Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1860-03-03

tied themselves to satire and gossip
What rational woman, we ask, eau be con-
WINGED by the nonsense which il talked 10
ordinary society around her, as, that it is
Tight to admit girls to common schools, and
equally right to exclude them from col
leges, that it is proper for woman :
sing in public, but indicate for her e
speak in public, -thata post-otiice box /
M unexceptionable place to drop bit Of
paper iuto, but ballot-box terribly dan.
Igerous9 No cause in the world can keep
above water, sustained by such conlradic
tons as these, TOO feeble and slight TO be
dignifed 10y the name Of fallacies. Some
persons profess to think it impossible .
reason with woman, and they certainly
show no disposition to try the experiment
But we must rem ember that all oui
American Institutions are based on consls-
tency, or on nothing; All claim to be
founded on the principles Of nataral right,
and when they quit those, they are lost
In all European monarchies. it is the theo
Iry, that the mass of the people are Child
rem, 10 be governed not mature beings, 10
govern themselves. THIS ia CLEARLY stated,
and consistently applied In the free
states of his Union, we have formally
abandoned this theory for one half OF the
human race. while for the other half II
still fionrishes in full force. The mounen'
the claims Of woman are preached, The
democrat becomes ulonarchlst. Whal
American commonly cri icise III Fog isli
statesmen, namely that they habitaall'
evade all Arguments based on natural right.
and defend every legal wrong on tn
ground that il works well in practice, J.
he precise characteristic of our habltual
view of woman. The perplexi'y must b.
resolved somehow. We seldom meet q
legislator who pretends TO deny that STREE
adherence TO our own principles would
place both sexes in precisely equal posi-
tions before law and constitution, As weIi
as in school and society. But each has
bis special bubble to apply, showing that
In this case we must abandon all the gen
sral .naxims to which we have pledged
edrselyes, and bold only by precedent
Nav, ae construes even precedent with the
moss ingenious rgor; since the exclusion
Of women from all direct contact with At
fairs can be made far more perfect in re
public than is possible in monarchy
where even sex is merged in rank, and ih'
female patrician may have far more powe
than the male plebeian. But, as matter
now stand among us; there is no arisiocra
cy but of sex: all men are born patrlcian
all women are legally plebelan; all mel
are equal in having political power, an'
/ all women in having none. This is a par
adox so evident, and such an anomaly II
human progress, that it cannot las forever
without new discoveries in logic, or else |
deliberate return to NJ Marechal's theor,
concerning the alphabet.
! Meanwhile, as the newspapers say, W.
anxiouSlv await further Developments
According TO present appearances, the
final adjustment lies mainly in the hands Of
women themselves. Men can hardly be
Expected to concede either rights or priyi
edges more rapidly than they are claimed
or to be truer TO women than women arr
10 each other. True, the worst effect of {
con- ition of inferiority is the weakness i
leaves behind il; even when we say
"iiands OFF, the sufferer does not rise. Il
such a case, there is but one counsel wortf
giving More depends on determination
than even on ability. Will, not talent
govern the world. From wha, pathway
Iof emnence were women more traditional
Ily excluded than from the art Of scripture
in spite of Non me Prdriteles feet, SCI
dana Damerg-yet Harriet Hosmer, il
EIGHT years, has trod its full ascent.
Who believed that poetess could eve
be more than an Ainot Lyle of the harp
to soolhe with sweet melodies the leisure
of her lord, until in Elizabeth Barrett
hands the thing became q tru pet F.
| Where are gone the Steers with which
army surgeons and parliamentary orator.
o posed Mr.. Siiney Herbert's first prop
osition to send Florence Nightingale t
the Crimea2 In how many towu has the
current Of popular prejudice against female
orators been reversed by one winning
speech from Lucy Stone Where no logic
can prevail, success silences First give
woman, if you dare, The alphabet, ther
summon hor to her career; and thougf
aen, ignorant and prejuliced, may oppose
its beginnings, there is no danger but they
will at last fling around her cpnquerinq
foottteps more lavish praises than eyel
greeted the operas idol--'nore perf'rne'l
flowers than ever woced, with intoxicating
fragrance, the fairest butterfly of the ball
| room.