The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1870-07-07
WHOLE NO. 1909.

measure of their duties, cares and re-
sponsibilities," prevents all that sort Of
thing. AS to the burdens "unsuited to
their physical condition." we have al
ready shown that is nonsense. It is not
true.
"6. Because history teaches us that
whenever attempts have been made to
change the legitimate order and impose
upon Us conditions unsuited to our phys.
ical organization and womanly nature,
such changes have been found to de-
grade fitness the extreme disso-
luteness Of the Spartan women after an
extension of civil rights had been grant
ed them"
This is merely repetition Of the I'd
and 5th with addition Of either wilfully
perverting history, or being astonish-
ingly ignorant of it. In the first place,
Sparta was always a kingdom, beginning
properly (776 B. c. 1900 citizens, and
ending (22l B. C) with TOO citizens,
the remainder Of population being
slaves, and source of weakness Their
State theory was that "the citizen ex-
listed for the state, and not the state for
the citizen" being exactly the opposite
of our theory ofgovernment, aud there
fore not very "pat" for illustrating our
republican principles. In accordance
with their idea, woman was held to be
not part of the family, though mar
ried, but as a part of the State.
Their education, training and disci.
pline were consequently nearly the same
as for the man, including the gymnss-
tic exercises, running, wrestling, box
ing, &c. Says VIM. Smiths history
of Greece, p. So: "The two sexes were
thus brought into close intercourse in g
manner unknown to the rest of Greece;
but it does NOT appear to have been fol-
lowed by any injurious consequence,
and the morals Of the Spartan women
were probably pursr than those of any
other females in Greece" So also the
larger work Of Grote's Greece, and
Philip Smiths Hist. Of the World.
Another example. Says the Welsh.
Historian Samuel jenkins, Author Of
"Letters on Welsh History" published
in 1852, and accepted as excellent au-
thority on the subject:
"The Welsh Laws were in force till
1874. Until the union with
England all the men as soon as they
had beard, and all the married women
had the right Of suffrage; and while
the women voted they had the best gov.
ernment that was ever on this planet
1t was fundamental principle in Welsh
laws that the end ofall government war
the security of life and person, of pos.
session and dwelling, of natural rights."
So it appears that these prOtesters are
most unfortunate in appealingte to history,
for it is everywhere and always against
them.
~. Because these changes, desired
by some women of masculine minds,
must introduce a frightful element Of
disCord into the existing marriage rela.
ton, and thereby increase the alarming
prevalence of divorce throughout the
land"
If to desire equal rights is the sign of
"masculine mind" the same reason.
ing tells us that the desire of being in 8
state of subsection and submission de.
notes a feminine mind. Again, that
"must" is little too steep. The advo-
Gates of the reform think they have
good reason for Supposing that it will
have the effect of putting an end to a
large portion of the divorce business.
And we claim that equality will place
marriage and divorce more squarely up
on the principles of divine and natural
right. Again, this quiet assumption Of
all the morality by opposers, and their
denying it to the advocates Of equal
rights seems to us considerably self.
righteous.
SO Because no general law affecting
the condition Of all women should be
framed to meet exceptional discomfort.
For these, and many more reasons, do
we beg of your wisdom that no law, eI-
tending suffrage to women, may be
passed, as fraught with danger so grave
against the general order Of the Coun.
try"
The same might have been said Of
every great reform the world has ever
seen. The Declaration of Independ-
ence was framed to meet an exception.
al discomfort" on the part of small
portion of the subjects of England.
The XIV Amendment" of which the
American People are now so proud was
most markedly the result of an "excep-
tional discomfort" of few detestablS
Abolitionists, who, some forty years
ago began to stir up the subject Of equal
rights; and they were met by the same
pious cant of these objections to Female
Suffrage,-"as fraught with danger SO
grave against the general order Of the
country"
ATHENs.-The Census returns Of