Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1852-09-25
NUMBER 81.
SELECT VARIETY.
From the Buffalo Commercial Advertiser.
Women Rights Convention.

1
Women Rights Convention.
The ladies' who have been, for three days of the
past week, assembled together in Convention, ut
Syracuse, appear to have gone through the usual
process generally attending mass movement, social,
political and sectarian, in the present day. They
have had their sensible speeches and their violent
speeches-their chickering's, snarlings, iealousies
| and internal commotions, without more or less Of
which no number of persons can now get together
| in convention.
The usual names well know as the Champions of
what these mental AmaZons are wont to call ssWo-
| mans Rights" figure, OF course, conspiciously A.
mong the speakers, and their addresses abound
with the usual quantity of profanity, absurdity,
vulgarty and almost every other thing but modesty
The number of speeches and the lively competition
for the floor evince, beyond question, that the
ladies, who go in SO energertically for privile
ges are not inclined to forfeit yield their old and
time honored right, to use their tongues with all
that flnency to which, by nature, they are entitled
The inferior sex, in the course of the PROCEEDINGS
came in for their full share of abuse, and we war
| rant that every poor henpecked husband, who ac-
companed his far better half to the convention,
went home with a, keener appreciation of the su-
perlor intellect OF the partner of his joys and sor-
rows, and with more lively sense of the degraded
position which, in all justice, man ought to be will
ing to occupy in the sublunary globe.
The ladies', as we have before limited, did not
appear TO be very harmonious in their views. Some
were in favor OF q platform, others opposed
to; some were willing to admit that men ought still
to be considered the "head' of woman, Others took
an opposite view; some, to prove the truth of
GratanOs remark, quoted Scriptures for their pur-
poses; others were anxious to repudate the Bible
altogether; and one speaker, widow of course,
was taken down. somewhat abruptly, by the Pre-
slden because she declared her conviction, found
ed on experience, that "the two were part of
whole and that what is done by only one is i'm
perfectly DONE"
Among the most prominent of the speakers were
Mrs. Oakes Smith, Lucy Stone, and Lucretia Mott,
but we find nothing new in any of their addresses.
The usual amount of Indignation at being con-
sidered merely the angel of mans home, the wife
of his heart the mother of his children, the shear
er of his joys, and the soother of his sorrows,
expressed upon this occasion; and the right of
mankind to hold political offices, and to vote at
political elections, to fill the learned professions,
to work at the mechanics bench, to lead armies,
command ships, drive steam engines, carry hods,
was as Observation-Disclosures We look in vain,
however, as on previous occasions, for any pro-
position as to who is to cook the dinner mend
the chidrens' clothes, rock the cradle, &C., while
our fair co-laborers are employed in these active
duties; but we presume, under the new arrange
ment, those trining matters would be left to the
male members of the human family. The speak
erS were all well received, and the reports concur
i'll describing many of them as very fascinating and
good looking females. Mrs. Smiths principal
points-at least those which particularly noti-
ced-appear to be n fine bust and soft voice, Two
'tACcllcHl tnlilSS Ill WOlIcn. 1nerc were Uul I
lew BloolncrS present; one OF them was lady who
was considerably on the wrong sie of her teens
and evidently felt deSirous CT passing of for lit
tie rosebud of Sweet ffteen,' although she could
| not be less than double that age. She had her
hair cut Short like Child, displayed much agility
| IN her movements, coquetted, smpcrcd, and pop
ped about with considerable juvenlity, and in fact
proved herself i'll every way worthy Of the society
| in which she had become enrolled.
Upon one feature of this remarkable nssemblnge
tn vii
degree of good temper We alute to the disgust
ing exhibition OF certain specimens of the male sex
in the Convention. To call these individuals men
would be all insult to manhood. The mast. fell
lows who can fix themselves up with these sweet
crcatures-who can attend such n Convention,
make speeches, and take active part in the pro-
ceedings are beneath contempt. 1t is not wonder
full that fair sisters should hold in utter
contempt, so long us they take their ideas Of men
from the contemplate creatures who hang around
their skirts. We would say nothing disrespeciful
of the interesting ANGELINA GRIMsEs, SALLY Mn.-
| LERs, PAuI.INA BIowNs, and BErsEY JoNEsEs ofthe
other sex, but we certainly think they should be
left "alone in their gloiy ~ and we cannot but re-
gard with the most profound contempt the male
actors in such scene as that which has just been
enacted at Syracuse.
Appropriate to this subject are the remarks of Il
writer in Ckumbers's Edinburgh Repie,p, which,
for the benefit Of some of our fair countrywomen,
we here transcribe:
'In the North American states women occupy a
position in society very different from that which
females of any class accustomed to i'll this coun
| try. Among us women treated with delicacy
and consideration, but always rs if they ra-
tional beings; they are neither depressed to the
condition Of interiors, exalted to that of god
deses; besides, for the attentions ami general res
pect shown towards them, it is expected that they
will act with consideralc poiiteness in return, so
that, by their affability and agrceabencss of man.
ners, tn. y may command the esteem us well as the
admiration of all who approach.
| 'tIn America the position Of woman, say,
| is entirely different. There they seem to be
viewed as q kind of superior being, something more
than mortal. All their caprices must be listened
to with Difference, all their whims satisfied, even
though among strangers, and Tor all the attentions
shown towards them it is not expected that they
should offer any thanks or show any condescenson
| in retura. American women are, in fact, spoiled
children they can do as they like, and the men
are their slaves. This remarkable condition OF
things is noticed by almost every traveller. Nlr.
Grund, in his late work, 'Aristocracy in America,
thus speaks OF it:
"sAmercan ladies occupy, from mere courtesy,
a rank in society which is not only opposed to that
which they hold in private life and in their own
families, but that which is incompatible with the
exercise of discretion the partof the gentlemen.
sThe ladies must be waited upon; 'the ladies' must
be put into the carrage;' tthe ladies mustbe taken
out of the carriage;' the ladies must have theiI
shoe strings tied tthe ladies' must have their India
rubber shoes put on;' 'the ladies must be wrapt
up in their shawls;' sthe ladies must be led up
stairs and down stars 'the ladies must have theil
candles lit for them when they go to bed.' On
every occasion they are treated as poor helpless
creatures, who rather excite the pity than the ad
mration of men |; and as the services they require
are numerous just in proportion to the scarcity o
hired servants, the gentlemen nre obliged to Off
ciate in their stead.'
"eThe American men, he continues, tapproacl
women with the most indubitable consciousness o
their own inferority and, either from modesty o
prudence, seldom open their lips except to affirm
what has been said by the ladies. One is alway:
reminded of Candide's honest prayer: Helas
madame: je rcpondrai comn,s poiidrez, lAlas
ma am, L will answer just us you wish.l l have