Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1868-09-21
HE NOMAN QUESTION AT HOME
AND ABROAD.


clan bend" in this coGntry; and ~femaIe suf-
frage" and the Girl of the Period in Eng.
land; lovely woman, in the aggregate, is monop-
oilzing even more than her usual share of tue
public attention, on both sides OF the Atlantic
We have purposely grouped the above SEEM
lngly disCordant subjects together, not to ha We
ling at the current movements tor the anne.
Iteration of the condition of women but be-
cause they cannot well be separated. IL has
been asserted and with some show of truth,
that the "giri Of the PERIOD with her oddities
Shd eceentncites running into '.fastness" is
one OF the inevitable results OF the objectIess
useless lives to which many OF the say
are condemned; and that Rachelic bloom. dives
pads, ehignons, and the Greeian end will WELD
10 the power of more vigorous mental and
moral training for females. with the view of
htting them for higher duties and responsible.
Ties than now fall 20 their lot. A writer in the
last number of MdemiLda's Magazine pleads for
the study and practice of medicine by women
He argues against all the objections commonly
made to such a course, and contends that the
opening of this line of life to women would be
of great advantage to them, by heighteninE the
standard Of their education, and relieving In
tedium of purposeless existences. "No one
knows" says the writer, show MANY women
there are whose physica and mental health
they are compelled to lead 1t is not true that
enforced idleness-a life empty of any keen in
terest. empty of invigorating moral and INTEL
lectual discipline-is merely rather dull Ii
rs terribly demoralizipg- 1t is the immediate
parent of hysteria, insanity, ana vice"
So far as female suffrage is coeceraed public
sentiment in England seems to have advanced
much further in its favor than in this country;
but as regards the right OF woman TO hold
property in her own name, to seek EMPLOY
ment in the professions and trades, and to re
ceive compensation equal to that of men for
the same amount and kind of labor, we be-
lleye the United States will take the lead. We
know it is said by some OF the strong minded
sisters that all other rights will come with the
night to vote and no sooner. That remains to
be proved.
At the organization of The Working
womans' Association in New York the other
day, winch association rs composed Of women
OF all trades and professions, having for their
object the amelioration and elevation OF women
who labor for living" this SUBJECT was
brought up, and long and lively discussion
between Mrs. Stanton and Miss Anthony fol.
lowed. The former coEtended that it should
be woman's suffrage society, as they might
as well attempt 10 take a steamboat up the
HUDSON without steam as to get women pro-
lection and their rights without the ballot.
Miss Anthony, on the other hand, was willing
To creep before they walked, and argued that
il would be better 10 get organized FIRST, and
let the ballot follow. Mrs. Stanton renewed
the charge, and said that the school teachers of
that city, for instance, could elect school off,
GERS and better their condition. So with the
other callIngs in which women are engaged.
Miss Anthony triumphed, and a delegate was
chosen to represent the association in the Ma
tional Labor Congress which meets In New
York to-day.
Several other female delegates will probably
claim seats in this Labor Congress, and it il
not likely that their right 70 take part in the
proceedings will be disregarded, if they come
properly accredited. One has been sent from
he newly formed ASSOCIATION in Mount YER
non, Westchester county, N. Y, rs we stated
on Saturday.
As we have already said, the question of fe.
male suffrage comes to the front rather more
often IN England than here. Recently, after a
speech by Mr.. Julian Goldsmid, now member
for HORTON, TO the electors OF MId-Surrey, he
was asked whether he would support Mr.. Stu
Sbf @otheH. Mr. 7Gofdsmid replied that he had
paired last season with a friend against Mr.
Mills proposition The next day his friend
said 10 him, Z" You cannot think what a mess
got into last night when 1 went home. NV
wife thinks i was a great fool for pairing in
favor of female suffrage. She says that the
women have quite sufficient influence as il is;
that they do not want votes; and she said that
she would not let me vote next time for female
suffrage lLaughter.l Mr. Goldsmid said
he quite agreed with the lady, and partly be-
cause among women themselves opinions dit.
tered so widely.
Now this. in cur opinion, is Just where the
shoe pinches. II is the indifference and opno.
sltion Of women themselves which will kill the
movement, lift Is defeated Once let the women
of America and England unite in a demand for
the right OF suffrage, or any other right, real or
fancied, and he would be a bold man vho
would stand up TO oppose them.
London correspondent of the " Y TriBtns
says that Mr. Mill Will find his supporters
Ia Parliament greatly increased in number
when a vote is taken next session. 1t is even
possible that the courts may decide that women
under the existing law are entitled, IL house,
holders. TO the franchise. In that case the at
tack would be shifted and Parliament would
have TO pass a law 10 exclude them, instead of
Law to admit them, a thing which last session
II distinctly refused TO do, as is shown
IN MI. Parkhursts article IN The Fortniqiay.
Mr.. Pankhurst has collected the existing
authorities on the law as Ii now stands, and
asserts absolutely ''The Right Of Women TO
Vote under the Reform Act, 1867" Part of his
reasoning Is already familiar, but the cid and the
new are welded into most compact and logi-
cal statement. The franchise is granted by the
act not as in the ACT OF 1892 TO s.eyery male
person" but to every man." The word man
includes women by express statutory eu1cr
ment ''unless the contrary as TO gender is ex.
Pressiy provided" which IL Is not i'm the
Reform bill Of 1867. Mr. Pankhurst than
argues that As women are within the intention
and within the technical meaning OF the act
they cannot be excluded from the ancbiss No.
less they are actually, and in a legal sense in
competent, like infants and lunatics to exereisa
their rights. But franchise granted is a tbins
that whoever Is within the deserip,ion -
entitled absolutely 10 exercise. As To the eIsc.
toral right, they did actually exercise \, Ar
former times, by yeung for members of Parlia-
ment'' So
At the Westminster county New York meet
ing the other night, referred TO above. it was
asserted by Miss Anthony, the Unknown adj.
yOcate of women's rights, that In Australia
two years ago, there arose an issue in politics
HAT interested the women, and they oethought
themselves that they were not prohibited voting
by any constitution or law. They went TO tn
polls and voted, and have done so ever since
In very many Of the monarchIal government
T.