The Kansas herald of freedom. [volume] (Wakarusa, Kan. Territory) 1854-1860, 1858-05-01
The Hsfalo Of Ffeeoom
Saturday Morning. May 1. 1853.
Fair Play for Woman

-. Fair Play for Women.
GEO. WIN. CURTIS, Esq, gave lecture
in New York few weeks ago for the
benefit of the "Shirt Sewers Union.v-
His subject was WOMAN, and if the report
OF that lecture in the NY. Tribune was a
faithful one, he did, full justice to his sub
ject. Since the Solons of Kansas have
enfranchised the black population by the
Leavenworth Constitution, (taking Thach-
or and Conway's understanding of that
instrument to be genuine, it is time we
should consider whether WOMAN should
not also be enfranchised. The earliest
history of the race shows that she was
treated as slave-ministering only to
mans evil passions. As the world has
progressed in knowledge, and barbarism
has receded before civilization, SO woman
has been elevated until, in many respects,
she has tahen her place by the side of her
Steiner brother. The press has long been
open to her, and she has shown that intel
lectually she is mans equal. 1t is but
recently the learned professions have been
thrown open to her, but here she has
amply maintained her right to position
no way his inferior. In Kansas, where
woman has shared with us the common
trials, and has shown herself so worthy
to enjoy her freedom, why ask her to
occupy position secondary to the unedu-
Gated negro? If the ballot-box is open to
him, throw it wide open to her, and let
her enjoy the same franchise of which we
have been complaining SO bitterly for years
because denied us. Let it be optional
with woman whether she exercises the
right OF suffrage or not. Governments
are founded on the consent of the gov
erned." What right have we to claim
that woman gives her consent to form
OF government unless she has voice, or
an opportunity of expressing voice, if
she desires it, in regard to that govern
ment. Taxation without representation
was the objection our ancestors had to the
stamp act, and yet we in America are
taxing women, and yet preventing them
from having any representation in the
passage Of laws levying these taxes, or in
: discussing the proceeds. She is, to all
intents and purposes, enslaved, SO far as
government is concerned, as effectualIy as
the bondman upon southern plantation
* But it was not our intention to make
3 any protracted remarks of our own atthis
time, but to copy the following extracts
from AIr. Curtis speech, which We know
will be read with interest by both sexes
in Kansas. Omitting his Introductory
remarks, the speaker said
=, I've men have treated women as
slaves, or have always made them subor-
.dinate to ourselves, and for no other reason
! than the same by which the big boy takes
the apple away from the little girl, and
the white man makes the black man his
. slave. In the earliest times women were
5 absolute slaves; they belonged to the man
E who could take them. The Hebrews and
Egyptians were polygamists, and in
soAthens, as among savages now, they were
]. not allowed to sit at table with their
; lords. Yet even in Greece, Sappho sang.
and Arete lived, and Corinna bore away
the palm. True, they called Sappho hard
( names; but that We did to the Sapphos
nowadays. The Romans did better, and
among the northern nations, there was a
mysterious, religious respect for women.
Chiyalry was the offspring of this respect,
but it was only beautiful form of self
lshness. Nowhere in literature did re-
spect for women appear until the days of
Shakespeare, when Elizabeth ruled Eng
land. Soon this was over, and men
praised only handsome women. Defoe
spoke noble words for woman in the midst
of the dirty drama of the 18th century.
The essayists, who came next, patronized
women; they gave them advice about
hoops, and treated them as elder brothers
treated very little sisters. Pope said every
woman was a rake at heart, and yet Pope
was called poet! What dreary women
were portrayed BY Fielding and Smollett.
and even Go1dsmith.s women were only
milk and water and water and milk
Uutil this century women were the toasts
of eonvivial hours, the toys of the mo-
ment, the puppets of court, the slaves
of parents and brothers, the drudge of the
household and the field. This was in the
days of good old England, when the King
said, !" If boobies Will be boets and balm
terss let ,em sdarve." In France there
was then bloated and sensual court,
while thousands of women were CRYING
for "bread, bread !'' and sucking the
French revolution. An English Judge
then decided that man had a right to
chastise his wife with stick as large as
his thumb, but if his thumb were no
larger than his wit or his manhood, cord
of such thumbs would not form stick
large enough to make babe Jingle. The
whole theory of modern society is the
Gochin-Ghina proverb. that g women's
hearts bear good deal Of breaking" It
is no. changed 50 vary much. Women