New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-07-22

the beautiful and the noble IS already 10 be founu
IN your hearts more humane than ours, your sen
timents more refined. your mind more susceptible
We NAV and must carry on a mutual reclproca-
ton Of our attributes, but we can never exchange
them
In speaking, therefore. of the emancipation o.
woman, II is not our intention 70 DO away with
the limits between the two sexes. These shall
and must be rigldIy observed, and mlnuiely clI-
cur scribed, IN order that man may not encroach
on the NIGHTS OF woman. She is not 10 be his
prisoner, his servant, MS slave, nor snail he De
her guardian and master
Heretofore woman has been looked upon as
the mere complement and accessory Of man.
Her character as a human beng, the free AMI IN
dependent individual IN woman, has never been
Acknowledged Woman must belong TO man,
the question never occurs 10 any one wnT man
must not also belong to woman. She IS educated
for man from man she receives her name man
takes her he maintains her, ne olnds her 10 MINI
self he rules over her. he makes her minister 10
his wants. he Furnishes her and he forsakes her.
Man is acknowledged in his character as hu-
man being. woman as the mere appendix OF man.
Nevertheless. woman Is more OF human being
than man has heretofore been. and human rights
know no sex. II 4 certain French orator speaks
of law being athestlcal, We may with equal
propriety speak Of rights as neuter But up TO
this period, rights have always been regarded as
VI t4lc MASCULINE stANCAs 4i'h lp>StNs tiS iAH'
the moral law. duties men have made the law,
and taken good care TO exclude woman, as much
as possible, from every privilege.
NAV, however, be told You have declared
that the limits OF woman's nature shall be adj
hered 10, ana yet YOU propose to place her at
once in the sphere of man. TINS Is so only IN
appearance. Woman shall take other part m
social and political life than such accords .th h,r
nature. If, however, heretofore social and poltl-
cal life have been marked by a character so rude
and violent a. to require the nature and strength
of man to perform the main labor, II does not
follow therefrOm, even as regards the past. that
the lesser share, which the tender nature OF wo-
man could, and of necessity had to perform In
the developments of history, takes from her the
claim of being acknowledged as a human being,
nor Is 1t a necessary consequence, with respect
to the future, that the abors Of social and pohtl
cal life shall continue to be as rude and violent
as they have been, and that consequently the
part, which woman Is to take upon herself, Will
always be beset by the same difficulties
The chief mission of past history has been 10
record the details of that preparatory work
heretofore requiring great strength and maScu-
line power. and comforting on man, to his dis
grace be II said, the highest renOwa-we mean
that system Of wholesale murder called war
work like this could certainly not be per
formed 10y woman, and the successes obtained as
well as the merits and glory acquired have not
fallen 10 her lot Men alone have carried on the
trade Of murder. They have had, III accordance
with their nature, to carry 1t on alone, and the
labors performed IN the meantime by woman,
which have been correspondent with her nature,
have not conferred on her the same renown as
man claimed for himself on account of his muir
ders. Hence woman, because she could not
murder was robbed OF her rights. II we I'M
agIne history without war, or woman capable OF
carving II on like man, we shall at once per-
celye her position entirely changed Among the
most warllkC nations woman has enjoyed the
least regard The abolition OF war precedes the
emancipation of woman.
Strictly speaking, It has been mainly owing to
the prepondeTance of physical strength and war
like passions. that man has claimed for himself
the night to govern the state and society. The
same characteristics We meet with, more or less,
In other departments OF social and political de
veepment beside the department OF war; so that
IN whatever direction we cast our eyes, We see
that physical strength and those passions with
which nature has not endowed woman, always
play CONSPICUOUS part. But Is this. can 1t be a
reason to regard women in their character
human beings and citizens as less entitled 10
Justice than man Does right and justice de-
pend on the size of the gallbadder, the strength
of the limbs, the rightly of the muscles, and
the sturdlnesS Of the FIST Could not woman
be admitted 10 take part IA council relating TO
matters as to which she was Immediately con-
cerned and entirely competent Because wo-
man cannot take command on the field OF bat
tie, is she on that account 10 be denied the
right OF deciding IN affairs affecting herself -
Because woman cannot officlate on the bench,
is II luSt that judicial officer shall have the
power to tear from her the children, to whom
she has given birth, IN order to deliver them
into the hands Of their hateful father, 10 be i'll
treated by him Because woman cannot pre-
I'D Il a.. Z
ment, must the husband be her financial guar
dian Because, finally, woman cannot be man,
! does II follow, that she shall have less claims
human beng and as a citizen We are
wiling 10 admit, that man, besides his physical
| strength and warllke abilities. possesses charac-
| terlstics OF mind which enable him TO work IN
many departments of labor, that are not suited
| 10 the capacities of women. This consldera-
| ton can, however, 10y no means be brought 10
| bear against woman'S claims since her sphere
| of action, IN purely human relation, IS mn
mtely more important and beneficial as regards
the well-belng OF society than that OF man.
! Democrats MAINTAIN that the dignity and the
| nights of man are dependent on his capacity for
| spontaneous action, that, therefore he Is bound
| 10 obey only those laws IN the making OF which
! he has taken part This is correct. But IL
II mans privilege exclusively, to make State
| laws Why shall woman submit TO laws en-
! acted without her consent Millions OF women
suffer under our ill.consldered laws OF marriage,
and shall they be declared from discussing them
! Is law dictated by man TO woman less viola
ton of night, than the arbitrary Will OF despo,
| imposed on man In legal point of view there
IS no distinction between the action OF men As
Sembled IN a Democratic Convention denying
woman her rights, and that OF tyranlcal ruler,
who IN cabinet council DEGREES, that his Will
shall be law to be obeyed by man and If a gov
! eminent, holding nation IN subsection and mem
tai disability, declares them TO be incapable of
ENJOYING and maintaining liberty and free mstl-
| tutlons, such government has equal claims 10
| justification with men. who keep women N
| condition Of helpleSsness, and deny them the
faculties required 10 direct the affairs Of State.
| As long, therefore, as women are prevented
| from enjoying equal political and civil rights
with man. rights commensurate rlth theiy capacity,