The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-07-14
LITERATURE,


awaited the publication Of this book with consdera-
bic anxiety on the one side and curiosity On the
other. perrsa OF Its contents will give rise 20
feeling Of disappointment on all Sides In spite OF
the andoubted interest In the work Mr.. Mil has
fallen far below public expectation. He merely re-
peats the arguments which we have read thousand
times-repeas them 1t is true wlth close reasoning
and strong logic 1t would be strange, indeed, II q
man OF Mr. Mills aoliIty did not bring 70 Dear upon
80 Important subject as that on which he has
written the most convincing argument he could
thnk Of But because every idea In support OF equal
tzing tue puDic relations OF man aud woman has
been exhausted he could otter no original cOutribu-
ton IN support or the cause he advocates.
Theroi IL much OF exagseratiOn IN tue charges made
here OF men tyrannzing over women. The law of
force certainly no more applies to women than IL
does to men, and Mr.. Mill does not pretend that
men are governed otherwise than by what he calls
justice, lie admits that men will not accept this
view, because tneir feelings interested AMI an
opinion strongly rooted In the feelings 'gains rather
than loses IN stability Dy having a preponlerating
weight of argument against it, We cannot see 1t
In tlat light. Amy sentiment so strongly centred IN
the human mind az 70 deIy tAe most potent adverse
argument must possess that lnherency or intutiol
which surrounds IL with a power OF justice and
makes it nature There Is no abstract principle
founded on tradition custom waiCn, II inherently
wrong cannot be- and bus not been, eradicaGed and
destroyed by argument. The whole course oil history
tends TO prove Cli5
We assert that this subsection OF woman to man,
about which 30 much Is written Is to great extent,
purely imaginary In tins country though
probably 1888 so among other civilized peoples.
Thnt there has always been All inequality existing
between the r. undeniapy true. but 1t has not
assumed the character OF mastersalp the part OF
least 1t does not assume II IN former times.
when man had tue power OF selling his wife and Of
beating her to DEATH he was Himself a slave to
perior authority, and his life, person and property
were as much ut the mercy OF his ieudal lord ul u
serf), or, running up, at the mercy of his king,
was his vile 1T his mercy. Civ zation III rescuing
him from tas slavery rescued, mis- wife rom his U
soiute power III exact proportion. The inequality
between the sexes Is tempered by civilization Ia the
same ratio noK us II was a. the most remote period
OF asccrained tlme but instead OF It's being the
Subordlnation OF the woman and iuastership OF the
man. 1t Is Oh inequality arising from mutual de.
pendeDce upon eacn other.
IL does AVIAN to assert that the nature Of the two
sexes adapts them to their present functions AMI
position, ana renders these appropriate TO tnem,"
because, from the very earliest ages, We ind The
sexes, even where there was no slavery divided az
tney now are--t. T., tue man US the political and
business superior, but The inferior ol woman LII social
and domestic rule. But granting even, As Mr. Mill
asserts positively, that we do not and cannoL know
wuat the nature OF the two sexes Is less can Mr.
woman IL an emlnentiy ARTIFICIAL thng-the result
OF forced REPRESSION Ia some directions, Unnatural
StimuatlOns III Others Neither. can IL he asserted
"witnout scruple thar no other class OF dependents
have had their character 80 entirely distorted from
It's natural proportions because Us their character
IN its re alton TO man has been always the same to
speak OF les natural proportions as something re-
pressed by arbitrary power is TO assert That for
which society furnishes not The slightest semblance
OF proof
band 70 his WIFE il no less than that OF vile 40 her
4 Fpl n "
contract the sexes are placed on terms OF almost aD
solute equality The property OF tue vie does not
utterly lii the husband, even where there has
been marriage settlement securing IL 10 her. She
az any time appear IN court, by her next best
friend, ana have IL settled upon her for her eX-
elusive beneht and On the other hand the hus-
band cannot dispose OF his property without her
voluntarily consentlng 10 sign deed waving her
right OF dover. NetDer can husband compel |
vile TO live with hun, although II she from euplty
or any other cause, refuses to do so, he be
compelled to support her; and we scarcely think that
Mr.. Mill would require that e should be, under
the circumstances. hut Il ne deserts ner he can BE-
and Is daily, by Law compelled to provide for her sup
port to the full extent Oh his means. Thus lar then
II any inequality exists ut all, 1t ia favor OF the
wife and against the husband.
So lar as the l-treatnent OF women by their nus.
bands Is concerned we DO not believe 1t thng
so extensive as Mr.. MIL declares. The most Also
Lutte political equality OF women with men would
not prevent'a brutal man from beating his vile, any
more than political equaiity between men prevents
that standard Of excellence which would make ali
respect the equal rights OF their wives would be to
render tue pOntlCa1
unnecessary, because such standard OF Intelligence
would be the millennium. But the brutes OF which
Mr.. Mill speaks DO not form anything near so great
class as he asserts, and they with very excep-
tons are wholly confined to the lowest order OF SO
ciety-men without educanon, without that menta
restraint upon their actions which education acquires
for them. On the whole. however, men
and women iii live e,I as happily together as
seT % nere ch
political equality OF al men In the United States,
while 1t has elevated the social standing OF the
han yYodn than hiatt
the men OF Germany. Except in 30 much as the
pecuniary circumstances Of the laborer here are in
the domestic life Of both so IA az 1t re ates to the
connection between man and woman Is about the
same. There is sentiment inherent IN humanity
which defes all the theories OF morasts and which
cannot he controlled by any human law and acts az
the great protection to the majority OF women against
The superior physcals strength ofthe majority Of men,
We allude to the affections Comparatively few
men tire OF their wives after o lew years OF mar
ried iife There IL certain inaescroabe element IN
the human composition which binds u man to his
wife by tenderest of ties long after the freshness
OF her youth aud beauty has faded INTO age with IT'S
ment oftener In the PEASANTS cot than IN the rich
mans mansion.
must not be overlooked IL the suDJecton vi Wuuun
to man Is great that her participation govern
ment with HIM Is necessity, for her protec-
ton, then must her eniranchsemeat lead 10 disorder
aud unhappluess III the domestic circle. IL Is I'm.
together while they radically diner in tnelr IDEAS
either on social or on political aars. II it be urged
that the right OF woman 10 vote does not necessarily
imply difference or ideas, then OF what use IL the
vote TO herr IL she ~ IN aii respects to agree with
her husband his exercise Of political power alone Is
amply sufficient for b0th, because there Is, then, 4
duality Of sentiment centred IN him OF which she
shares part, His actions are hers. In following
the dctates Of ha VIII ne but follows tue dictates of
hers. We therefore reach the unavoidable conciu-
sion that woman suffrage Is either dangerous TO
society or It Is wholly unnecessary. Oh course We
admit that If Mr. Ms theories Of society could o.
tain throughout the world opposition TO his views
here expressed would be wrong: but as we cannot
perceive the fahtest prospect OF the early realization
OF his theories IL ~ useless referring to them
In nearly all that Mir. Mil SAYS regarding the
mental capacity OF woman we heartily agree Her
iniefiorty 10 man 10 stature IL 10 reason why her
mental faculties should not be az powerful those
OF the other But her capacity FOR making great
discoveries Tor enrchng the literature vi the world
and for rising far above the majority OF her fellow
beings, does not imply capacity for governing man
kind. The ract TINT there nave been women VINO
proved themselves great rulers does not 10y any
pieany destroy tho force Of this argument Indeed