The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-05-10
sPxRTT OF THE PRESS.
Editorial Opinions Of the Leading Journals
upon Current Topies-Compiled Every
Day for the Evening Telegraph.
DOES THE FEMALE SUFFRAGE MOVE
MENT MAKE ANY PROGRESS

DOES THE FEMALE SUFFRAGE MOVE
MENT MAKE ANY PROGRESS?
From che A. Y. Times.
Any one who feels particularly interested
in the progress of the female suffrage move
ment must have read with concern the news
in our columns to the effect that
the Constitutional Convention of Illinois
had resolved not to submit to the people the
question whether women shall or shall not
vote The convention at first decided to let
the vote be taken. But after thinking the
matter over again it changed its mind. Thus
no comfort is to be looked for in the direc
tidn of Illinois at present
This is but a single example of what is
going on everywhere 1t is impossible to shut
our eyes to the fact that the female suffrage
agitation makes no visible progress. 1t may,
OF course, be extending in some private and
invisible manner There cannot be any kind
of doubt that within the last few years many
ladies of the highest intelligence and cultiva-
tion have taken deep interest in the attempt
to place both sexes on q political equality.
These new adherents are very often to be
found among the young-a circumstance
which would alone suffice to convice careful
political observers that the movement
has more vitality in it than its oppo-
nents are always willing to believe. But
Notwithstanding these symptoms, it is pal
pable enough that the proposed ''reform"
makes no substantial progress People gene
rally, women as well as men, do not take
kindly to it. They either care nothing what
ever about it, or are disposed upon the whole
to let matters take their course, convinced
that nothing practical will be decided for
many years to come. AS for lady lecturers on
the question they do neither good nor harm
Lectures of any kind seldom decide impor-
tant issues; and thus far no woman has ap-
peared as the representative of her sex pos
sessing tithe of the ability or influence, as
public speaker, which rendered Mr.. Wen
dell Phillips potent advocate in this coun-
try, or enabled Mr.. Bright to triumph against
inconceivable difficulties in England.
A great outcry was made about Mr.. John
Stuart Mills book on the "Subjection of
Women, and it has been reprinted and sold
here in large numbers The ladies who
demand the suffrage consider that this trea-
tise settles the question. Now, in the first
place, it does not apply to the state of society
existing here, and IN the next it is stuffed
full of fallaoies quite unworthy man of Mr..
Mills genius and fame When he talks of
marriage only giving woman a master, ''and
a master, too, of all her earthly possessions"
he describes a state of the law of which we
have no knowledge among ourselves When,
too, he argues, as he does throughout the
volume, that marriage is always an advan-
tage to the man and disadvantage to the
woman, he simply talks as if he had
never seen more of the world than
the glimpses of it that can be OBJ
tanned from the windows of his study.
In very many cases man is obliged to
make great sacrifices when he marries. If
he have a conscience, he saddles himself with
many responsibilities, and a load of anxiety
which he can never afterwards shake off. 1t
is all nonsense to say that man invariably
gets the best of the marriage contract.
Again, Mr.. Mill continually asserts that the
inferiority of women is relic of their treat
ment in barbarous times, man having always
regarded woman as subordinate to himself.
But he has not the candor to tell us aohy
women were subordinate. 1t is because in
''barbarous times, and indeed in times not
very remote from our own, war was the main
business of life, and in such a business as
that men naturally took the lead and held it.
Women could only stay at home. They were
not able to compete with men-''more shame
for the men" says Mr.. Mill. No one else
can see it. Men did not try to keep women
from going out to fight. Nature settled the
question for them. Now that the world has
advanced phase or two, women have clear
field before them. But even Mr.. Mill admits
that thus far they have not accomplished
much. He merely says that employments
which are open to 'the stupidest and basest
of the other sex" are shut out from women.
This is a mere quibble, although it is Mr..
Mill who makes it. Such employments are
indeed ''open' to the stupid and base, but as
a rule the stupid and base can make no way
in them. They cannot win lucrative occups-
ton, or any sort of distinction. The compe-
tition is one in which the stupid and base are
inevitably sifted out
Almost every page of MIR. Mills book is
equally wide of the mark, and consequently
we need not be surprised that it has produced
SO little effect on public opinion here. In
fact, most intelligent people have made up
their minds on the whole subject. All pro-
fessions ought to be as open to women as to
men; how many women would achieve sue
cess is none of our business. When it is
quite certain that the majority of women
wish to vote, no one will have the power to
resist their demand for the suffrage. So
very wide an extension of the franchise would
by no means be an unmixed good, and women
themselves would be the first to discover the
fact At present it is perfectly clear that
only limited number of the female sex care
one pin about the right to vote, and under
these circumstances it is folly to talk Of
making fundamental change in the laws re-
lating to the franchise.
POLITICAL REFORM.
Erola the ~ Y. Standard