The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-02-20
MThe HnlnxH.V

motto:--
''1 will frame work work of fiction upon
notorious fact, so that anybody shsn think he
can do the 6ame shall labor aud fail-sucb is
the power OF sequence and connection in
writiDg.n-Hordoe: Art of Poety.H >,
The trades union difficulties in England form
the subject of the opening chapters, and the
story promises TO be powerful and exciting
Eugene Benson, under the head of "New York
Journalists" gives a short sketch of GeoreelW,l-
liam Curtis. Richard Grant White contributes
chapter on words and their uses, entitled az,
Being Done.n Chapters eight, nine, and ten of
Miss Edwards novel of "Susan Fielding" are
given, with an illustration by Dir. Sol. Eytnge.
Miss Julia Ward Howe in the form Of an answer
TO letter from an inquirer, gives her views on
"Women as voters.n We quote as folows:-
"All that ! advance in justification of uuver-
sal suffrage consider as fully applicable to the
woman as to the man side OF the question.
ana III TINS point OF view | still hold to the
logical sequence by which the woman's right,
wherever II may ideally occur, should, in
politicSl operation, wait upon that of the negro.
hold TO this, in the first place, because the
admission OF the negro to the polls gives US a
platform upon which woman can stand--the
platform of universal and ideal Justice.
hold TO 1t in the second place on account of the
necessity and opportunity Of the moment. The
necessity, because to him the possession of the
franchise is question of life and death; the
opportunity, because public opinion is well
nigh ready to recognize his claims, while it yet
needs an uncertain length OF instruction before
IT VIII sanction the woman's participation in
the lights OF suffrage. The door is opened to
ADMIT one. He comes with the knife
OF the assassin behind him. The
woman will enter with the more honor,
ws1lng for him. 1t is not likely that, after she
has held The door widest open Tor him. he will
aid others TO shut it in her face. The negro is a
man, but not enough of a man for that. Your
letter, in common with the opinions of many
who discuss this subject, assumes that the pri
! Vllege OF voting will be most strenuously eXer-
| cised by women of the lowest class and most
miserable character. These women, in your
| view, will be mirrCrs to multiply the corrupt
| votes OF the corresponding class OF men. To
! avoid the tedium OF endless rccapitul alton, let
me group these two questions together, treating
| both very briefly. The women of character
! and culture, according to you, will go to the
| pSlls only So long as voi ing continues a novelty
The drst rain storm wi trighten them away,
! while the low and ignorant of the sex, with
! dripping umbrellas will take advantage of
| their absence, ADDING simple Ieduplication to
! the already existing chaos. Let me ask, what are
character and culture good Tor, they can be sup
! posed to render Their possessOr more lndolent
! aud fastidious than those who are without them?
| Delicate women, not more than invalid men,
may be deferred from gong abroad by stress of
weather. But ii the most thoughtful and con-
| scientlous women, having once placed the act
! of voung on the list OF their high and constant
duties, will be more easily deferred from its
fuliment than Will women of little or no
thought and conSc fence, why then we have
| mistaken the significance of these terms, and
must anoint ourselves anew in language.
Closely akin to this consider alton is the other,
viz.:-That the ignorant and vicious among
women will only double the vote of the same
class OF men. may here observe that most of
those who strenuously oppose woman suffrage
are compelled to tal back upon the
futility of suffrage altogether. The i'm.
possibility of finding test which shall be
at once ideally just and practically possible
allows these retIogradIsts no pause until they
hnnly ir,fs Of
and in its place the running tor luck and hope
iul expectation that the altogether best minds
Will rule, in some heaveh-appoiuted way. And
here we take up the subject, starting anew with
them. Does the extension of male suffrage
prove only numerical enlargement? Does the
admission OF one class after another to this pre-.
rogative bring in no new elements, develop no
new energies? Instead of many men with
many minds is humanity only stereotyped
edition, issuing many copies OF one or two
minds? History will show the contrary.
Arrayed upon fair and candid basis, every
class, every individual added in number to the
franchise, may also add to it something of
weight and OF wisdom. In periods OF passion,
thought does not get the upper rule. The
violence OF mobs is usually the violence of one
class. Terror or weak compliance paralyzes the
action OF the others. But perfect freedom and
| equality before the law render the expression
Of thought and will as safe as it is incumbent.
Under these circumstances, we may hope TO
find in the people not crowd OF identical in
diyiduals, but that sublime individual of which
each one of us represents one feature and con-
dition. may here remark that the trammels
OF legal training detain from us some friends
who, liberal and generous in all else fear to
offend against the sacred formulas OF tradi-
tiona science. OF the arguments likely to be
advanced by such as these will instance only
the iollowing:-The family, not the individual
is the foundation of society. Now, the family
should constitute O legal and political unit
| Should il express two contending forms OF WILL
it would bring itself to naught. Should 1t give
tWoOld expression to one FORM 1t utters use
less tautology.' This reasoning runs into depths
that question the whole constitution OF the
society OF to day. Its fault is a too marrow and
literal Interpretation of things that are. 1t
points to an earlier stage OF thought and rea-
sOning in which the instinct OF the active party,
in whatever sort, sought to paralyZe It's opposite
by an appeal to force, rather than to reconcile
2 IL BY an appeal to reason. The grow OF modern
ideas tends more and more to this process OF
Z reconciliation, which is not erected without
: much elaboration and consideration OF com
patibillrs. Parents reason nowadays with
their children; husbands convince their wives;
!. | Presidents (all but Mr.. Johnson) explain them
A selves in their messages: soNereigns apologize
r 10 their Commons; the preacher justides himself
to his congre cation, the representative to his
:. col stituents And ont of all this action gro
e new society, admitting OF a largeness OF CO.
{ operation and a variety of instruction never
t dreamed OF before in the worlds history. Wneu
, the pyramids OF Egypt were built the sovereign
i commanding the work was one unit, the
, can afford but two units, one liylns
, and one dead. Bat, by the modern practice
Q of society, which its theory does not yet over
e take, the unit ofintial energy does not paralyze
c but energies its opposite. Civilization, In IT.
G progress, carries OH the t1oiold work of ener
! ei2ing the individual units OF which society L
d composed and OF securing their sympathetic ant
h voluntary cooperation In unities that coDtinu