Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1847-10-28


Parliamentary Pledges andhs Women
Of Engtand.-A meeting of delegates from
the married women of England took place
yeterday, in the drawing-room Of dis
IlnguIshed authoress; the lady occupying
the chair, The object of the assembly
was to determine the pledges which the
ladies should exact from candidates at the
forthcoming election.
The lady Of the house, upon being vot-
ed into the chair remarked that now, for
the first time in her life, she was acting IN
the capacity of chair-woman. As such,
she would prove the advocate of sweeping
reform. 1t was time the voice Of females
should be heard IN the house-in another
sense than washing days. Women could
not catechise candidates at the hustlngs:
no; but they could at the domestic hearth
before the fender-when gentlemen
came canvassing. and voters were not at
home. 1t was said that they had no po.
Iiical influence. Had they not' They
formed the better half Of The constituency,
and she trusted that fact would appear al
the next election.
A lady had heard measure Of great
Importance to females, particularly the
married. II was The Smoke Prevention
Bill The evil Of smoking existed to a
disgusting extent. She proposed that all
the candidates should be required to
pledge themselves to the abolition of that
odious practice, and accordingly TO sup.
port prohbiory duty on cigars
Another lady suggested that snuff should
be included in the prohibition. The smoke
nuisance was bad enough; but the snuff.
nuisance was beyond everything
A third lady observed that unfortunate
ly the law makers were the snuff.,akers,
and also the smokers of cigars, She had
heard the parliamentary discusslons-llke
many others amongst genllemen-often
ended in smoke, and she quite believed
it, 1t was shameful
A fourth lady had heard something Of a
Ten Hours Bill. She had been told that
this bill was carried already, but she did
not believe it, She could mention some.
body-who oughtto have known better
who came from his club at three o'clock
that very morning. When she told him
he was liable to be fined, he laughed in
her face. One Of the pledges she propos-
ed, should be to vote for a law that all
husbands should be obliged to be in by
ten o'clock.
This proposal led to litle discussion,
in the course Of which it was OBJ ected that
the husband might possibly be gu, on bus.
mess.
The lady said husband could have no
business to be out later than ten. 1t was
further objected that parties and the opera
were sometimes not over till past mid
night.
The lady though, that the difficulty
would be met by putting in the words,
"ou; by themselves" before the word hus-
band. She thought the Ten Hours Bill
should also contain clause against latch
keys.
Pledges for the entire abolition of all
duties on eat de COlognc. French gloves
and shoes, foreign silks, lace, and feathers;
and generally, for The removal of all re-
stric,ions upon feminine taste, were then
proposed; and il, was agreed that, together
with the foregoing, they should be de-
manded directly or indirectly OF all candi'
dates for seats in the next Parliament.
Tea, coffee, and sweet-bscuits, were
then introduced, and the drawng.roon
doors thrown open to The sterner sex; af
ter which there was carpet waltz, ant
the meeting separated.