, 1874-06-21
The WOMAN QUESTION.

oAuon has oeen to Be truly and honorable s,,c-
cessfui- Therefore, ne have reftained. he,eto-
fore, from any public expression Of our Yiara =,
the woman question:" hoping that our d,;1v
action and work would speak for u. and for
! women generally. We have no reason to regret
our decision, mud asifl believe that. gene,aI1v.
example is moro valuable than procept,
we. At the same time time, hoped that, among
the large number Of women OF leisure Eho have
opportunities for thoroughly informing them
selves, aud who are relieved from constant ex-
ertion for livelihood, d few, at least, might te
found who would ne willing to enlist themselves
IN this ali-important woman question" !" who
would consider it not only duty,
aud trne interesss OF woman who would, bv
sonelo1s aud womanly words, urge her
political and social equality; defend hor from
unjust, Illogical, and sweeping assertions; edu-
easa e puonc sentiment through the press, By the
og candid, clear, and logical lectures. In Bos-
ton, Tue lsdIes hare organized and supported =
"oman's Club" which is now q recornized
power, and wields . powerful influence tovanl
tR sf ana ne. controlling public sentiment in that
aud il doing grand work. The women Of CHI.
caso havo thus far shown nothing but indiffsr-
once to this question. and, while thcre ia M
lack Of material for = Woman's Club" there
does exist, it is nndereloped. Tha ladies' of our
CITY are second to noue i'll energy, intelligence.
and culture; bus tho great difficulty seems to be-
lack OF organization and systematic work
Although We are reluctant to turn aside from
maids We had laid upon ourselves With regard
TO anT public agitation Of this woman ques-
t!on, IN Justice to our womauhood. in Justice
to the hundreds and thousands Of sirI-craduatea
M wno are now coming upon the stage Of action,
and are now to take their place in the world, ne
foel that We are no logger justified in remaining
Silent With this view. we have penned this
article, and VIC sincerely hope TINT the public.
whose attention 're now challenge, will read and
cnt'c1se with the same caad1r aud ibetality
which dictates our writing.
Tie - woman question " has passed thronrh
two OF the stages incidental to every reform. 1t
has been tirst ignored, then ri<liculed and bur
lesqued It has now arrived at the third stage.
aud challenges thought and investigation On tho
part OF our representative men and women.
John Stuart Mill pronounced himself DISTINCTLY
and unoquiyocally in favor Of womao-suNrago.
Ten. Julian. Of Indiana, dofnes woman's polit,
lca4 condition as slavery. Charles Sumner said:
Insert The word woman wherever you find
slave 10 my written speeches, and you will have
my argument On the woman question" Gov,
BegeFidge. Of our own State, is IN ab}e advocate
OF wornan's political equality; and so we might
continue to add to tho list Nearly every inteli-
ssds sdds psa pePhsay says p5st 5n IT, .. but
ripe for this reform. Even tho most storm and
rigid process OF reasoning cannot establish TINT
tue disfranchisement OF women is right All
liberal aud enlightened persons must acknoHL
eu6e the gross injustice dono women a class
OF our citizens. We insist that our claim ia
based upon reason and COMMON Justice.
. From THIS platform do We propose to discuss
it, and from none other. Wo will consent to no
lower Or baser view OF it. We wish to see tho
subject fairly and candidly discussed. We hope
n ha nd 4Hnvv. %,
the question earnest and thoughtful conside1a-
ton. We are determined to pCsh this question
to final issue and that issue shall be au:>-
mitted to tho people of tll1s State, men and
women, md BY them decided. Q.
11all's *Subjccsion OF Won1cn.ss
EAU CLAIRE, Wis, June ls 1874. >.
To the Editor u The Chicago TRIBUNE:
Sin: Your correspondent. John n. Becker,
does not state John Stuart Mills position On tho
woman question quite correctly. hlr. Mill know
well enough (not being fooD that somo differ
ence between the sexes must have proceeded the
subjection of the fennfe to the male. His propo-
eitlon is that TINT subjectton has reacted on the
OF woman to such an extent that it is
now impossible to tell whether without it. there
would DO any mental difference between the
Eores. and, Jortiort, impossible to toll wh.:
tEat dln lnerence would be- This error quite viii
2tes Mr. t.. argument. C. II. JAMEs.
MOLINE, H., June Il, 1874
To the Editor of The Chicago Tribune:
61E: In your issue Of tho 18th inst, cor
respondent John H. Beecker) essays I'd five
'rief synopsis Of the views OF John stu,:ys Mil
$ cnuuciatcd in the "Subjectiou Of %Yqtncn."
u answer to 90 Radical" think be misandcr-
tands Mills position, which is, as understand
|. very different from your correspondence vleu
lit: Understand Mills position to be .his
ot that woman Is the equal OF man in ph:scal
trength, or ever Was but that, by nature, she
. his equal in moral md intellectual force; that
r1ginally governments were founded on fo1cc,-
O., physical power; that, ~ womnn was in-
erior in that kind OF power to man, sha fell
lnder Ills dominion, 9 matter OF courso; TINT.
u the human race emerged from barbarism, the
Intellectual and moral qualities became mora
prominent in society and government; that, as
hc intellectual and moral elements in human
atuEe become, with. the advancement OF
uore and more the controlling forces in social
nd political affairs, woman began 10 acquire in-
Hence, and began to rise from mere beaet Of
urden aud slave OF man towards her true posi-
ou BY tho side Of man; that tue alt-poworful
ltiucnce Of tradition. custom. aud PREJUDICE
as still sufficiently strong to prevent her from
ccnpyln1 her true position as the equal Of man,
18th equal political and Eocial rights; but that,
she once obta1ned these rights, and became
alued to the exercise Of them, as men have
lual to man in capabilty for tho exercise Of
lem. E. l.,
d tie Editor ~ Tie Chicago Tribune:
SIN: In The TRIBUNE Of June II appeared an
ticle on "Tle Woman Question" in which thu
either carelesHly or Intentionally
isinterprcts John Stuart Mill. He has failed
grasp the argument OF Ills celebrated eesay,
% ''Snbjection Of Woman" He Assumes ~
ills position, ''That the peculiar qualities OF
9 female sex, coutradistinct from the malo
4, are the result OF education only" etc. Mill
not so Illogical. He haa written this essay to
ow that woman, since the dawn cf history,
Il struggled under disabilities which had their
tgln in pecuGarities Inherent IN her physical
'1stitutiou. The traditional struggles OF the
taus were physical. uorculcs and Diana might
ii stand as types OF the primitive man
d woman. But as, gradually, u1uscu-
force il displaced BY the power OF
= omnipotent intellect to organize ind use
9 forces Of Nature Instead, woman ernergcs
IN the shadows of the background, and such
lloaophicM minds as Mill discoEer that she,
}, holds this divine gift Of intellect, which, il
rmitted the freedom of Development that nnu
q secured to himself, must inevitably mako
( hts peer. And Mill iutimstes, in his para
lph on the true marriage, that the one ser not
ly supplements the other, but eacl. in dides-