Show RULED BY WIVES wail sent up long ago by dignified roman senator statesmen of the great empire might be supreme over all mankind but they were powerless to control women the modern modem woman with her newfound interest in politics and lawmaking Is not as purely a twentieth century prod product act us as most 0 of us ais imagine coldly historical records prove that over 2000 years ngo the gentlewomen of ancient rome wielded considerable political 0 it influence to repeat verbatim ge the words of cato the oie reform candidate of the times we rule all mankind and we tire ore ruled by our wives P ald aad while the fair citizens would nat not register a protesting vote against undesirable le legislation on they could and did use other methods take for example in B 0 when a bill regulating dress was brought up before the roman sen een ate government control was no new iden idea in the third century B D 0 and the roman senators were brave and had they not steered the nation safely through the perils of tile war with carthage and settled the terms of the peace treaty with a minimum amount of dissension surely with a wave or of their collective legislative hand band they could settle once tor for all the trivial question of how low much money a woman should spend for clothes so the law was passed the lex oppia unfortunately however the maids and matrons matrona of the republic I 1 see it they definitely objected to it 11 As aa there was no equal suffrage tit at rome they of course could not attack the measure by the power of the ballot but a law to be tit at all effective has to be enforced let us not pry too closely into the family secrets of the senatorial households why attempt to visualize the dignified politician who swayed the votes of hundreds trying I 1 to explain to his irate spouse that really my dear it was not a personal matter or trying to harden his heart to the plea of some dark haired beauty as she nestled her head against his shoulder and begged him to stop that silly old law whatever Wh ateer the methods of the fair hobbyists lobbyists they were emin eminently ent successful in B C the law camo came up for discussion as to its repeal when the question reached the senate the feminists ats adopted even more ail militant litant tactics they tried pt picketing ket to quote from llvy livy the great roman homan historian while the he arguments waxed hot in the senate the matrons matrona could not be kept at home biome either by advice or shame or r the commands of their husbands where oh lacre was that rood good old word olley obey they thronged thron ged every street and avenue in the ill city pleading with N the men on their way to the senate each day tile the crowds of women increased as newcomers arr arrived INed from the country towns and villages and naturally tile the law was repealed george W leffingwell ph D in new kew york post |