The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1874-09-11
Goodwin Smith on Woman Suffrage.

Ihe SuDlOtneC article, clpped from
the Oregon Statesman, of August 9th,
comes to US accompanied by the follow
ing note, from Salem friend: ''Think-
ing that you might not have seen the
accompanying article, / send it to you
with a request in which am joined by
many friends, that you will re-puhlish
it, and thus allow your readers to see
that in this editor we have man who
dares 10 speak outs"
4 late number of NdcnWd5fs MrGd-
zine contains remarkable article by
Professor Goodwin Smith on Female
Suffrage, in which that great writer at
tempts TO overthrow the conclusions of
John Stuart Mill, but, as we apprehend,
unsuccessfully. Professor Smith is one
of the most splendid intelligences of the
British Empire. He was lately lee
turer on Bellies Lettres in Cornell Uni
versity in New York, but for some rea-
son or other, became restless and re-
turned to Oxford, whence he IL shedding
lustre upon modern English literature,
though he is rather disposed 10 misap-
prehend the actual condition of things
on this side OF the Atlantic. His late
To view the entire country with absolute
distinctness, and the brilliant English
man Is therefore occasionally in error
concerning American affairs.
In the article now under considera-
tiOn, Professor Smith successfully
demonstrates proposition which we
have always believed in and main
tanned: That is, that the man is not
now living OH the earth who ever did,
or ever can, write and publish ra-
tlOnal, conclusive and unanswerable ar
ticle against Woman Suffrage, when
viewed as "A measure of citizens rights.
OF course, we are not now asking any
other person or party TO adopt our own
views of this subject, or TO be RESPONSE
BILE for them, and only intend to treat OF
the matter as il is presented to our own
understanding, and as question which
is coming up swiftly, fOrcibly aud III
evitably before the public mind. 1t
ought to be Kept i'm view that recent
times have been ultra-progressive,a and
7 IL is as we'll To be prepared for the occur
renee Of very strange and radical things.
Lees than score of years ago, very few
OF us expected to see a black man in the
Senate, or body Of emancipated slaves
/ giving laws To a commonwealth; but
A
civil pr0digies, and vet there is no per-
ceptible arrangement OF the solar svs-
TEN, and the earth moves on In heI
orbit with undiminished swiftness and
undertaking precision.
! Professor Smith presents the question
solely In the light of expediency, anC
keeps wholly out of sight Of the unGs
sailable principle OF Right. This is SUI
perficial and unworthy OF so profound
and luminous thinker. We hold tha
II there he within the circle Of the Who'll,
land one man or woman, black or white
high or low, learned or ignorant, who Il
under the law deprived of one funda
mental civil right, the existence of iha
condition of despOtism i a justifiabl,
cause for revolution, and that considera
tions Of expediency 10 not enter into tn,
question at all Mr.. Smith does no
seem To perc, i've that n woman is nat
ural citizen under the law Of God, an in
tegral part sf the body polite, cO-equa
division of mankind; but he assumes
that, for some reason or other, she is
natural inferior, IA hanger-On, sort o
parasitical appliance of man. Now, We
should like TO ask that eminent mani
lie could hear us such n great way off
lrhg all this should be so? Is she not
after all, citizen, an Independent indi
viduallty, having a common interest il
the welfare of her country, and morally
, owning as much OF the earth's suriac,
as her brother does? Except in physi
cal structure, Is she distinct from man
and in what does her natural vassalag,
consist? Ii we should ask the PrOfessO
what was the difference between JOaI
of Arc and her brother in arms, he cOul'
only reply "a distinction of sex; SIN
| 10. D..
be leading on the laundering battalion
of France"
And, after all, what is sex? Only al
ordination OF Nature for the perpetuatlOl
OF the human race, pertaining 10 tn
perishable body, and not to the i'm
mortal soul. The soul has no sex; Tia
eternal mind has no sex; the angels an
archangels that surround the ThrOn
have no sex, and that distinction is un
known where no true heart was ever ye
: divorced from the tender bosom of il
: love. IL Is not the poor dying bod,
that votes; il Is not the perishable ham
that conveys the inscription. It y th
will, the mind, the everlasting, indie
structible sOul-that which is TO eXis
on and Oh forever, In the deathles
! realms OF eternal life, long after tn
last, lingering star shall have flown il
{ orbit, and perished in the desert heay
ems.
Our British essayist is of the opinio
that "there can be no doubt that, In a.
= cases, If power were put into the hands Z
the women, free government, and with
7 liberty of opinion, would fallw And
4 little further on he makes this remarka
BILE declaration: ain the United State
I there have been intimatiOns, on In
: mart of the women, OF a desire to max
s a very lavish use Of the capital punish
: ment. untrammeled by the technics
n rules of evidence"
T Now, if Professor Smith had bee
e here, i'm the little city Of Salem, ava
e i'm the dreamily distant West, on tn
: marge Of the South seas, where hi
n cOuntry's glorious flag is only seen drifI
G ing mast on its luminous orbit round tn
II world, he might nave seen America
: women rising up in almost Insured
tionary phalauX, for the deliverance {
n noon unknown, half-breed Indian boy
e who In a moment OF ungoverna6ie pas
:, sion had slain his recusant debtor, an
d been doomed To the EXTREMIST veI
4 geance of the law; and we doubt nc
;, fhat the old-time chivalTy Of his Eng
II lIsh heart, and the sorcery Of his glOr
y ous intellect, would have adorned an
, set forth the beautiful event for tho &c
e miratiOn Of the world.
Tar POWER OF LOvE.-There Is II
y ,o,ve- like love to lead and guide one !