THE PARLIAMENT OF WOMEN. 205

“By Aphrodite! you speak well,” cried one of the
audience.

“By Aphrodite! indeed!” cried Praxagora, turn-
ing on the speaker.

“What a thing to say! Supposing that you had
said it in the Assembly itself!”

“Oh! but there I should have been more careful.”

“Well, be careful now. Then you are always
blowing hot and cold. The allies of one day are
the enemies of the next. Then-you are not agreed.
‘Man a fleet,’ says the poor man, who is looking out
for pay. ‘No, no,’ say the rich men, who don’t want
the taxes increased.”

“That’s a clever man,” said the woman who had
spoken before. .

“ Ah,” cried Praxagora, ‘‘ now that is the right sort
of compliment. Well, gentlemen, the fault is in
yourselves. The public wealth goes into private
pockets. No man cares for the state; every man
looks out for himself; and the country goes to ruin.
What, then, is the remedy? Why, put the govern-
ment into the hands of the women. They manage
your houses; why not let them manage the state?
Do you want to know why they are likely to do it
well? Tl tell you. Because they keep to old ways,
and do as their mothers used to do. They wash
wool in hot water, for instance, after the old fashion.
You won’t see them trying new-fangled ways of

1 Another woman’s oath,