Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1868-05-13
SOr0SiS

No little curiosity has been manifested
to know what those New York ladies de-
signed bv forming a club TO which they
gave the odd name of :. Sorosis but suhse-
quenty changed to the more Ineligible
Que OF Womaa's Club The mystery
which euve,oped this new organization,
however, has been partially cleared By its
President, Miss Alice Cary, who, in the
course of her inaugural address, delivered
in the Club Room at Delmonico's on Mon
day, thus responded to the queries Of the
other sex respecting the objects Of the
movement
We have, then. to begin at the begin
ming, proposed the inculcation of deeper
and broader ideas among women, proposed
to teach them to think for themselves and
get theiro inions at first handno so much
because it Is their right as because 1t Is
their duty. We have also proposed to op-
en- out new avenues OF employment to wo-
men-to make them less dependent and
less burdensome-t0 lift them out Of un-
womany self-distrust and dsqualifying
self-knowledge To teach them TO make
all work honorable. by each doing the share
that falls TO her, or that she may work out
to herself agreeably TO her own special ap-
titude, cheerfuly and faithfully-not
going down to it but bringing it up TO her.
We have proposed to enter our protest
against all idle gossip, against all demoral-
ling and wicked waste of time; also
against the follies and tyrannies Of
fashion. against all external impositions
and disabilities in short, against each
and every thing that opposes the full de-
veopment and use of the faculties confer
red upon us by our Creator
We have proposed to lessen the antag-
onisms existing At present between men
and women by the use of every rightful
means in our power; by standing upon
our divine warranty and saying and doing
what we are able to say and TO do, with
out asking leave and without suffering
hinderance Not for the exclusive good
of our own sex, for we hold that there is
no exclusive, and no separate good---what
Injuries my brother INJURIES me, and what
injuries me. Injuries him, if he could but be
made to know it it Injuries him whether or
not he is made to know it. Such, have
said, are some of our objects and aims.
We do not pretend, as yet, to have care
fully digested plans and clearly defined
courses. We are as children feeling our
way in the dark, for il must be remembered
that it is not yet half century since the
free schools, even in the most enlight-
ened portions of our country, were first
opened to girls. How then, should you ex-
pect of us the fullness of wisdom which
YOU for whole centuries have been gather
ing from schools, colleges, and the exclusive
knowledge and management of affairs.
We admit our shortcomings, but we do
feel, gentlemen, that in spite of them an
honest, earnest and unostentatious effort
toward broader culture and nObler life, is
entitled to a heartier and more sympathetic
recognition than we have as yet received
!. from you anywhere even our representa-
tives here at home, the leaders of the New
: York press,hav failed in that magma nimity
/ which we have been accustomed to attrib-
ute to them.
, five could have foreseen the sneers and
sarcasms with which we have been met,
i they of themselves would have constituted
all-suficint reasons for the establishment of
this woman's club /; as it is, they have es-
7 tablished strong impulse toward its con-
, tinuance and final perpetuity. But, la.
dies. these sneers and sarcasm are, after
? all, but so many Acknowledgements of our
b. mower. and should and will stimulate us to
8 braver assertion, to more persistent effor.