Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1872-07-19

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France have been SO severely Grip
pied in the late war with Prussia.
This is probably, all things con-
sidered, the most gigantic and diff
cult piece of engineering that was
ever undertaken.
A DASHIN0 SPEECH.
Kate Field Vindioates the Right Of
her SEX to Speak In Public.
The first biennial festival of the
London "Hospital for Throat Dis
cases. recently took place at Will
lis Room, London, the Earl Of
Clarendon presiding. Miss Kate
Field was called upon to respond to
the toast "The Ladies'" and said:
"When one of England's most
distinguished physicians first urged
me to return thanks for the toast
last given, l declined. never had
done such a thing, and thought that
l never could. Then remembered
that to the skillful treatment Of this
same physician l owed the restora-
ton of that most excellent thing in
woman a voice-which, if not 'low'
at present, will be sllortly-and it
seemed ungratefnl not to make some
slight return for SO signal service.
The claim was none the less valid
for being indirect; and, as this is
the age of revolution, as humanity
is stronger than caste or sex, as roy
atty SHAKES hands with democracy,
by acknowledging allegiance to the
republic of letters, l asked myself
why, after all, women should not be
heard as well as seen at public din
ners. 1t is true that an august body
OF men-of course, l can mean none
other than the House of Commons
quote St. Paul as though saints
were their perennial guides, philos-
ophers and friends, and declare that
women should keep silence; convc-
niently forgetting that St. Paul is
addressing the women of Corinth,
according to the law A. D. SO; that
elsewhere he contradicts himself
and that the proper reading is
Let your women keep silence in the
churches. If honorable M. P.'s
persist in proving their intimate ac-
quaintancc with Scripture by mis-
quoting it when they desire to keep
lovely woman in her proper sphere,
they should first descry strangers
in the ladies' gallery and order their
summary election. But now. al
though at this postprandial hour we
are all supposed to be incapable of
reasoning, let US try to be logical.
Women sing in public, act in pub
lie, read in public; why, then, should
they not speak? Why should it be
considered feminine for a woman to
interpret Shakspearc's ides, and un-
feminine to interpret her own-pro-
vided she has any? 1t seems to me
that if public speaking be tolerated
at all-which is doubtful, especially
at dinners-it should be from the
lips of women, and for this reason:
Ever since the subsistence of chaos
men have been talking. For six
thousand years, at least, they have,
to use an Americanism, 'stumped'
creation, and impressed the world
with their views on all SUBJECTS
but, as there is as much sex in
mind as there is matter, we have
seen everything in profile. Now an
artist will tell you that no two sides
of the same face are exactly alike.
l pray you, therefore, let us have
the other profile, whereby we may
see the entire face, gaze into tell-tale
eyes, and thus get at the soul of all
things.
"Granting all that in known
and said about women, they ought
to make more attractive speakers
than men. l do net think they are
so far; but they ought to be, and these
are my data: Women are born
more graceful; they have the great
gift Of beauty and the great privi
lege Of dress. Hence, they are 8
|, greater qualification to the eye, and
a majority of the people hear will
their eyes. Women are more i'm
pulsive, more sympathetic, more
persuasive; therefore they are more
likely to touch the heart; aud whcl
YOU have made an audience feel
half the battle is won. Pray, wht
does the greater rart Of speaking il
private, Mr.. or Mrs. Caudle? Wer'
! / man, should hail public speak
ing as y blessing in Disguise
When Vesuvius is in state o
eruption Etna is quiet. Fluency 9
, diction is a desideratum in speak
ing. If tradition be correct, womel
are not lacking in this requirement
Indeed, it has been seriously ques
toned whether women partakc o
, celestial joys, for this reason, tha
/ once upon a time there was silenc
! in Heaven for the space Of half a.
+ hour. Then, if precedent be re
. quired, women can trace back thel
, rights in this respect much farthe
than men, for Eve was the origina
orator. 1t is to her persuasiv
, pleading that we owe all knowledge
' Miriam was among the first t
Z prophesy; Deborah was elevated t
i the dignity Of Judge Of Israel;-
/ Greek oracles proceeded from tn
: lips of women, and the greatest OF
/. ofors of HellaS did not ScOrn to
> taught their art by the sex they RI
!. garded with contempt. Socrate
!. learned rhetoric from Aspasia, an
r 1t was to their mother, Corneli'
that the Gracchi owed their eli
n quence. And, if modern example
]. are asked for, can only reply th.
: not many evenings since ! heard 81
K Englishwomcn, the majority Of thel
!. young, and two of them very psett,,
5 .l3lsw 4a