Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1852-06-05

law can be violated with impunity-we see
women in the higher classes Of society, weak in
body and undeveloped in mind, suffering
through their whole lives from efFcminacy, ut
ter!y untitled for life and its high and holy du-
tics, their children as weak and cffeminate as
themselves and tho frail fashionable woman
who never endured the hardship Of cooking a
meal or washing dress for herself, too often
becomes the helpless invalid, when she should
be in tho very vigor Of life, and learns, when
too late, that wealth and ease have been to her
the bane of existence. Her children, around
whom her affections twinc, with all a mother
deep absorbing love, drop into an carly grave,
power sufficient to resist the evil influences that
surround them, and she who feels herself inca
pable of making sufficient efforts to enable her
to give strength and power to her offspring, suf-
fers a thousand fold in her inner life from grief
and sorrow, and she asks with oil imporing
voice, "What shall do to avert these evils !"
Labor, as l said before, has become almost dis
graceful, and consequently the exercise of the
body must be that which is taken for mere
amusement, and mere amusement never gives
much strength or vigor to tho mind. The pre-
dominant passions of the human mind are as
active and vigorous in women as in man, and
the pride and ambition of woman, having no
other vent or almost no other as things now
Hence VIC see fashion and folly bearing rule
among those whose wealth places them in q
position to give tone to society. The second
class Of society," those above the actual ncccss-
ty of constant labor for a living, look up to
those who seem to hold position above them
and with cnvious longing they struggle, strive,
and toll to reach that eminence. The whole life
OF too many is constant effort to appear what
they really are not. The pale, sckly child Of
wealth, with its embroidered slip, its hat and
feather, its coral neck lace, and little crampcd
feet, who cannot bear the winter breeze, or the
summers sunshine, is to them far more at
tractivc object, than the hardy strong, rosy
checked, barc-footcd urchin who reoices and
shouts in the freedom enjoyed in the oxuberanco
of health and strength, and fears neither wind
nor storm; and with mistaken views and feel
ings of their own duty and destiny, they devote
their energies, of both mind and body, to that
which neither clevates or improves, to that
which large majority know and feel in their
own hearts is wrong, and yet they see and feel
no way Of resisting the influence. They arc
worried. restless. unhappy, and they too, are
crying out " What shall we do to be savcdy'
The third class of womon-thc poor-those
who must toll or dc, Oh, how my heart blceds
when think of them They mako the major
ity Of the mothers of our race. Toll, toll, toll,
is their never ending doom. And yet theirs is
not hcalthful, necessary labor, but of suffer
ing never ending toll, without relaxation, al
most without compensation. 1 will not. stay
now to depict their utter wretehcdncss and woe.
There is not one here who has not seen it, and
been made to understand its details. and listen
cd to their anguished cry of "What shall we do
to be saved" Which of these three classes of
women taken in the mass arc fit to become the
mothers of men (which arc fitted, and pre-
pared physically, mentally and morally, to
stand as the living providence to produce, ,nour-
ish, guard,guidc and govern human being from
infancy to adult years, and to bring out in its
highest possible perfection every faculty of that
human soul, and make it as near as possible, an
image of its Godi
Mark, me, do not say that all the women
in any one Of these classes arc untitled for the
work. There are many in each clnss who arc
striving with mind and might, against the in
fuencc Of their surroundings, and doing noble
duty for humanity. But alas for tic mass
they are not yot awakened to. O sense of their
false positions they feel that there is evil, but
have no inclination or will to resist the current
that is bearing thom down the stream of popu.
lar error.
Our object then in meeting together, in as
sembling ourselves in Convention, is the elcva-
ton of the race, the establishing of equal rights
for oil. And how is this mighty work to be
accomplishedi answer, by such action as
will make the mothers of the race free by plac-
ing them in state of perfect equality with the
fathers-giving the same scope to their mental,
moral and physical faculties.
From the hints have here given, you will
perhaps gather moro distinct idea of the great
and ultimate objects of our assembling ourselves
togethcr-the elevation of the race through the
tho freedom and elevation of woman.
Permit me here to speak of tho progress Of
our cause. The first public demonstration on
the subject of Woman's Rights that ever fell
under my observation, was held at Seneca
Falls, N. Y, in August think, of 1874. !
was travelling, and saw the account in news
paper ! casually met with. l had long been
in private way, an advocate for the equality
of the sexes, and this manifestation cheered and
delighted me, ] said to my friends with earn.
nstnnss % Oh. how l wish hnd hnnn thnro 90