When, therefore, women entered formally into the body politic of these United States, they entered into a place of power already familiar to them in many of its activities.

Indeed, they had helped to outline and to make effective many of those activities and came into a new relation to them only by virtue of a recognized access of control over their administration.

When government was merely a restraining or a military power over individual life, there might be to many minds an incongruity in women assuming voter's privileges and duties.

When government became a means for conserving and nurturing and developing individual life, mothers, at least, could be easily seen to have proper part in its functions.
=Health a Social Enterprise.=--To briefly rehearse this list of political activities is to show marked changes in social ideals.

We have entered upon a crusade against preventable disease and for the better physical development of all citizens and potential citizens.
This crusade now makes the official Boards of Health, the hospital and medical service, the nurse's vocation, and the lay volunteer support of all these, the outstanding features of our community life.
Epidemics used to be considered visitations of an avenging Providence for the people's sins.