National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1870-02-25
ct women who have taxable prop.

ICL WONltu WHO nave tdAduc pTUp-
erty vote on property questions, as
some classes in England are permit
ted to do, and let that suffice. For
our own part, we could quite trust
in the Judgment of men i'll business
matters, and think that property
laws and rights are already gener-
Gus to woman. And men, too, are
by far more generous and polite to
women than women are to each 9TH
er, or your rights women are to
the men. Do they not give us the
best seat! 4! select for us the incest
slice of toast, and allow us the last
word 7 these same gentlemen, whom
our revolutionary women are ston-
ing with fierce incentives and abu-
sive TRADES, till we wonder in what
society these ladies have moved,
and where they learned their man
nerS.
We have no sympathy with the
idea that woman will purify the
vote. No; by stepping out of her
proper sphere she loses the prest-
ige she has held as woman, and will
lose in home and social influence far
more than she can gain by politi
cal rights and power. If the
suffrage does not destroy the
true woman of to day, we shall see
its effects On the coming woman
Her tastes, if she goes out of her
sphere, must somewhat change
Will they likely be for the better or
worse Would we have all advance
ed the lax moral and religious views
of prominent leaders in this move
ment :! Would We accept their views
of married and domestic life for
community in general!
But this, yOu say, has nothing to
do with the suffrage question. Not
directly, perhaps, but indirectly :
it is Involved in the rights move
meut, and to gain it will be a vlcto-
ry against woman. We Will admit
this much. however, that the ques-
ton Of suffrage appears less ridicu-
lous than at first, and is advocated,
to some extent, by better class OF
citizens but for all that, as we view
it, the radical wrong and difficulties
of the movement are the same
Perhaps it will be, with our people
viewing it as with vice in Pope's
lines:
But seen too oft. familiar with its lace,
~. GrSt auHur.s than nj then embrace '
but is it less evil still
And when women become demOr
allied or fall, it has far more un
happy influence if it really be worse
than for men. Women took con
spicuous part in the French Revolu
ton-not the humane part that oul
women did IN the late civil strife
but do not those inStigating ant
rushing with the mob at Versailles
seem to us far more degraded thar
the men VINO accompanied them
We do not all of us claim to b'
: always the angelic creatures tha
we have the name of being, but ther'
, is room for us to he much less angel
ic than we are-if men make us vot'
t against our wills.
We will readily concede to wo
} man her right 20 take the pulpit
platform or rostrum If she chooses, fO
: that in no way obliges us to do tn
same, or forces us to countenance /
| in others. We admit our rights 4
any proper occupation in life fo
, which we are ttte,., and our rlgh
to be paid as we'll Us men. for the sam
; work. Hut the suffrage will no
, affect woman's wages, as men eX
cept CongreSsmen-d do not vot
, themselves wages. And we ClaiI
. for woman the highest educationa
3. privilege or the right to think 10
f themselves, and perfect right I
, read some thing besides novels.
We have more rights and dutic
{ now than we can crcditaby perform
j. IL broader sphere than we ca
). occupy u higher, holier mlssio
n than we are prepared to engage III
and weight of influence i'll ou
e proper sphere, which far outweigh
/ the best we could do in polite;
!. circles. Therefore we ask you
u leave us our work and bondage
}. and we will leave YOU gentlemen,
" the making-and the breaking
d the laws. G. ii. W.
o st A ibdnS Messenger.