Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-02-24
Interesting Meetings.
FORENOON SESSION

session of the Woman Suffrage Convention
convened at the Opera House at ter
o'clock yesterday forenoon, Rev. Addiso,
Brown of the Brattleboro H0ni9, actin,
AS chairman, who remarked at length up
on "woman's sphere" in connection will
the educational interests of the State. W,
are often told that the appropriate spher,
OF woman is to educate the young; tina
her functions are those of wife anc
mother. This he granted, claiming as 6
corelative that the functions of man were
those of husband and father, and, let me
add, it is the imperative duty of the father
and mother, from which they should nevo,
shirk. How do the laws of Vermont
stand in reference to the subiectp They
were acts passed by the General Assem-.
bly, in which woman have no place
The Board of Education was COM
posed of men, three of them prominent
teachors in the State, and while woman
was expected to educate children, she had
no seat on the Board, and nothing to say
as to the books her children should study
fit was her appropriate sphere to educate
the young, why, in the name of justice, dc
we not let her have an opportunity to dc
80. Four-ffths of the teachers of the State
are women, therefore full share should
be accorded woman in education. That
is plausible, but the contrary is the
fact, for as teachers they are exam
inTd by men, hired by men and
their wages determined NY men, use books
selected by men, and If they do not sue.
coed, are dismissed by men so that in re.
atty they are but the instruments OF
men. There were two reasons 80 many
women were employed as teachers: First
they were better teachers, and second
they could be hired cheaper, as we pay
them but one-half or two-thirds the
wages of men, for doing the same
service. He wished the people of Yer.
mont would take the matter in
hand, for the sake of Vermont, sc
that while her numerical influence grew
smaller, as it was constantly doing, her
SONS and daughters, by going out into
other States, would more widely spread
her example. We should grant woman
suffrage for our own sake and that of hui
manity, and in SO doing would benefit the
State and country. He then introduced
to the audience Mrs. Ada @. Bowles OF
Cambridge, Mass, who upon taking the
stand, said she would allude to a few
points presented by certain Reverend
Doctor in opposition to the speakers
Mt the convention in Montpelier not long
since. This reverend doctor said the
women who spoke there came as represent
atives of unhappy homes, and did not re-
present the masses of women. Mrs.
Livermore there most effectually answered
him, and challenged reply. The clergy
mans answer was published after their
leaving the place, and to it she now had a
few words to offer in reply. He claimed
to offer proofs, the first of which was that
Zone of the editors of the IV0Dad7t'S
Journal had asked correspondents,
in its first number, to confne them
olives to subjects pertaining to Woman
Suffrage, and not Free Love or kindred
matters. This she refuted in few brief,
but pointed remarks, showing to the sat-
) isfaction of the audience, judging from
che applause manifested, that DR.. Lord
must have been lame in his oonelusions
that in order to be an advocate of Woman
Suffrage one was necessarily Free Lover.
DIR. Lord found in Lucy Stone secret
lyctred of marriage, because she avowed
) that married woman had less con-
troll Of her children than UNMARRIED wo-
men. This expression of Mrs. Stone, the
speaker held, was owing TO her ideas of the
sacredness of the marriage relation. But
look at the laws! Only New York and
Kansas gave the married mother equal
control of the child with the father She
cited instances of cruelty to mother and
child which had come under her know
ledge, by the taking away from the mother,
in the case of the death OF the father,
Of the child, and the court placing
it under the guardianship of parties
aotuated only by mercenary motives, and
when the mother, for the benefit of the
child and comfort of herself, sought re-
dress, the Judges of the Supreme Judiciary
Court of Massachusetts had decided in
favor Of the wanton guardian, awarding
him the custody of the child, against the
heart-longings of the mother. The law
in Vermont was precisely the same as ii
Massachusetts, on this subject, and mothers
of Vermont could obtain no further re
dress in their widowhood for this injus
tice. In the case of tho unmarried woman
there was no disputing her ownership o
her child. She was not bound to III
father by marriage he did not own her
consequently could not own the child
She claimed the law debased marriage
and women had right to rebel agains
the law Then, again, no woman wal
entitled to her own earnings. She knew
there were many women who said they
had all the rights they wanted. These
should remember that others had not
She went on to show the workings VI thes
laws in other States. AMI why thry hat
been so justly repealed. She differed
from Mr.. Garrison's statement last night
and said she would quarrel with ou
State institutions, and would work
if she had strength, till the ohildrel
of the land belonged to- their mothers a
much az their fathers She RENTED DR.
Lords characterization uf trrnlagant 4
Clara Barton as uuohristiau. In regar'
To these unhappy homes which he sai'
the women represent, she spoke OF tn
beauty OF their homes, and said if sh
wanted to show scientific housekeepin,
she would take the dissenters to New
Hampshire and show them ons o
the most blessed homes in the eouu
try, presided over by strong mind
I'D woman There are no NOR