The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1859-05-19
~ DOWAGIAC, GASS COUNTY, MICHIGAN, THURSDAY, NAY 10

the aceakaess of her selfish propensities.
Now do not tell us that this diifferance
in the masculine and feminine charac-
ter is in consequence of the difference
of their spheres; donotsay that woman's
superior virtue is the result of seclus;on
for that would be poor compliment;
besides it is unjust, for although woman
is erclmded from all participation in
public affairs, yet she is not protected
from single contaminating influence,
on the contrary she is subjected to a
knowledge of and continual contact
with vice in every form; her life is ex-
ceedingly monotonous she has no field
of enterprise before her as man has,
no great inspiring object in view to
stimulate her faculties and give them
healthy exercise. Yet with all these
disadvantages she is morally purer than
man, simply because her nature is more
spiritual and her affections deeper and
stronger. (The exceptional cases of
female depravity form no argument
against the rule.)
Whenyouimagine that woman would
become corrupted by entering the
political arena you forget that she is
not coastitutionaly susceptible to those
depraving influences which corrupt
man, that her nature is less gross than
his, and no contact with external cir
cumstances can possibly make her like
him. ~
As for the "wire pulling" part of
politics, do not see any necessity for
such an apparatus at all, and l am very
sure that the snarling and swearing
and fighting" at elections is simply the
result of eecl,ediag aoonaaa; admit
however that it always rains and snors
on election days, but as bad weather
never keeps lady at home from a ball
or from a mass meeting or any other
place where she wishes to go, and as it
only takes a minute to deposit a vote,
can conceive it possible that she
might manage to discharge that duty
to her country and escape unframed.
1t is true that woman acOuld be =" out
of her sphere" were she to mingle in
such seems as You have described, and
it is also true that man is out of his
sphere when he endcts suchs Genes, and
he ought to blush to confess that his
conduct makes any place unfit for her
presence.
But if females cote they must also
legislate, hold Office and go to Congress.
Horrible! horrible! what will become
of the children, the puddings and the
pies! Let me see--how many men
does our State employ as senators and
representatives! Thity-two senators
land from sixty-four to one hundred
Representatives. Some of these men
are farmers, merchants, and mechanics.
They must be absent from home forty
days once in two years. Wonder what
i they do with their business and home
duties all these forty days out of seven
hundred and thirty! Wonder what
Mrs. Stowe does with her six children
every time she ,o,ccss to Europe! Wonder
wh.:.sr all lady-dom does with its house
hold cares, when it goes to Saratoga
Ne,eport and France. Suppose that
half our senators and representatives
were females,-out of the whole popula
ton of Michigan fifty or sixty women
must be absent from home for sic aceeks
once in t,co gears.
/ Now / wish to say here that / dc
not think it right that women shoulC
assume all of mans occupations anG
professions, for he does great many
things which the God of Nature never
intended that he should do, acdr fol
instance, is not legitimate business
for man or woman, yet if necessity com
pels 1.-THE stronger arm shonld wielC
the sword; mans superior strength i
an indication that he was intended TO
a different sphere of labors; but he
) equal mentality is also an indication
that it was not designed that he SHOULD
"rule over her." The fact that woman
has some specific duties or Offices whicl
! are distinct from mans, and that h
1 performs some labors which are un
) suited to her weaker organization is N
reason at all why she should be exclu
, ded from all participation in thos
a matters for which she is both mentall
T; and physically qualified and an whicl
I she has most vital interest, man ha
4 too much selfshness, too much am
+ bition, is too easily corrupted, to b
! trusted alone with the destinies of th
nation,-but there is sentiment il
t wonan's soul, in mothers breast,-
=.