ABSTRACT
THE motto I have chosen for the opening of this paper sums up in a sentence all the thoughts, which have suggested themselves in connection with this subject. Whether we agree or not as to the justice and wisdom of women being given the Parliamentary franchise, on one point we must all agree, and that is, that there can be no training so excellent for the women, who may in the future be called upon to vote in Parliamentary elections, as the thoughtful, intelligent use of the municipal and other franchises which they already possess. At every election that takes place, in every paper that a woman marks and drops into the ballot-box, a formative influence is going on that is silently building up the character of women as citizens, and the more women can be interested in the local government of their parishes and towns, the fitter they will be for taking part in the government of their country when the time comes for them to do so.
