A、There would be much difference without the movement. B、The movement should be more peaceful. C、The movement actually did nothi

(I — Interviewer; B — Mrs. Bruce)
I: I’m going to talk to you now about the suffragette movement. Were you yourself ever a suffragette, Mrs. Bruce?
B: No, I did not approve of suffragettes. I did not want to have the vote. I felt the man of the house should be in charge of that section. And the woman, of course, to look after the home and the children, to be a good wife and mother. I think that voting was unnecessary, because politics was quite far from us women at that time. But I’m not going to say now, that perhaps it has had its advantages.
I: How common was your attitude at the time that the suffragettes were being militant?
B: Oh, I was very much against them. I didn’t understand why they out to be so aggressive at some time. I’d be highly insulted if anybody called me a suffragette. I remember walking with my governess down Downing Street just past Number 10 and they chained themselves to the railings. Of course, I had a good laugh but I thought it wasn’t going to be me.
I: Were they a popular movement in their day?
B: Well, with a certain number of course. And they tried very hard and eventually they got the vote, er through their efforts, so I suppose their efforts were good in quite a lot of ways, which I wasn’t able to see in the past. Er, I think women in Parliament — there aren’t many, but those who’ve been there have done a lot of good. As a matter of fact, to some extent, we are benefiting today from what they’ve achieved.
I: So you think in the long term...
B: In the long term, no harm was done. As long as their demonstrations were peaceful.
I: Do you think it would matter very much if women didn’t, hadn’t achieved the vote, if they hadn’t got the vote at all and still didn’t have it?
B: I don’t think it would’ve made a great deal of difference, no, but there are certain things they’ve done — those that have been Members of Parliament — that have been very useful in helping women in their jobs, in other vocations. I think it’s good that it happened. But I wish it happened a little bit more peacefully, perhaps. There might have been more changes in women’s life if so.
I: What sort of things can you remember? What other sorts of demonstrations do you remember?
B: Marching, they were marching everywhere. But of course those were much more peaceful days; nobody interfered with their marches. There were a few boos here and there and a lot of clapping. Everyone was very excited. Yes.
I: Did you, did you actually, know any suffragettes yourself?
B: Well, my friends, my close friends, were not suffragettes but I had one or two friends, not very close friends that were. And we used to have great arguments and I used to say I didn’t want the vote, I don’t want to vote.
I: How did they react to that?
B: They didn’t like that. They said I ought to join the movement, and told me a lot of examples, but I said, no I don’t want to vote.
I: But, and yet you’ve done so many exciting things. You’ve done so many things that in your day, were probably the exclusive preserve of the man.
B: Well, yes. But voting didn’t make any difference because that’s a political thing, voting, I never, I don’t care about women entering into politics particularly. Ah, no harm’s been done with the few that have entered the House of Commons but, in fact, some have done a great deal of good. But that’s quite different to beating men at their own job. Now that’s nothing to do with votes. Now, for instance, I always got a great thrill on the race track at Brooklands, if I could beat, well, Sir Henry Seagrave, for instance, in a race, I never did beat him but I did beat Frazer Hash, a famous racing driver in a race, and I was thrilled to death. I thought that was super.
I: So you don’t mind actually joining men in their world of work and sport but you’re happy to leave polities to them.
B: No. I would rather really leave politics to them. Actually, I am convinced they are born to be good at that, but we are not.