Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1870-02-11
THE DOOR U.vL.gTCHED.
BY T. W. HIGGINsoN.

Charles Levers Irishman, after paying a
good deal to the priests to get his brother
out of purgatory, at last requested the holy
fathers to report progress. They reported
encouragingly the brother had reached
the very door Of purgatory, and had the
door unlatched. Upon which the purchas-
or of prayers put the rest of the money in
his pocket, remarking, that if Tim is the
boy he used to be ho would do the rest
himself.
The "Tim" in this case is a sister, not a
brother, and the door is plainly unlatch-
ing. From East to West those first steps
are being conceded, which make all the
rest seem a matter of course. Everywhere
some shrewd lawyer points ont that the
least innovation opens the way for a
change in the whole position of woman
and then proceeds, by way of concession,
TO suggest some innovation himself. Did
not the Hon. Chas. C. Dewey, of Vermont,
implore the Council of Censors not to sub
init to the people proposition for Woman
Suffrage? Did he not declare that TO do
this would be to "invite the army of har-
pies, representing all the forms OF infidei-
ty which afllict the age free love, Woman
Suffrage, and the kindred fruits which
hang from common stem, to come into
this little State of Vermont, and make it
for the next two years, the battle ground of
these pestiferous iSmS?" Did he not fur
thermore exclaim, "Sir, have five little
girls, growing into womanhood; may my
tongue cleave TO the roof of my mouth,
and my right arm wither before | will
consent to expose them to be devoured by
these ravenous wolves - Thus Mr.. Dew
ey; but also, on the very next page of the
speech he volunteers the admission that
"woman should have controlling voice
in the management of the schools and sem
inaries of learning, in the management of
the hospitals and institutions of public
charity" OF course, the natural result
flows from such generous inconsistency ;
the Council of Censors voted to unlatch the
door and that eminently ravenous wolf
Lucy Stone, is already devouring all the
little Red Riding Hoods of the Green
Mountains.
Whether Woman Suffrage is carried oi
defeated in Vermont by the popular vote i.
secondary matter. To secure a popular
vote is in itself victory. 1t carries tn,
discussion into every school district, anC
the discussion is what is needed. When
reform once gets far as to have popular
vote taken upon ii, the ultimate result Il
| hardly doubtful. Resolutions rarely gC
backward. If you do not give women the
ballot this time, dear Vermonters, you viii
merely have the trouble of voting on tn,
subject again. They will never let you n
lone. Every woman among them is the
blood-relation of that scriptural woman
who overcame the unjust judge "by he
continual coming"
Never was there such live, resoluto
inextinguishable reform as this. Every
thing helps it. Mr.. Fulton's speeches he'll
it. Bayard Taylor's and Timothy Tit
combs novels, written expressly to de
molish it, helped it. "The Spirit of Sew
enty-six," the only witty thing written a
ganst it, helped it very much, intoducin
it into the "very best society" The bes
Judge Wigfall" who has yet appeared up
on the boards has since signed a petition
for Woman Suffrage, and the best "Victo
rine" has now made up her mind that sh
wishes to vote. The agitation has take
hold of the public mind and cannot b
shaken off. 1t has got into the atmosphere
1t is as inevitable as east winds in Boston
or fever-and-ague in Mississippi. In lit
tie Western town this winter, where lect
urer was detained over Sunday and wa
asked to speak again, he proposed to tax
Woman Suffrage for his theme. No objeC
ton was made, beyond the suggestion thi
every lecturer for two winters had mel
toned the subject, and it might be well I
have something new. In reform so il
digenous, that springs up everywhere
makes no difference if you guilotine a do;
en- leaders, the agitation is only redoubleC
Discuss the question anywhere, and IL
results may appear in the remotest regio1
The door is unlatched in Wyoming terr
tory, and seven hundred enfranchsed W.
men make the exclusion of the rest an al
surdity; the names of women appear on
= a single page of the Harvard cataogu,
how long can the other pages excluC
them? "Multitudes of IIarpies" on
: Dewey AGAIN. 'are roaming through OF
country, intent ON leading after them Il
l entire sex in chase for the ballot. B
Mr.. Dewey must remember that the on
4, person who was seriously injured by Il
l original harpes was blind man.