New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-04-17
Written for the New Orleans Republican
THE POWER BEHEHD the
THRONE.

Written for tie New Orleans Republican
| THE POHEK BEEzEHD the
THRONE.
| Since the time when God created man.
placed him in the ''garden Of Eden, to dress
it and to keep it, and then, decreeing that
it was not good that he should be left alone,
proclaimed, 81 will make him an help meet
| for him woman has been the power be-
| hind the throne of mans household-the
| first form of government upon earth. AS
| bone of his bone, and flesh of his fesh she
was called woman, because she was taken
out of man and made his help-mate-his
wife. In this sacred relation to man, woman.
since the day when she was first besuiled
by the serpent, has been the great power
behind the throne of man. True to her po-
sitioD, she has been enabled TO exert a
| powerful influence for good: an
influence that first manifests itself around
| the hearth-cirse, and then gradually
spreads through all the ramihcations of
society. 1t was the influence of woman, ID
| beI proper sphere, that has given to the
| world some Of its best men The character
! of Washington was moulded by his excellent
| mother. In tIis manner woman is the
power behind the throne, and plust so con-
| iinue until the end of time, unless she is
| beguiled from ner true relations 10 man and
| society by another serpent. She moulds the
men who are to rule the world. and so long
| as she is true to her mission IL helping
| man to instil into the minds of
those who are growing up under them,
| the first principles OF good government, SO
long must she continue TO be OF service TO
| the work of civilization and the spread OF
| Cnristian principles under a form of national
| government that recognizes the just and
| reasonable rights Of all-women's rights III
| cluded. 1t must be corceded that woman
| has rights as well as man, and among them
none stand more prominent, or are OF more
| importance to the world, than her
right to become wife; and next to
| that, her right 10 become mother.
These are woman'5 rights that al
| good men are bound to respect as we'll as
| governments: and il becomes them to see
that they are enforced as far as possible.
Give woman q husband aud children to help
govern and rear in the fear of God, and she
will be cOntent to leave the eterner duties
to man. She will not look, then, to trouble
! herself with the cares and responsibilities Of
government on larger scale. she Will not
| trouble herself about the right TO vote, the
| right to sit in the jury box. the right to
| office, the right to practice medicine,
the right 10 practice at the bar, or the right,
| in fact to do anything that man dare do.
| With sweet little babe in her arms-and
what mother does not think her babe sweet
woman would be apt to forego all rights
that properly appertain to man. etake it
that even the talented and eloquent Miss
Anna Dickinson would be willing to COM
promise on this line, and cease her battle
for woman's rights providing all
women could be furnished with good
husbands. 1t must be freely conceded
that this is a right they are entitled to- and
| the interest of society demands that 1t
should be enforced as tar as practicable.
We know that all men are not inclined to do
| their duty in this respect, rs well as IN many
other respects. and, therefore, many of the
fair sex Eve will not, like the New York
Express, call them butierf1es), are COM
PEELED to undertake duties that but lily
becomes them-duties that they would not
be likely to assume were something better to
offer. This may have led Miss Dickinson
| to think that women are more
conscientious than men," and we are dis
posed to concede that they are since they
are as vet unpolluVed by the bad Influences
that surround and beset men in every day
business and political lite. But drive woman
into the cesspool of politics, and we would
not be surprised to find her soon with as
little conscience as man, fighting to excel
him even in deprayity. We know that she
is possessed of the same passions that bless
or curse man; but in her peculiar sphere
she has been saved much Of the degradation
that has befallen him by common
intercourse with those who give way to the
baser passions. 1t is correctly said that
| evil communications corrupt good manners:
and whenever it has been rendered Deces-
sary for woman to enter upOnall the duties
OF lie that properly belong TO man, she is
Of tIat urh
naturally attaches to her when found gracng
her proper sphere. Il would be impossible
for women to enter upon the duties of
citizens without this, and she can not claim
any right of citizenship without in
curing all Of the responsibilities be-
longing thereto, and in doing this married
woman would necessarily interfere with
marital rights that she, as good wife
would be, bound to respect. single wo
man, it is true, might claim that she has
no such obligation to fulfill; but would she
claim the right to vote if, with that right,
her chances for marriage were likely to be
made more remote than they are at the
present timer The whole subject is one
that might well claim the serious at
tention Of men and women before chang.
ing their relations toward one an
other-TelatiOns that have existed since
their creation. Women like Miss Dickinson
think that the work to be done il politics
| properly belongs TO women; that the days
| of violence, of force, are over that the mil
lennium is upon us, and that holiness is
about to become triumphant throughout
this country, if not throughout the world.
This they most likely think is to be the re-
suit OF Republcanism that will extend the
, right of suffrage to women who, by their
presence at the polls, will be expected to
purify the ballot and cause peace and good
will to prevail among men. The picture is
good one. but it can not be realized by the
eloquent appeals Of those who would upset
the power behind the throne, in order to
usurp the throne itself. Woman has no
holier mission or throne to fill than that OF
wife and mother; and when she wiifully
abandons it, she relinquishes her power over
| mon and bar infinenca hahind the throne