Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1849-10-06
From Jane G.. S,cisshelm.
SwIssvALE. Sept. lit.

OLIVER JOHNSON:
Dear SIR am truly grateful for the kind
invitation you have sent me, on your own
recount and on behalf of your Committee, to
attend your Convention. | desire so much
to go to Salem, that it is painful to say
shall not be able to go. The present state of
our family requires my presence at home.
Yet | want to visit the Western Reserve,
Just to see the phenomenon of an anti
slavery community. 1t appears to me so
like a dream of Utopia to think of a town,
or settlement, where most of the people
are opposed to Slavery, and in favor OF
doing anything for its overthrow, that
nothing but actual observation could make
me realize its existence. / never was
in such a place. | should like to see your
Convention-to see a great crowd of people
leaving their business, and coming together
to devise ways and means to "undo the hea-
Wy burdens, and let the oppressed go Free
1t is a fast day you are going to have, holy,
and acceptable unto the Lord-such an one
as He has chosen-such an one as He will
accept. Efforts to elevate m~ankind-the
Judging the fatllerless, and pleading for the
widow-the remembering those who are in
bonds as bound with them, are the oblations
of the incense of which he will not weary
and | would l could make one in this wor-
shipping assembly. would my aspirations
could ascend in a cloud with those of kin
dred spirits TO besiege the throne of
"God who looks from heaven on high
To hear the prisoners mourning groan,
And free them that are doomed to die"
This is all / should have 10 do or san, ex-
cept to see and hear those l might meet. ]
never take any active part in a public meet
ing-seldom, very seldom, attend a public
gathering of any kind. am constitutionally
unfit for exciting scenes, and have a spe-
cial vocation for a quiet fireside. Then
L was brought up after the ~strictest manner
OF the law, a PhariSee-taught that women
should keep silence in churches, and altho'
my husband utterly refuses, and has always
refused, to teach me at home, still | obey the
first part of the command, and keep my
mouth shut in church, except when singing
commences, and then, instead of being ST.
lent, make as much noise as possible. As
this is strictly Orthodox, although as plainly
anti-scriptural as preaching, praying or lee
turing can be, it passes muster with the Or
thodoxy, and l avoid being classed with out
side barbarians, like-no matter whom.
Maybe, friend Johnson, thee and thy friends
can make the application.
l observe that one-half your Committee
are m This is a precious state of af
fairs! Where are Mr.. Masculine Preroga-
tives, Mrs. Propriety, and Miss Feminine
Dellcacy! DO none of them ever visit that
region? Women making arrangements for
a public Convention! Why, yes, to be sure!
They might cook, make flags, sweep out a
church TO meet in, decorate a stand for spea-
kers, kiss the distinguished ~visiters, make a
feature in the landscape, and do any amount
of hurrahing but to be regularly appointed,
official members-to meet in a Committee of
arrangements OH equal terms with members of
the wiser SEX, is positively startling-can't see
how they can possibly get through without a
pair of pantaloons for each. Women, too. will
get up and speak in your Convention, lust as
if they had any right to talk, publicly, ahaut
the blessed privilege women enioy in this
land of being publicly sold on the auction
block! Do the women out there not know
that this Slavery question is political? Even
your Disunion view is political, for YOU aim
at annulling a great political contract. Well.
what right have women TO NEEDLE with mol
tiles? Maybe they argue that keeping the
Sabbath Is politics, inasmuch as il is enfor-
ced by legal enactnlents, and that it has long
been esteemed woman's glorious privilege
and bounden duty to contribute her time.
talents, and money to promote the passage
and observance of such laws; but two
wrongs never make a right. Politics are
politics, and plainly out of woman's sphere /.
and the women down in that region have
gotten away off the dishwashing. DRAWING
dressing globe that has so long been ASSIGN,
ed TO her use. If this old earth continue IN
turn round after this, we shall very likely all
drop off and alight on the new sphere Of. an
equal humanity.
Pardon me for talking irony, friend John
son, to the Convention of friends with whose
object so fully sympathize. This world Is
such a monkey-show-the acts upon life's
stage are so comically dramatic, that one
scarce knows whether to laugh or cry,
As to the great object of your CONVENTION
the overthrow of Slayery-my heart IS
with you. Your particular plan does not
strike me as the best or most practicable !.
but thus far agree with you: The value ~
! the Union is nothing compared with the Iib'