Los Angeles daily herald., 1874-10-11
Zoe zelIa' on womans' Rights.
From the Lvceum Independent. /

From the Iyceum independent.
A great deal has been written, sung
and said upon this mysterious aud in
tricate subject, but Friday night,
September 25th, capped the climax.
1t would be tame expression to say
that we were amazed when the subject
was deliberately thrown In our face
from the rostrum of the Lyceum. We
felt like saying something to that
young orator when he made the re-
mark that ifwomen had brains enough
to vote, let 'em do ii. TO vote!
Woman's suffrage! The same old
rock on which the ship of woman's 3
rights has been wrecked, 10! these
many years. We endeavored to take
up the negative side of the question,
when suffrage woman hauled us
over the Goals in fashion something
like this: Suffrage, indeed! To be
sure we want to vote, just as if we
could have our rights, unless we are
allowed to go to the polls and vote
every election day! Goodness! just
think of the extra amount OF pleasure
we'd have, and rights by the whole
sale; we'd want Il new dress for that
wonderful occasion, and ever so many
more little fiXin's, because, you see,
we wouldn't want other women to be
dressed finer than we. Yet, it would
be no trouble to get them; for if our
liege lord declined to hand over the
much needed cash, all we'd have to
do would be to remark in u careless
sort of way that we rather thought
we'd vote for that other fellow ii we
couldn't have q new dress -once in a
while. Then when We got the dress,
L g, Il tl,n fNlI lIaxt ,
way, if he was the best looking. Then
another advantages: all our officers
would be good looking, for no wom-
ans rights woman would be guilty of
voting for homely man. And the
children, did you ask, what would be-
come of them? Dear! dear! well, the
men would have to stay at home and
take cake care of them while we went
courting; mean when we went with
the jurors; No! no! l don't, L mean
if we should be summonsed to serve
on the jury. There it is, you say you
think it's no place for a woman. Well,
/ declare! don't you think we know
m ore about justice than most OF the
num- skulls who now serve? Too many
serving already, are there? Well,
that's Just what L say;-if we'd make
SOJlc vi tlltIu Stuy uiiN Wv tiC
house work, and mind the children,
we'd find our rightful sphere. 1 say,
'Zoe,' don't you believe in womans
rights:n We answered "To be sure
we do" "Well, then, if women
haven't n right to vote, what hare
they right to do?'
We do dot believe in woman's suf-
frage it will not make the human
race any purer, better, or wiser but it
will have the. tendency to lower it,
and we have no hesitancy in saying
that if the question is left to the
women of the United States, it will
never become law. God has given
to us the holiest, best, and purest part
of life; and not for all the elections of
the universe would we lose the "baby
fingers waxen touch" that clings so
closely around our hearts. Through
the medium of these little loving
hearts and pure souls, the mothers of
our nation may sometimes rule the
world. These are the only true rights
women may ever claim:
The right to labor, love and pray,
The right to dry the falling tear,
The right to qucll the rising fear;
The right when other hopes all fall
TO point to those beyond the vale.
These are the rights then use them we'll ;
Improve the talent God has given
Thy duty done, thy rest IN heaven"
ZOE ZEILA