Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1870-05-04
5son who wrote "a Woman 81 pif

which we copied nearly entire, and
yhmentcd upon in the FREEMAN of March
Goth. The last communication is nominally
in reply to our article, although it, in fact,
deals with the reasons and statements of
other people, quite as much as with ours !;
and it copies scarcely a paragraph of the
article to which it processes to reply. and
leaves, we think, its readers sometimes to
credit quotations to us, that should be credi-
ted to other sources. We do not mention
this, however, to complain Of it, but only as
fact
Lest we should be accused of Intentional
discourtesy in not calling attention to this
communication, we shall briefly consider it..
The writer says:
And first, it would help to a better understanding
OF our RI dn M
to begin with Is the great fact of sex to be con-
other words. : woman Ponfy undeVelored man ,
having distinct nature and character as a wo-
man ? For this question must be clearly answered
in the Affirmative before it be taken as self
evident truth that what is good for man cannot be
bad for woman"
How far the distinction of sex reaches, we
shall not attempt to say. Whether it be
limited to our physical nature alone We
don't pretend to know, and, with all due re-
spect for the writer in the WGfchmdn, we
doubt if she knows. Christ has taught us
that it will not be carried into the next
world, and we might possibly be at liberty
to infer from that, that it was limited to our
lower and baser nature. We are quite
sure, however, that there is nothing in this
"great fact in conflict with the theory on
which Republican government is based
that governments can only rightfully exist
by the consent of the governed. Woman is
subject of the government,-she is one of
the governed, and her consent is as necessa-
~ to that government, as the consent of any
man. The Waterman has agreed with US,
that this doctrine included negroes and
laration and say - Governments rightfully
exist only by the consent of the governed
provided women may be governed without
their consent?''
Will the writer in the WGrchndn mention
wherein this &c great fact of sex . makes
what is good for man, bad for woman Ii
rests with those who assert that there is q
difference in the mental, moral or religious
nature of the sexes to show in what thai
difference consists, and wherein what isgood
for one sex is bad for the other. We wait
for an instance as an illustration.
We will give " further light on the mean,
ing of the word Identical, when the writer
in the W'atchman answers the question we
asked in our former article, viz :" AS a rule
- has not a man or a woman the right to
judge what is for his or her best in terest
without trusting the decision of that
" question to the self-interest of any Other
person
AS to the subjective knowledge of theii
own needs which the writer in the
Watchman says women have, we have only
this to say The writer can speak only fol
herself and for those who authorize her t.
speak for them. She may have '' subJec
tive knowledge of her own needs but sh,
has no authority to speak for the womer
who do want the ballot; nor has she an
right to say that because she does n need it
= therefore, no woman needs or shall have it
- We confess to an inability to see the force
either an illustration or an argument, o
the consideration of the subject of T" fire
= arms in the communication in the Watch
man.
We trust we shall be pardoned for misap
pretending the position of the former article
in the Watchman as to woman's proper work
" the early education of children" although
Re think this Misrepresentation was quite a,
>nch due to the article itself as to am