almost all--big social movements ultimate success depends on
the gradual conversion to benevolence of a large neutral majority. The
movement in its beginning--and this was eminently true of our
movement--is championed by a small body of pioneers. They make converts,
and when they begin to be taken seriously a body of active opponents is
probably stirred up, but so long as the active opposition is not too
strong it does little harm--it may even do good by helping to interest
people in the question. But for a long time the great mass of people
remain neutral. Either they have never heard of the movement, or they do
not think it serious and only laugh at it, or they think the question
unimportant and do not much mind which way it is decided, or they think
immediate decision is not called for, and that they may as well wait and
see. In fact, for one reason or another they do not think very much
about it, and are not actively interested on either side.

Of course if such people are led to declare themselves prematurely, the
natural caution and conservatism of human nature will usually make them
vote against change. It is largely for this reason that good judgment--a
sound political instinct as to what it is wise to press at any given
moment--is required in the leaders of a movement. And though it is no
doubt very important to draw active converts from the large neutral
class, it is still more important to prevent the enemy doing so. For it
is not necessary to convert the great majority into active supporters.
Success is finally achieved when a sufficient proportion of the
originally indifferent have arrived at a more or less benevolent
neutrality almost without knowing it--so that the old indifferents come
to believe that they always thought there was a great deal to be said
for the proposed change, and the young indifferents grow up with a
feeling that it has to