The Portland daily press., 1868-01-17
"The Woman Nue..innu

DR.. Holland is fine looking man. in the
prime of life, who brings to the lecturers plat
form the prestige of past successes as Journal
list, and as an author under the familiar sobri-
quet of "Timothy Titcomb." Commencing life
as a physician, he soon abandoned the medi-
cal profession and became the editor of lit
erary paper He soon abandoned that, too went
to Vicksburg, Miss, and was for time Super
intendent of public schools in that CITY, After
his return North he became the associate edit
or of the Springfield Republican. OF Dr. Hol-
lands books there is no need to speak, for the
public is familiar with the Letters to the
Young" "Bitter-Sweet," and "Miss Gilbert's
Career" One cannot wonder that man of so
varie experience, and, in other respects, so
closely identified with the progressive move
ments of the day, should hold precisely the
views he does on the woman Question"
which was the subject of his lecture last eve
ming. Men of similar ways of life and of his
generous culture have very generally, like
John Stuart Mill and George William Curtis,
inclined to the more liberal view of womans
sphere and woman's destiny, The distin-
ghished Englishman above named has recent
ly declared that that the advocates of female
suffrage labor under the disadvantage of hay
ing to argue solely against intejections The
lecturer of last evening, however, did not pur-
sue exactly that line of reasoning. But it
must be confessed that though he introduced
the familiar arguments, the origin of which
was contemporaneous with the appearance of
the first woman in pantaloons, in most at
tractive and forcible manner, yet they were
Enthusiastically old acquaintance. Hence it will
not be necessary for Miss Anthony and Mrs.
Stanton to send him gratuitous copy of the
Revolution for he cannot possibly do their
cause any harm by presenting ideas which
have already had all the effect they are capa-
BILE of producing
DIR. Holland does not believe that woman |
has any ground for complaining that her
sphere in life is circumscribed, or that she is |
deprived of the ballot. In the first place. she |
does not take the initiative in demanding re- |
form. The whole outcry is raised by self-con-
stituted representatives who have no constitu- |
ency. The point upon which he constantly |
insists is that woman is designed for mar
Tidge, and that in entering upon that relation |
she at once escapes all the wrongs of which |
she and her advocates complain. Does she |
find it difficult to compete with men in the va |
rious callings of life, and are her wrongs mad
equate for support? Let her get husband |
Is her property taxed by the State, while she |
is not allowed a voice in the disposal of the |
common fund? Let her marry forthwith, and |
be represented by her husband She contra
venes the laws of Heaven when, by engaging in |
masculine pursuits or in any other way she |
places herself in position where she can be |
Of matrimony. ut takes man |
and woman to make whole man." and,
though the Doctor did not say it the sequence |
is inevitable, the man is that man. If women |
voted, so entirely do they lose their identity |
upon becoming wives, they would merely du- |
plcate their husbands vote; or, if otherwise, |
domestic infecity would be the result "The |
amly is the true political unit and any
thing which disturbs, or is calculated to dis |
turb, the harmony of the domestic relatio
may at once be branded as radically wrong,
No attempt is here made to give more than
the salient points in DR.. Hollands lecture, but
his reasoning is substantially as above de-
scribed. There is no escaping the conviction
that it is all founded upon the assumed inferi-
GRITTY of woman; and SO long as this is the case
it is plain that the wonlan's rights reformers
will have the best of the argument But
Curtis is coming, and perhaps we shall have
the other side.