Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1850-04-27
THE B u GLE .
Ohio woman's Convention.
LETTERS.
From Lydia Jane PicrsOn.


nave 1UNlIcO tllt " w DftCtuN uhiu toHt lfoah
In the proceedings of an Equal Rights Con-
veution, to be held a, Salem, Ohio, on the
Igth und Doth of the current month. JOY
fully would hasten to be present with you,
but am prevented by insurmountable obsta-
cles from profiting by your wisdom, or lend
ing my insignificant aid in the good cause
you have in hand.
No person can be more deeply impressed
than ] am with the utterly wrong basis on
which society ut present rests. 10 use the
words Of Scripture, The foundations of the
earth are out of course You express fear
that / am not as radical as you could wish.
] fancy that no person sees more plainly, or
feels more deeply, the wrongs which the
strong infiict upon the weak, than my hum
BILE self / have in my own person sufier-
ed almost every wrong and sorrow. l am
sometimes accused of speaking with bitter
ncss; but | have been fed on bitter bread,
and waters of Marab. How should speak
honied words?
Yet, as a reformer, my views differ from
those of some, being, as ] fancy, more radl-
col, as | would strike at the root of the evil.
would not dictate to any person, much less
70 society, yet In my view knowledge is
power. Education of itself will make us free
Ignorance is not fit to be entrusted with free
dom. II the Slave States would educate
their young blacks, give them trades, and
suffer thom, at certain age, to go out free,
thoy would do their duty, but is these slaves,
in their present ignorance and degradation,
unused as they are to provide for their own
wants, were TO day set at liberty, itwould, in
my opinion, bo a deed to be deplored. A
few Of them would make living, but the
great mass would prove incapable of provid-
ing for themselves, and the poor-houses and
iails would be full of them, from one end of
the land to the other. Yet we do not under
stand why black skin should prevent man
from being man, any more than black
eye. We are sure that education is able TO
raise the black TO an intellectual level with
his white brother, and we believe that the
time is near, when the slave will be free
from bis master But we are constitutional
ly averse to all violent measures, even to
bring about good ends. We would qualify
men for freedom, and then it will not be
possible TO retain them in bondage. Slave
holders have opposed the education of their
human CATTLE (impious assumption,) from
this conviction; and for the same reason
man has opposed the intellectual progress OF
woman. But look at the results The sluve-
holders children are debased by domestic
intercourse with his cattle; and the whole
fnce of man IS inferior in consequence of
the Incompetence of mothers, who form the
young mind and effect the only indelible inn
pressions upon the intellect and heart. Thus
mans idiotic pride, aiid IIJug.icg 20 woman,
reacts upon himself; and the degradation OF
u part of the population debases whole
country. Right education will eradicate
these evils.
Do not be offended, but am constrained
20 utter my belief that the great majority OF
my own sex are az present incapable OF do
ing service 10 their country or honor TO them
selves in public stations. When VIC consid.
er the deplorable ignorance of every thing
hut household drudgery of the great mass
and the miserable tinsel that is palmed of
as education IN the most favored, we see only
here and there one, whose God-given intel
lect, with a supernatural power has overleap
ed all obstacles, and caught living Goa
from the altar of science. These would hon
or their country in any station; but for eve
ry one such, there are thousands of poor
week imbecile, helpless things, no more Il
TO touch the chariot of Liberty than lepe
was to carry the Ark of Gods covenant.
But insist that woman possesses natur
hlly mental capacities every way equal 4
those of man. And will never reiinquis
this belief until, having enjoyed all advanta
yes in common with him, she shall fail
equal him in attainment. The gates of sc
cnce have always been kept shut against he
by popular prejudice, and the fashionabl
schools for girls have been infinitely wors
THAN none, for il has been their effort I
smother, under affectation and morbid del
cacy, the little common sense that survive
the restraints of the nursery. After beir
Taught etiquette, the hypocriticnl convention
alities of fashion, little music, and fe
French phrases--all by rote--they are tur
cd out to use their accomplishments for Il
purpose for which they have been taught
value them, namely, 10 win husband al
secure settlement They are married
seventeen, soon become mothers are col
signed TO oblivion, or kept alive by rour
of vanity and dissipation. This pictur
however humiliating, is true represent
sion. Such women are fit for nothing b
10 die, as they have lived.
We sometimes hear men, advocating d
cause of woman, talk of elevating and ed'
eating her us if she must receive all thin
at his hand. We only ask to be allowed
enjoy the common gifts of Heaven. "
nave no patience with the phreDologist, wi
attempts TO establish womans inferiority
pretending difference of formation Ia d
heads of males and females. That SUI
teaching Is libelous, any person can convin
& himself by noticing the heads of those arou
p him especially let him go into school
young children. We know that he will Fl
no. one distinguishing general characterize
This assumption Of phrenology las made
whole science false and contemplate in
estimation. Women have heads as large,
proportion TO the size of theirpersoDs, as n
lmye; and until il shall be proved that
OK is more intelligent than the dog, beca
ne is larger, we will never believe that n
Is wiser than woman because he has IN
bulk Of flesh, blood, and bones.
The evils of society are attributable
false systems of education. Boys are q
erably neglected in the domestic traini
hnd girls in the scholastic. Ii the boys
ceived the same lessons Of gentlcness, s.
mission, selfdeniai. endurance, truth, I