The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-11-24
THE WOMANS MOVEMENT.
Humorous History Of the Social ReyOlu-
tion-Present Strength of the Move
ment-Suffrage, S0rosis and the
Parliament-Secession On tie
Carpet-A New Phase Of
the Woman Question.

IAo VVnh"n GuSSeAVHs
The decade between 1910 and 1850 constituted
ten years prolific OF events and movements in the
way OF social revolution. Palmy years for philo-
sophical spectators they WERE and dealers In gilt
tering generaiitles as to human rights found ready
sale for their whole stock of nostrums on hand.
Boston blossomed all over the Continent IN humani-
tartan ovements-Boston being the hub upon
which the wheel Of progress was supposed tat least
by BostOnians) to turn. At that time literary
centre-instead Of being what 1t Is now, provincial
town IN literary matters-Boston boosted that Bos-
ton thoughts ruled the western Continent. Phila-
dephia, although literary centre, was less nnuen-
ta,, ana New York-busy with making fortunes,
engrossed with commercial speculations-had little
leisure for speculatons philosophical. Social expert
ments were founded and have taken their places in
the history Of sociology only as monuments Of the
folly and crudeness Of their founders. Fourierism
was reduced by small squads of enthus-
asts to practice, and advocated with heated
enthusiasm by literary organs, became matter Of
Journalism in which journalists waged bitter tits
Commercial New York, however, went on in It's old
commercial way, and, as the commercial classes are
generally conservative, laughed little, scolded
little and took no notice whatsoever OF very great
deal. Boston literature and humanitariansm at last
ended In radicasm concentrated upon the one hobby
OF universal suffrage without distinction Of color.
Philadelphia though, wss fortunate Tor unfortunately
enough, having sDrinkling Of female strong mind
edness about 1t to develop the idea Of female SUI
irage. New York stood by, laughed at both farces
and said, at Will all amount to nothing; let the
poor creatures declaim; they have nothing else to
attend to-"
1t came to pass, therefore, that, while New York
attending huc
certain met together aud took counsel one OF
another saying, "Men are tyrants and women are
their slaves; and benoid II other slaves are TO be
emancipated, as decreeth Boston, then women
shall be emanclpated also." Whereupon, certain
Mrs. Lucretia Mott, and one Mrs. Lucy Stone, and
one Mrs. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and one Miss Susan
b. Anthony constituted themselves as knights Grant,
and went through the cities and villages of the
country, advocating the emancipation Of women,
which emancipation was mostly rejected by them
the ground that they preferred to be emanci-
pated. Now, Mrs. Mott and Mrs. Stone went forth
In the role Of apostles of the Iaith, and Mrs.
Stanton, armed with thunderbolts was its Mars and
Miss Anthony its Napoleon. These having met to-
getner resolved among themselves that they would
be free or die in the attempts resolved that suffrage
was the only safeguard OF freedom; that therefore,
women must vote at the polls, and perform all other
than a negroS -and surely Boston decreeth that
negroes are humankind. Why then, are not wo-
mens But one Miss Bloomer was not Herewith
satisfied and said to the other apostles OF the move
ment, "Beh0d, there Is no reason why men should
have monopoly Of pantaloons; therefore, let II be
sOever apparel seemeth good and proper pantaloons
not excepted; and let the apostles OF the new faith
ties dssented from the practice, while asserting
to the theory; whereupon Miss Boomer waxed i'm
patient and SAID II viii walk forth alone in blfur
Gated garments" land make sensatlon).
1t came to pass too, that Miss Boomer did as she
had said; ana che men wnked and suggested the Lu-
natic Asylum, and the women glggled and were
amused, and Miss Boomer was disguised ana de-
clared that the age was barDarous age and not
yet prepared for the great reform in dress OF which
she was the selIconsltuted captain general. AS TO
the sensation, however That part OF the programme
was q success, and Miss Bloomer became the
remains to be developed handing down her name
to remote generations as the original Jacobs Of
Dfurcatlon III ladies' apparel.
Alas! the misfortune OF coming into the world
before ones time-thaC Is, of being enl1gnteIed a
century ahead OF the civilization OF one's era! 1t Is
as unfortunate 10 be too early as Is TO be too late
and even the foremost apostles OF the emanciE atlon
Of woman were not prepared Tor emancipation to
the extent advocated by Miss Bloomer. To oe
emancIpated from slavery was cOnsonant with the
spirit OF the age particularly interpreted by Bos-
ton; to be emancipated from sklrs and put OH the
glorious freedom Of pantaoOns, though conceded as
part of the bill OF rights theoretically, was ut least
acentury in advance, and Miss Boomers reports and
CuUOIhIc pupclb upon tuc pTOprlely tnere0l were
remorselessly pigeon hoed greatly TO the detrment
OF That enthusiastic parys literary reputation
though, perhaps, with advantage to her reputation
Tor sanity Protest she did, as matter Of course But
to protest under the circumstances useless
It VIII be for Miss Boomer protest against that
last sad pigeon-holing to which all humanity must
submit, and In which her epltaph WIN % wrliten:-
miss B., act. -, who either mistook her planet
or should not have appeared before the year
3O0O at which tlme even, II Is doubtful whether the
world would have appreciated" To be overbur-
dened with originality Is worse than to have no
originality whatsoever-Rreat superiority Of intel
lect involves corresponding liability to be mist
understood and IL is most likely Miss Boomer will
have to walt for her obituary prepared IN advance
and distributed in printed slips for that Iustice
which humanity owes 70 her the most original OF
the great reformers but Is bound never to pay The
subject Is one like Barkis at the sick-bed to move
to laughter aud to tears AT the same simultaneous
instant.
10 be sure 1t was agreed by the four apostles afore
said that the costume In question was u logical de-
duction from the premises admitted on ali hands,
the objection being that the large was not pre-
justly TAKEN and settled the question In the negative
on the score OF expediency. All, that fatal expe-
dlency what brilliant projects from tue brains Of
rugged originals has II not thwartedi
SO the four apostles OF emancipation went forth
but not In logical costume. on the ground that to
appear in logical costume was not eXpedlent; went
forth lectnrng and to lecture, and WINE New YORK
was attending'to It's own business aud saying, .Oh
the matter VIII amount to nothingn they Deeauu.
cred 1t and comprised 1t about and bombarded lt
with batteries OF lsms and adjectlves, and at last
took II by storm alter twenty years siege.
DcVcu ycdIS lucy dRitdtCu-lOT 10 dRLdt6 l6 tng
great mission OF many men and some women, and
little matters 1t what the agitation may be about
and were prosecuted from city to city like very
SaracenS OF reform as they were. Seven years they
went forth agitating and 10 agitate; and great
many women joined themselves to the agitators-
for there were women whom the world mad never
appreciated and who supposed tnat they were only
to be appreciated through agtation-and the
disciples OF the movement became many In
the land, and far more noisy than they
were may. seven years they went from city to city
and taught the new theory Of women as q governing
class, until at last they said among themselves set
the women OF the new dispensation call q conyen-
ti0n aud let them draft bill Of rights, that the
world may know what they meau.'i For, be Il
known, altnougn the apostles OF agitation knew
what theY meant themselves well enough, through
tain defects In the structure OF language they had
never been able TO make themselves Ineligible to
other people. In fact they had an ODD sort OF un.
grammatical dialect OF their own, which, from GER
laln resemblance thereto, has been classed by pho.
loglsts as English though OF exceedingly mutiIated
structure. They were wild la their speculations, but
wilder In their way OF expressing them a little wild
l