Los Angeles daily herald., 1875-04-24
ANOTHER PLEA, IF You PLEASE.
Our Semi -woman's.fkfyhter Puts in
for the Last Word, and Gets ns--
which II Nothing More than the
Conceded Right Of che Sex.

which II Nothing More shan the
Conceded Right Of the Sex.
EDITOR HERALD: Do you mean to
spike my gun and give parting shot
by declining to center into contro-
versy," or will you let me shoot of
my little artillery once more
Your plea for woman contains much
that is good and true-that cannot be
objected to; and that is just the trou-
BILE. Error is never so dangerous as
when mixed with truth. The most
insiduous logic is that which compels
you to admit certain self-evident pre-
misses and then deduct false conclus-
ions to suit your own aims. No intel
ligent man, since Adams time, has
doubted that woman's stronghold is
her retiring modesty;" that by it
she is fortified as by impregnable
walls,n etc. But you surely don't ex-
pect us to swallow, in toto, the state
ment that tall the lords of creation
bow in meek submission to them"!
This sounds very nice, and it might
do, provided all men were gentlemen;
but, unfortunately, they are not. A
large per centage of these self-same
''lords" are very selfish creatures, and
some are positive hogs, metaphorically
speaking. Power begets abuse and
tyranny. 1t is human nature to abuse
authority. No race of beings lower
than angels can exercise dominion
over their fellows or their interiors
without being made more of less self
ish by it. But men are not angels-as
rule. Let us look at the facts of the
case; we don't know how it might be
il things were different-e. e., If men
were all good and kind and unselfish
and gallant. We only know what is,
things being as they are. How was 1t
in the beginning, and how has it been
ever since? Did Ewes "retiring mod
esty" prevent Adam from shifting to
her delicate shoulders the burden of
the apple-eating business {? How
many of the old patriarchs were ''suf-
fered for the hardness of their hearts"
to defraud women with fractional
part of those selfish organs? While
everybody knows that every Eve's
daughter has birthright to the ex-
elusive possession and fee-simple of
the biggest manly heart she can find!
To-day, in about one-half of the world
(much of Asia and Africa), women are
bought and sold as veritably as any
chattel. Even In civilized Europe,
the Hollander yokes her to his cart
by the side of . donkey. Come over
to our own glorious America. and we
find the "noble red man" compelling
his squaw to carry his wood and water
to do all his work. Ascending the
scale Ia little) we see o community
tolerated, about thousand miles
from this coast, where the condition
of woman is too degraded to contem-
plate. Go, II you please, to the very
topmost round (so-callsd) of the social
ladder, and there is much to call the
blush to the cheek of q true man.
What a story some of our lawmakers
at Washington would tell, if the truth
were wrung from them!
That all this is wrong, none will
deny. But how to remedy it is the
question. Is it probable that men
themselves are going to do it? l don't
see any reasonable hope of it, and in
the name of common humanity say,
let woman have chance to help her
self. Now, don't jump to the conclus-
ion that all this means woman suf-
frage. AS before stated, doubt II
that be feasible, or even desirable, at
this time. What we object to is the
most common and the principal argu-
ment that men urge against it. They
set forth the generally admitted fact
woman's chief "pOwer over man.
consists in her dependence, in her "re-
firing mOdesty," etc.; and then as
sumo that, as matter Of course, she
will lose that modesty and that power
II she dares to vote, or even wants to
vote! " don't see the logical necessity
Of any such consequence. 1t sounds
to me very much like the stories of
Cannibals fiattering, feeding and tick
ling the fancies of their captives, that
they may become good and fat for the
feast. And have read of vampires
sucking the life-blood from their vic
TINS, all the while 80 tanning the
wound as to produce positively
pleasant sensation!
This thing of men exhorting woman
to keep in her own "sphere," for the
sake Of "her own dear self" of saying
"thus far shalt thou go and no farther;
your power over US lies in your retir-
ing modesty; if you are not very care
ful you may lose it," etc., makes me
think of some gallant n knight in the
old days of chivalry, shutting fair
lady up in his castle and talking to
her in this wise: "Now as long as ysu
are gentle and retiring, and contented
and happy, and never complain and
always give me q warm welcome, ]
will treat you with the greatest con-
sideration. / will bow in meek SUBJ
mission 1 will bend the knee and lay
my trophies at your feet; l will wear
your glove next my heart and WELD
my good sword and lance in defense
of your name; but if you ever try to
get out, or even to see too far, you
will at once lose my respect; 1 won't
protect yon any more; you must fight
your own battles" ~
as lsss LUDUs.