The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-08-19
THE WOMEN OF THE SOUTH

Mrs. Victoria c. W0Odhun Gets Ra'
ther Uns.ttsfactory Reply TO Her
appeal"
Fsomsne xew Orleans rsesyune.]
N 0nkHD Gus Miss. Jnly IA.
Ms. ySctorH g H0odknR ~ Broad
atect NsS Nork csy: S. .
4xDAx-Youf appeal q 70 the wo-
men Of the South, ]" perhaps, were bet
ter tossed aside with smile than an
swered; but for two prominent rea-
sons l will reply on behalf of my cOun-
trywomen. Let me remark, en- pas
SAINT, that / mean "the women of the
South," when / say "my country
women" TIEo
The first reason is that you of the
North wholly misunderstood us. Edu-
Gated as you have been in the hOtbeds
of free-love societies, Sorosis clubs and
women suffrage advocates, you have
apparently lost sight of what true wo-
manly dignity is; you have unsexed
yourselves, and set yourselves up as a
target in all coming time for laugh
ter, sneers and jeers." rr ssI Il
Whenever we read of any woman's
rights meetings, Sorosis clubs, ETC., etc.,
we blush to think these creatures be-
long to the same race and sex with
ourselves, and We only console our
selves with the thought that no such
things occur on our fair, Southern soil.
The next reason for this reply is,
that In the tribute you choose to pay us
for our conduct during the late war
(and which, without vanity, we know
We merit, yet do not need to learn it
from any Northern Woman), your
words sa vor plainly of fiattery and ca
jolery. You exhibit disposition to
wheedle us into action with yourselves.
Are you preparing to run for some
public Office, Mrs. Woodruff, that you
wish our votes in the future Rest quiz
ct, ifso, dear Madam; you VIII assured
ly never get them! We women Of the
South do not wish to vote-would posi-
lively refuse to do SO were the ballot Of
fered us to-day! We will not have the
SdnctuDl sdnctOraGm of our homes in
vaded by politics or political women. A
God-feariDg, womanly woman is al
ways honored, revered and almost wor-
SHIPPED by all great and truly noble
minds. 1t is the ambition of my coun-
trywomen to be such; to exert silent,
patent influence in woman's proper
sphere, not to break down all the laws
and barriers that fence in virtue and
honor for society. ftE.
You ask: "How can our talents be
made available to the country?" If
you will but patiently wait few years,
until the present youths of my country
shall have taken their places on the
broad arena of life, you will find an an
swer to that question.
Our talents" do not remain mac
tive" nor do they I" sink into dorman-
cy." i}i D ~
We wish to have the "record of
well-spent life" when we approach the
shores of eternity; but God forbid that
one moment of it should bear the dis
graceful record of having been spent in
wraugling and quarreling for position
which were never intended, or suitable
for women to occupy, or for "privi-
leges' which, by their very nature,
would soon cancel every feeling OF fe-
male modesty and delicacy, to say
nothing OF decency.
You refer to the fact that our former
servants are Our political masters. We
have faith in our Heavenly Father, Mrs.
Woedhull, and we know i'm His own
good time He will right what is wrong,
and do "all things welP' for us. We
have learned
"How sublime a thing IL is
To suffer and be strong" I
You, women of the North, surely
possess q superabundance of charity
and sympathy to be expended upon ob.
jects at q distance. Let me ask, are
a 4
Before the war it was for the
"poor down-trodden slave of the
South" 1t is neither necessary nor
pertinent to this subject to speak here
of their present condition-their vou-
douism and horrible fetish rites-but
slavery is "among the things that
WERE" Your overfiowing sympathies
must needs find a new channel and
therefore you appeal to the women of
the South to raise war OF words and
feeling in their homes with their &c fell
low-sufferers" by clamoring for the
ballot. My noble eountrywemen have
too much native pride, too much dig
nifty, to stoop to such pusillanimous So
phistries. fi"t
Your influence i'm bringing on the
late great struggle was much greater
than superficial mind might at first.
imagine. The blood of our fathers,
husbands, brothers and children still
cries from the ground against you.
Their vacant chairs and places are ever
around us; and these things have dug
an impossible chasm between your
hearts and ours forever!
Do not accuse the men of the South
of "stupid lack of appreciation of
us no nation of ,meny under the sun
honor, appreciate and reverence their
women more.
Now, in conclusion, let me say, we
are as totally different from the North
ern women as though they were our
antipodes i'm all our aspirations, ambi-,
tions and feelings. We respectfully
ask you to offer us no more advice.
We DO not heed or wish it. We do not
need your sympathy, and beg of you to
find other, perhaps more appreciative,
objects for the exercise of your over
whelming philanthropy. We do not
wish to have anything whatever in
common with you.0 We do whatever
our hands find to do that is womanly
and right, with all our "might, with
all our souls and with all our bodies;"
then we are content, prayerfully, to
leave all the rest to God.
If you please, leave us alone in all
our relations. Respectfully,
A WOMAN OF THE SOUTH.
a rich old uncle who had two neph-
ews left his will as follows: "To my
nephew William i leave my whole for
tune, because know he will bestow it
ON the nOnr- lIQ my laauhaur A lhorf L