Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1870-02-09
Woman Suffrage Convention.
FORENOON.


movement. Having n good husband and an af
fcctionate son she disclaimcd all such prejudice
Il was when she became mother that she first
began TO feel intensely on this subject. She knew
that she had tho right 10 share in the government
which controlled her son. II is said that suffrage
will destroy the domestic virtue of women. But
political rights do not necessarily destroy the
domestic virtue Of the men. Wyoming is the
first territory to vote to woman the privilege Of
exercising her rights; let Vermont DO the first
State TO do the same.
Mrs. Campbell was followed by Mr. Iverson,
Of Proctorsville, colored lawyer, and apparently
well educated.
womens capacity as public speakers had been
demonstrated to-day. Thiswomans rights move
ment was not atheistic and inidel, but one of the
fundamental facts Of Christianity is the recogni-
ton Of the equality of all humanity in the church.
The speaker then proceeded 10 trace the historical
progress of the woman's cause.
The last speech Of the forenoon was by Mrs.
DR.. Hathaway, Of Boston She said that the I'M
represented class was always dangerous class
and the dangerous class in America was tho wo-
men. For rs the physiological defects of women
sense Of her wrongs and disabilities are stamped
upon her child In this way society is filled
with restless, DISCONTINUED women. The temper
ance question would be affected by woman s suf-
frage. Now, Temperance men may enact good
laws, but the tipplcrs say, you gentlemen may
amuse yourselves; it does us no harm, for we can
elect officers whose duty it is to execute the laws
but who dare not do it." Women will legislate
the license law out of the country.
AFTERNOON.
In the afternoon Mrs. Julia Ward Howe Of
Boston, read On essay before the Convention, an
abstract of which we give
We need not tell those present why women
should be enfranchised. They know the partial
laws, the unequal judgments, the infcriority Of
education, the inequality in the distribution OF
labor, and the greater inequality in the distribu-
tion.of wages. They know that one-half of the
human race has been negatvcd by the other half
They know why we wish to right these wrongs,
to reform this Anticipated scale OF Judgment and
administration. Nor do we plead for woman
alone, but for that manhood which cheats and de-
frauds itself in keeping down the standard oil wo-
manhood. Our desire would place woman on the
footing OF noble and conceded equality with
man, and open to her at once the avenues oil
thought and action, Of art, OF culture, OF educa-
tional and political efficiency. The man and the
woman would still constitute the integer Of soc-
ETY., but the man would no longer be considered
two-thirds OF that integer, but the man as half
and the woman as hall, Will conspire TO teach and
70 govern man sees with two eyes and works
with TWO hands 10 we think oil binding one
eye, or tying up one hand IN order to attain the
unity Oh human execution by no means
Each Will WORK or Doth must TAIL Docs the
minister on sunday preach to the husband, beg
gang him TO energlze and moralize, and save the
other members oil his family Does he say " dear
brother receive this truth, and save your wives
and daughters by your reception OF III" Per
haps he would do this, only that the wives and
daughters are usually at church, and the hus-
bands and fathers rarely. No, he says Z" to every
human soul the message is sent" The Church is
unit, made up Of soul units The State is the
same. We tax and govern them as units. Would
it not be strange if the family were not made up
Of these same units? But the wills of only half
are counted in the great human contest which
gives his sanction to law and to doctrine, to
Church, and to State. The other half we have
educated to waste themselves on Indifferent
things; and do you get rid o. these troublesome
wills in this way? No, they break out and disor.
ganize everywhere, Well, then, don't suppress
them any longer. Let them be trained as your
wills arc trained. We know that you arc never
unreasonable
In my youth, she said, had a trnnscendental
friend who would frequently excaim. " Oh. half
ness halfness halfness I" I did not then I'M.
derstand what the phrase meant. though knew
from his tone that il must have meant something
dreadful But think that now understand il.
Halfness must be that state of society in which
one-half Of humanity systematically lives without
the other half So long as that other half remains
the remedy is clearly evident Counge, friends
we are on the way TO Wilderness, and the waiting
to be made whole is to be healed. We women
will certainly plead guilty 10 having been thus far
ciphers in the arithmetic of the active world
but we have been such ciphers as Standing at the
right hand of the unit, make the difference be-
tween one and ten. We are willing TO figure large
in the sums of the worlds activities but we vould
remind those who have the slate in hand that the
cipher on the right ALWAYS stands for more than
the number on the left.
As was coming here to-day, gentleman sad
in my hearing, | don't know why it is, bat the
women don't seem to me to step as they usually
do" Now can tell my unknown friend that
the women don step axactly as they used to, and
can tell him the reason thew don't think or
feel quite as they used to. They are outgrowng
their dancing masters and changing from pup
pets to reasonable beings. / notice q change Of
front throughout the ranks of womanhood. The
young women rejoice that the new call finds them
in strength and vigor, and with children young
enough TO be wholly changed in accordance with
their new future. Under the old dispcnsation
the best thing to hope for our daughters wus that