Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1868-02-05
Gail Hamilton versus Reverend John
Todd. ID. II.

informed the female world dear crea
lures y he called them in his affectionate ant
condescending way,-that they must mt as
pire to be anything but wives and moth
ers, because if they did they would get out o
their - sphere " and upset the wise arrange
ments of Providence. We gave our readers
at the time this publication appeared, som
extracts from it, and took occasion to expos
some Of its absurdities {; and we then antici
pated that some woman's pen would dea
with the Rev. Mr. Todd according to hi
folIy Gail Hamilton has just performed
this work, in q volume recently issued by
Ticknor & Fields, entitled - Woman {
Wrongs The first half of this volume o
2I2 pages is devoted to a most amusing anC
utter annihilation of Dr. Todd and his pam
phlet At the very threshold the writer de-
lirers this crushing blow
DR.. Todd begins with mixture of majesty
and sweetness at once imposing and concll
iating
Sound as it goes from the bell in the
church-tower, probably goes in waves anc
curves, and not in straight lines. Human
feeliRg and thought seem to move in tidal
waves. modified doubtless, by the peculiari-
ties of the age. At one time the women oil
Rome became so discouraged and down
hearted with their condition. that they com
lnItted suicide to such an extent that the Sen
ate, alarmed passed a decree that all who
should hereafter commit suicide. should have
their bodies exposed naked in the streets.
The instincts of mOdesty came 10 woman :
aid. and there were no more suicides On
the true instincts of the sex | rely, while
sreak 10 the women of my generation kindly,
faithfully, plainly, calmly and decidedly
The women Of my generation must see at
the outset that i course is to be adopted
towards them They are no longer 10 DC
spoiled children. They are to come under a
discipline gentle but firm, and be brought up
in tho way they should 90.
But if Dr. Todd had searched through the
world. he could hardly have found a histori-
cal illustration better adapted TO his essay
than the one he has chosen. 1t strikes the
keynote of his thought The women Of
Rome were so wretched that they rushed to
death for relief. The Senate therefore passed
a decree. not to abate the wretchedness, but
to prevent its expression ; not to make life
more attractive, but death more repulsive.
After eighteen hundred years of Christianity
Dr. Todd think of no more excellent
way.
turning Of an adversary's weapon against
himself than the above rctort Webster, in
his reply to Hayne, did not turn Banquo' :
ghost more successfully upon his antagonist.
Ii is a retort courteous but entirely crushing
and it Is not only felicitous but absolutely
fruc.
Dr. Todd said to his - dear ladies
You cannot invent There are all manner
of inventions in our age,-stcam. railroads,
5eIcgraphing, machinery Of all kinds, often
five hundred and fifty weekly applications for
patents at the Patent Office, but among them
all no female applicants.
You have sewing machines almost number
less. knitting machines, washing, ironing,
and churning machines but l never heard
of one that was the invention of the female
mind Did yOu2 | sup
pose the power was denied you, lest it should
take you out Of your important sphere, as
shall show
The above paragraph furnishes Gail Ham
ilton an excellent opportunity for reply,
which she uses after this fashion
Granted that women cannot invent grant
ell that the sparrow killed cock robin -
what Of it, What connection is there be-
tween the power Of invention and woman :
rights Woman's rights means, perhaps
chiefly the right Of suffrage. Does DR..
Todd maintain that inventive power is neces-
sasry to the possession or the exercise of that
right Does he mean to say that no man
shall vote for tOwn-otficers till he has Invented
4 sewing machine? OF all the inventions of
our age,-stcam and telegraphing and fe-
male non-applicants,-I never heard of one
that was the emanation of DR.. Todd's mind
Did YOU? Shall DR. Todd therefore be dis
tranchised2
In a similar style, Gail Hamilton s g female
mind = dcmolishes the Reverend Doctors
pamphlet, and shows how utterly illogic and
contradictory his so-caIled arguments are.
After thus completely overwhelming DR..
Todd with sarcasm ridicule and argument,
the writer proceeds to consider affirmativcly
the question Of woman suffrage. She doubts
the efficacy of the ballot to right anybody's
wrongs, especially woman's. On this subject
she saws:
But Will the incursion of woman upon the
ballOt-b0x seriously amend matters? | fear
not Accomplished in the manner and to the
extent proposed, honestly think not The
association of man and woman is natural
Their dissertation in politics is unnatural
The exclusion of any one class from an equal
position with another class regarding affairs
IN which both have an equal interest, and
to which both contribute an equal support,
is arbitrary and unnatural, and all things
unnatural are wrong and hurtful On this
ground female suffrage seems to me a right
and wise measure, and its prohibition an alb
surdity. But beyond this all is fog. What
definite benefit is to accrue to woman or to
the state from indiscrIminate female suffrage,
| must confess, after all the talk, | fail to
see. The volume of the vote will be increased,
but [ do not sec that it's proportion will be
affected; and the proportion of the vote, and
not its volume, is the quarter from which
danger threatens. True, it is a Republican
government, the broader the basis the better
provided it be sound but If it be not sound
how can it's breath be an element of strength
Believing, as | do most firmly, that the
right of suffrage belongs to woman in pre-
cisely the same measure as to man. mo more
and no less,-and that it will do for woman
precisely what it does for man,-no better
and no worse,-still, were the alternative
presented to me of changing the basis of suf-
trage, either by extending the franchise in
discriminatory to woman, or by still further
restricting it among men, | think l should
unhesitatIngly choose the latter. | would
far sooner trust the welfare of the country
to the freely acting wisdom of intelligent
and virtuous men. than to the wisdom of
intelligent and virtuous men and women,
hampered, baffied and overborne by the folly |
of unintelligent and vicious men and women. !
1t would sometimes seem, from the tone
of discussion, as if the ballot were sort of |
talisman, with a power to ward off all harm /
from its possessor. To me it looks rather
like clumsy contriyance for brinoinO Oniu- |