The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-07-31


the woman's suffrage movement. They had
convention in Newburyport on Wednesday,
lasting through the day and evening, and
full attendance all the time. A letter was re-
ceived from the chief trancendentalist Of the
old Bay State, in which he says that he has
too much work before him to take hand in
behalf of woman's suffrage, though he thinks
the claim founded In equity, and that although
we cannot tell "what precise form in practice
it will aud ought to take, yet the seriousness
and thoughtfuness with which it is urged seem
to me TO mark an important step in civiliza-
ton" The agitation Of the idea Is enough
for Emerson. It's development into practice is
with him secondary matter, and so he is In
no hurry to end the debate.
In the veteran campaigner for negroes
rights, however, the women Of this convention
found man competent to expound their rights
and to give his reasons for the faith that is in
him. He offered series of resolutions to this
end, in which 1t is affirmed that the natural and
inherent rights of one human being are those
of every other, male or female that those who
q
sexual aristocracy, irrational and unjust; that
in such sexual pretensions there is meanness
and usurpation that woman as well as man
has the right to the highest physical and
mental development; that the pretence that in
granting equal rights TO woman she will
become less amiable and refined and regard
less Of her duties as wife and mother,
and oil that, Is perfectly absurd; that
the exclusion OF woman from her
natural rights has been calamitous to
the whole human race; that so long as the
most ignorant and degraded men are freely adj
mitted to the ballot box It is preposterous to
pretend that women are not as well qualified
to vote; that II is the coolest assumption for
the sphere of woman; that the common law,
Ia giving TO the husband the custody Of the
wife's person, virtually places her on level
with criminals, lunatics and idiots; that our
present democracy is an absurdity, since 1t de-
prives woman even of the political power al
lowed her in Europe, &C., &C.; all of which
resolutions were enthusiastically adopted, after
q pungent speech by the veteran Garrison, and
some other speeches and letters.
Among the letters was one from Professor
Crosby, ''gong the whole critter" for woman's
rights, suffrage, political Offices and all. He
would have for the town government select
women as well as selectmen, and men and
women on school boards, and so on up to the
State Legislature. Here he would have two
representative bodies, meeting in different
rooms Of the State House--one Of mon, chosen
by men, the other of women, chosen by
women--and he would have the concurrence
OF both bodies, as now, necessary to the pas
sage of any act. This would secure the just
equality of the sexes. II occurs to lis, how
ever, that TO carry out this idea of sexual
equality we must have two Presidents--a man
President, elected by the men, and a woman
President, elected by the women--and that
the consent Of both must be required for the
approval of any law passed by the concurrence
Of the mems branch aud The women's branch OF
Congress.
These are startling propositions; but they
are the logical developments from the main
idea of woman's right to an equal voice in
our political affairs aud to al equal share In
the spoils of Office, not indirectly, but directly,
as representing one-half the population and
on the other claim advanced in behalf of
women by Mrs Howe-the claim of woman as
The mother of the whole human family. But
for all this the propositions Of Professor
Crosby are so very novel and alarm
ing that we fear he will never live to see the
day dawn of ''the good time coming" in his
anticipated mill ennium.