The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-05-10
THE Anniversary MEETINGS.
Meetings Of the Two Wings Of tho Woman suf-
( frage Party, the Bible Society, the Christian
Mission Society and the Congregational
Union-Speeches by Father Gavazsi
and Eminent Divines-Reports
Of the Past Years Work.
AMERICAN woMANs SUFFRAGE ASSOCIATION.

y
AMERICAN WOMAN's SUFFRAGE ASSOCIATION.
Annual Meeting At Apollo Hall Yester-
DETERMINATIONS OF Greeley-Whst
the "Respcctable" Woman sunrsgists
Have tn Say for Themselves.
What may be described as the "respectame
wlng' Of the believers in woman suffrage heid their
annual meeting yesterday at Apollo Hail. hold'ng
three sessions-morning, afternoon ana evening
There was quite good attendance, and four-nfths
at least OF the audience We're ladies' There was not
much enthusiasm, and the proceedings, indeed,
were OF a very tame and prosaic character through
out.
Mrs. STONE, at a little after eleven, called the
meeting to order and made pleasant little
inaugural speech. She alluded to the prominence
given during the past year to the question OF wo-
mans suffrage in the States legislatures and
though the vote had not been heavy enough to give
Justice to women yet 1t had been heavier than last
year, and had shown that public opinion set
ting in the right direction. From political point
of view, therefore, they had good to rejoice
In the church point OF view the progress had been
even greater. Never before pulpts fire.
quently filed with women; and the world be-
gan now to recognize that II stood In need Of the
ministry OF women, although 1t had at one
time regarded woman's usefulness in the church
to be confined to raising money to buy cushions for
the pews. The newspapers also more than
tried to show what women were DOING and even ut
Cincinnati, though the Convention had by means
acted as 1t ought to have done, yet still there had
been good come out of evil. They had now met
again in convention, not as enemies of law or Gus
tom or the proprieties, but simply to ask that the
American people recognize the fundamental prnci-
Piles Of their government-that government exists
only by consent OF all the government.
Mr.. w. s. Blackwell was appointed secretary,
and Immediately afterwards Mr.. FREEMAN
CLARKE, Of Boston, was introduced the
first regular speaker of the day. Having
traced the early history of the woman's suffrage
movement, and shown that, like the slavery
agitation, it had passed through decade of rdi-
Guile before steady public opinion had been cult
waited in its favor Mr.. Clarke devoted himself to
the article in the Popular Science Monthly against
wOman's rights. That article was founded on the
superstition apparently that the advocates Of wo-
mans rights claimed that there was no mental diff
ference between man ana woman. On the contrary
they recognized that difference as much as any one
and claimed that it constituted in itself an argu-
ment in favor Of justice. All work In which men
and women were united was better than
work merely done by man or by wo-
man alone. DR.. Bushnell had also attacked
woman's suffrage on religious grounds. His argu-
ment was that the nature OF woman was not
adapted for government and she was made to be
governed, not to govern. He did not seem to
recolect that eight out OF ten Of the common
schools in this country were governed by women.
That surely showed that they were fitted for exer-
CiSing the functions OF government.
dressed the meeting. She asked il a an new Oh
lection against woman's suffrage could be brought
forward that had not been answered over and over
again. A gentleman had told her the other day
side, but that still he was opposed
IN emf hnnun hn 1nt t1-at
because 1t did not agree with what he thought the
proper sphere Of woman. That was, no doubt,
how many preudices of this kind had been over
come in the pastY A Chinaman would be horrifed
with him, yet if he to live here ten years, he
would recognize the folly of his present conception
that man alone was not 1T to govern. Take
the condition of our prisons for example
1ney scandal AND
absent from the legislation that Controlled
Them Of Then eGe was which sat great
at the vitals OF our race. That was
another question in which woman's influence was
necessary. Mill had shown us that we had passed
through grand revolution, which had resulted in
the two sexes passing their whole lives together.
And remembering this, was 1t wise to allow women
to be frivolous and ignorant the same they must
be unless great duties were confded to them. AS
the woman was would the man be; ii she were
frivolous he would be Influenced by her for harm.
AS the poet said, "the world yet waits her queen"
and this true, for until she freed from the
shackles that now fettered her. she could not grow
into the fun glory OF womanhood
Mr. BLACKWELL, Of Boston, then said that this
dates for the Presidency, nor to break up the social
relations of men and women, but simply to educate
public opinion to recognize the justice OF giving
women the ballot They demanded woman's suf-
frage because it was right. Governments were
of the governed. Taxation without representa-
ton was tyranny, and In Massachusetts, alone wo-
representation womans suffrage was a great
moral and political reform, because 1t would bring
all citizens Of both sexes to the primary meet.
county was now covered by 'rings;' the
national rings. Mr.. Greeley himself, though the
nominee of the reiormers, was the candidate of
he could not take his wife with him. The tired man
OF business who now went home and took his wife
to the church meeting, or the concert the opera,
would go to primaries and meet his felow-citzens
there If his wife could go with him. He was sick Of
humbng-sck to death Of political reforms that
associations that wanted more than womans suf-
frage and that wanted more lattudnaran views of
marriage. Mr. Greeley had said that womans
suffrage meant free love, and it was
their duty, therefore, to work hard against
must have known better and must be held rcspon-
sible for what he had written He (the speaker
cinnati, demanded universal suffrage for rebels and
yet denied suffrage to woman. Perhaps the Phila-
walt and see not only what they did but also what
the democrats would do II he could see a candi-
date that would endorse woman suffrage he would
vote for him though he were his btterest enemy.
Women first went into politics in the Tippecanoe
campaign In lS40 and the enthusiasm en-
gendered by the combination OF men and
women was responsible for that great wing tri-
umph Mr.. Greeley had himself presided at a meet
ing which assembled to hear Anna Dickinson con-
vert hundreds TO bis own political party and yet he
denied to her the right to vote.
In the afternoon there several short speeches
by various orators, and one rather long and ram
bling one by Mrs. Stowe. long list of resolutions
were also proposed and adopted. Their main fea-
ture denunciation Of Greeley and Cincinnati.
Still more speeches were made In the even
ing, some OF the speakers being the same had
.oratedu at the morning session, and the general
tenor of the argument being ever the same.
Meeting ut Steinway Hall Of the Free