The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1870-09-03
Misrfllanp.
~ ouasu.. Rights in Ancient Greece.

There seems really to be nothing new under
the sun and rs the modern advocates of women .
rights are often met with the accusation that
their doctrines are mere pestiferous novelties be-
fore unheard of, they may not be displeased at
our calling attention to the fact that they are of
a venerable antiquity-we mean the doctrines,
of course, not their advocates 1t is not designed
TO rest this assertion the existence of the Am.
azons; it would be disrespectful to compare our
women's rights politicianesses TO those warlike
damsels, who wore breeches without having has
bands, and were very fond of drawing bows !;
besides sceptical modern critics have reduced
them TO mere myths. Nor need reference be
daughter Alfalfa, Cleopatra, or any of the
many other famous ladies of ancient days whose
talents in controlling getting rid of their hus.
bands or other male relatives, enabled them to
dabble in politics and found or rule great states
for their right to govern smells rather too strong.
ly of that exceptional domestic usurpation,
called in politely disguised English vernacular
wearing the masculine inexpressibles. An ex-
ample more in point can be discerned in the
glimpses We have of the most brilliant period of
the history of the most intellectual people of an.
tiquity, the age of Percles, who governed Athens
for forty years, and is especially entitled to the
reverence OF modern reformers, as he took d.
vorce for his first wife, got divorced from her
and married foreign lady of free-love princi-
pies and practice, whose acquittal he had pro-
cured before the Anthenian police court, and
who is still famous under the name of the in.
comparable Aspasia.
The authentic materials for now compiling
ancient history are so meagre that much has to
be guessed at, or inferred from chance illusions
in writings on other subjects, or even from such
seemingly unhistorical productions as stage
plays. The grave annalists make no mention of
womens rights movements in ancient Greece;
but it is remarkable that Of the eleven plays of
the prince Of ancient comic poets which have
been preserved ont of nearly seventy that he
wrote, two relate to wo,ners rightsin the modern
sense of that much abused term. If is admitted
that the comedies Of the old Anthenian stage
were usually if not invariably founded on occur
rences, and designed to satarize passing events
and living persons. AS the moderns gather ma
terias for Anthenian history from the verses of
the daring poet who ventured on exhibiting So.
crates on the stage as dreamer suspended in a
basket in the clouds, Socrates himself being q
spectator of the comedy, we may readily inter
some event or movement in Anthenan politics
to have been the foundation of the two plays we
have alluded to. In one the women of Greece
in the long war between Athens and Sparta be.
come rebellious because the young men being all
for years in the camps, the girls have grown to
be old maids, and fear that if the men should
ever come back they would marry, not the girls
they left behind them. but the chits who mean.
while had got into their teens. The womens
congress accordingly resolved to put an imme.
diate stop to the war, by refusing to send the
combatants any supplies from home. But the
other play is more to the purpose, as in it the
great poet describes an actual taking possession
Of the government of Athens by the women, and
gives us their political platform.
That famous republic was governed in a fashion
which considerably facilitated the success of the
wOneE's rights movement. 1t had no cumbrous
machinery OF legislature. congress convention,
but everything from peace and war down to the
election OF a market master was decided IN gene.
raj town meeting by whomsoever happened to
be present OF the adult male citizens In short.
the sovereign assembly was not altogether unlike
q modern ward meeting for the selection of del.
egates to nominating convention, and the
Athenian women's rights association resolved in
preliminary caucus to avail themselves of that
feature OF the constitution, anticipate the usual
hour OF meeting, "COlOnize" into it as voters and
seize the government before the men would think
it time to go to the assembly. Here we see that
some supposed novelties OF modern ward polti-
clans are also nothing new under the sun"
From supersttious regard to existing | lws
and forms, which is also initiated by moderns in
packing and controlling ward meeting, the
Atbenian ladies caucus considered 1t constitu.
tionally indispensable to appear and talk as men
In their general assembly. One difficulty they
had which will not, We trust, impede the on.
ward progress of the modern championesses of
reform 1t is impossible to talk in pure Attic
without plentifully interlarding the onversation
with choice specimens of hard swearing, and the
tyranny Of man in those days was such that the
ladies' not having a selection of oaths for their
own gentle tongues, were not allowed to use Ger.
tain Others reserved exclusively for the adoru.
ment of masculine eloquence. The caucus, how.
ever, got over this difficulty most adroitly. A
preliminary examination was had, like that of
Mr. Finkelburg's cadetship, and the speakeresses
to figure in the general assembly were selected
from among those ladies only who could avoid
all mincing, feminine swearing, and showed
ready command of what Shakespeare calls
'mouth.hlling oaths" such as were most in
vogue with the stump speech makers of classic
Athens.
The remaining difficulties of dress and appear.
ance, were NJ successfully overcome. The gene.
raj assembly of the Athenian republic kept early
hours meeting at dawn; so under the lns,ruc.
S>on OF Their leaderess the eloquent, elegant and
accomplished Mrs. Praxagora Blepyrus, the
,henian danes provided themselves with false
boards, arose nOl-eessly before dawn. and
dcnned,-we duly blush to mention ,.-their
husbands breeches, coat, and shoes, while the
legitimate owners of those certificates of Aths.
man registered suffrage were guielessly induly.
Ing IN their morning maps. Arrayed in all this
masculine glory, tho ladies' glidcd to their place
OF meeting, organized the assembly, passed de.
cree to transfer the rcins of government TO their
own sex, elected Mrs Virginia Woodhull-we
peg pardon, we mean Mrs. Praxagora Blepyru.
10 the presidency, anc at once proceeded to de-.
clare their platform and enact laws to carry it
out. The male citizens gradually awakinv.
lpt 20