Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1869-01-20
Gbt frsslllan.


To controvcrt many oil che positions you noiu
in respect to the mission and work of woman,
nor do wish in this communication TO make
any special answer teyour reasoning.-l am
rather disposed by your statements to present
some independent reflections Of my own.
The questions you have raised and discussed
are philosophical apA poral, relating to the
natufs and fitness 6f t5insz, and not polit-
.ical. and therefore tisdy admit a wide lati-
t;ade of Though and difference of opinion.
: they are calling for consideration, and have
Thought you m g6t be willing to have them
looR4 ess5n yonr paper ftpm all sides This
objsct, rather than eSiifsf foyersy, is the reason
: 5f -p4t srritipg.r s-.-9
=. That olFsSsate has got along very well in
her past history without Female Suffrage is,
I grant, no reason for withholding it. That
woman herself makes no loud and strong de-
mand for it is no reason why we should not |
give it. That she has never put forth her
hand to grasp the boon of political equality /
of rights is no cause why we should not
throw it into her lap or put it within her.
reach. If she cares not again to pluck the
fruit Of the tree of knowledge of good and
evil, we may not confidently say that it is
the instinct Of a heaven-born wisdom which
repels her from reaching forth to take it and
entering into all the strifes and controversies
which its possession will bring. Her instinct
may or may not be the highest wisdom. 1t
NAV still be best to offer what she does not
want She is as certainly qualified to use
political power as many, perhaps most, to
whom we have given it The State could
not suffer if our women had voice in many
of its prominent questions. It's legislation
would not be less moral, even though it
should be no more effective than it is. Our
religious and moral interests would be safe
in the hands of that portion of our commu-
mites, which is by far the most moral and
religious, and whose interests as veH as sym
pathies are on the side of virtue, morality,
order and Christianity. We must look
deeper in this subject than the outside, and
learn whether we could confer upon her a
political equality without depreciating her
ps5 nature, dignity and her senss.of the
eternaI fitness Of things. -
The question of Female MIRAGE ought,
then, not IS be on of mere Islitics- 1t is
not matter Of expedieney or interest. But
it is question of principle and philosophy
And if it is settled rightly it Will be settled
on principle 1t does not follow that il is
wise to advocate it because some deem it
polite to do so. Tt does not follow that n
--sSOuld be wise to grant it or best to have ii,
JTen if it should be demanded by our wonler
-Tna.Is ny -lsrrfy,ent to 80 Sta - A :
er = slIssfht s.ls,sht vote thS r1rafIty,. |
azeq til dooinsday, but : you'd nct
2 oiiow that they were equal, NO would~it.
prove the wisdom Of the attempt to make
them So We might give woman the same
rights civil and political, that man mas, but
if it docs not stand to reason that she should
have them, our work wOuI<y.'ne 70 nothing,
or have to D done o.s.i r There are
violated. We cannot make ,S,tter run up
hill. nor lake all stars ec IN glory, by
or constitu Snal anepdment,
oHEceIiticaf fIegerdeIs.in. 1t might be polite
to ei.sct that all Thsres should have the
same diameter and be equal to each other,
but one star would differ from another star
in magnitude and splendor, notwithstanding
The first question that underlies Female
Suffrage, then, is this Has woman, in the
economy Of this world a place of her own,
that belongs to her and not to man? The
answer to this question is not obscure. The
wise, the great, the pure of all ages give the
same response. Her true position and dig
nifty are no doubtful thing. The great Chris
tian epic of the world apostrophizes her in
the oft repeated words
'tOi fairest OF creation, last and best
or all Gods works; a creature in whom eNcels
Whatever can sight or thought be formed"
The great dramatist of the world has many
beautiful ideas of womanhOod, but in all bis
magical deIineations there is not one that
does not exalt and refine her peculiar and
distinctive nature and charms. In all his
plays Shakespeare has no perfect hero. He
has only heroines. There is not play that
has not perfect woman in it, steadfast in
hope, in nobleness. in love, in yicarious suf-
fering. She is SO free, SO kind, of SO apt
and blessed disposition that she holds it a
vice in her goodness not to do more than she
is requested. FaIsehood and cowardice arc
things that woman highly holds in hate. .
/" She Will outstrip all praise and make il
walk behind her. Thus the great ideal
characters of art, with all their endless va
rieties of grace and moral power of justice
and self-sacri6ce the very best conceptions
of woman's character, quality and work
separate them toto carlo from mar s, and yet
at the same time blend them inseparably, Sc
that the original idea is strictly kept in view
of woman distinct and a heIp-meet fol
man. Nature, poetry, science and art al
affirm that woman has her place which is no
mans, her work which is not mans, he
powers which arc not mans.
Now iu actual history this inequality i
revealed. or this distinction is more emf
nently manifest. 1t has always been true il
fact, as it was in Dantc's poem, that woman :
hand has often saved man from destruction
saved him from hell. He is going eternall
astray: giant in selishness, passion ant
wrong and she, as in the dream of the poet
comes to his help, becomes his teacher an
guide, and leads from truth to truth by tn
radiance of her unreasoning WISDOM an
guides from star to star by her patient re
buke and gentle counsel. Spenser tells y
in his Fairy Queen how bis knights ar
sometimes deceived and sometimes vaI
quished, but the soul of Una is never darl
ened and her faith and hope are never broker
1t is hardly possible to believe that the dil
tinction of quality, and work and Office whic
has always existed, which Is recognized
TIE wcrid's iitcraturs ,cud sreligis which
-