The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1873-05-30

fair share Of our rich national endow-
ments. About s27O, GOO are spent an
nually upon what is called the seconda-
ry education Of boys, and only a paltry
sum Of between e, 600 and "a, 600 on
that of girls. Ohrist's hospital, a great
London endowment left by our ances-
tors for the benefit Of persons Of both
sexes, bestows a first-rate education on
1900 boys, and supports 26 girls, only
fitting them for domestic service and
though many of the abuses of the
schools have been examined into by
Parliament, this neglect Eof girls has
passed UNDECIDED. IF members had the
fear of those most concerned before
their eyes these things would not be.
But the greatest lion in the path of
this reform is the assertion that it is in
consistent with religion. The Bible is
called in TO do duty" as it has in
times past in favor of slavery, poIyga-
my, and monarchial despotism. I yield
10 none in my respect for that book, but
it seems to me that those who really
reverence its teaching and seek inspira-
ton from above, remembering that the
letter "killeth but the spirit giveth
life" must see that Gods government
OF the world is one of gradual continu-
Gus progression. ST. Paul, in his most
inspired moments, had a glimpse of the
future destiny of women, when he ex-
claimed: There is neither Jew nor
Greek, neither bond or free, neither
male nor female, for ye are all one in
Christ Jesus" Il, one book more than
another teaches us that the promise to
the two sexes of the life that now is and
that which is to come are equal, their
hopes Identical, that each has to pIav
its own part in the advancement of the
truth which is SO vital to both, each to
be q helPmeet for the other that g nei-
Their is the man without the woman nor
the woman without the man, " that book
is the Bible. r-
&C. All arguments in favor of female
suffrage" say some of our opponents,
"are based upon this pernicious doc
trine of equality" Nothing of the
kind. Inequality only affords to a gen
erous mind an argument of overwhelm-
ing force against increasing, by artificial
means, the natural difficulties under
which women labor. The fact that
they are weaker is another reason fol
protecting their interest the belief that
they are mentally deficient should be
followed by more earnest efforts to Sc,
cure for them a better education and
higher training. If women are so es
sentially different from men, all the
more need to hear their opinions re.
| speeding their own concern and the
more we acknowledge this, the less
right we have to hand over, to those
who see things from different point OF
view, their education, subsistence, and
employment, and to deny them the vote
which ensures a fair hearing from mem
bers of Parliament, who cannot disre
gard with impunity any section of then
constituents. The old argument thai
operatives were represented by then
employers never convinced British
workmen, and has now ceased to affect
the legislature. Why, then, should
representation, which is repudiated by
every class of my countrymen, be con.
sidered sufficient for women?
And lastly, those opposed to this
movement tell us that if this reform be
pressed to its ultimate issue women will
lose their modesty, love of home and
children, and become unsexed. In spite
of the deep gulf they place between
men and women in former assertions, it
becomes impossible, at this point, to
make them believe that women will re-
main women to the end of lime in spite
of the franchise. It is my deep belief
in the characteristic differences of men
and women which leads me to plead for
the honest cooperation of both in all
that pertains to the interests of human
ity. It was not found good for man to
live alone in Paradise: and it is not
good for him to work alone in anything
which relates to the social progress of
the world and while politics may be
looked at on one side from hard and
low point of sight, it must never be
forgotten that they also include all
those subjects of deep intellectual
pleasure which alone make life worth
having, and from which women cannot
be excluded with impunity.