Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1868-12-25

We have already had the Boston Is Woman's
Rights" Convention shown up to us in various
lights from different points of view, sarcastic,
critical and eulogi-tic Some Of the newspaper
correspondents think the millennium has set in
other. prugnosticate an Amazonian raid upon
the immuuities. hitherto for the most part quiet
ly Surrendered TO the conflicting sex. Such ac-
counts, intended for the public eye, may, or
may not, set forth the real sentiments Of their
writers but certainly II is worth the while to
get at the real opinion of a sensible, cultivated,
womauly woman upon this much debated ques-
tou-to know what one such woman says to an
other when she talks out her mind freely with
us one to overhear, Here is such an opinion,
contained in private letter from one lady to
another, written with lao thought that a syllable
Of it would ever reach the public ear or eye:
when the Women Suffrage Convention was in
Boston. went one day,-hearl Abby Foster, Lucy
Stone. Olympia Brown. 5lrs. Julia Ward Howe, and
some others, men and women; but there was not
one good OF wise thing said-some true things, Of
course. As think, women are physically incapable
of speaking 20 a crowd. We can sing-some Jenny
Liuds ofus-but we are got strong enough TO speak
and it was to me- pleasure, when the shrill. strain
Cd feminine voice ceased, and great coarse man"
got up. more stupid and laundering than any woman
there perhaps with less to say too hut saying it in
his good comfortable. masculine voice.
Many % these people seem TO think the ballot in
the hand is higher and greater than brains in the
head or grace ia the heart. do not see anything
essentially uufeminine in the act Of voting but
DO not look Tor any miracle from touching this hem
Of the political garment
Mrs. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the editor Of the
Revolution, and the recognized champion Of
Woman Rishts''-to suffrage and other things
now wickeily monopoIized by the male persul-
sion-says that mot one woman in ten thou
sand knows how to take care Of child, make
good bread and keep a house clean We did
not suppose the case Was quite so bad as this.
We would not have been willing to make so
strong a statement ourselves. But since the
special advocate of the " suppressed sex s. af-
firms it to be fact, we suppose we must
admit its truth, though if a man had made the
same statement, We should have said he was
using fllsehool as an excuse for injustice
But what follows from this woful ignorance Of
women on the practical matters that hitherto
have f,llen to their lot That they should go to
Congress, aspire TO judgeships, WELD the ballot
and so reorganize society, argues Mrs. Stanton
Curious logic What if she, being 'unsur-
passed in domestic economy, as she says, should
lay out her strength for few years on such
matters rs " bread and babies;'' and when the |
90 female population as Judge B used to .
call the women folk-have been duly initiated
in these commonplace, everyday matters, then
set herself to educating her sex for the ballot. /
Or, is the magical touch of the ballot to COM I
municate skill in bread-making, and the proper
handling and training of babies to be learned
at caucsses and electionss This sndroynous
logic is too much for US; but we venture to in
quire whether, on Mrs. Stantons own showing,