The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1878-08-01

| PSSS tHat tue sun SIlil SulueS DenlIu U
the moons sad face.
|
"What do Politicians and Statesmen
| Think of it.''
AUSTIN, July Is. 1878.
Editors Democratic Statesman:
Yesterdays editorial with the above
heading was truly refreshing. 1t is the
first time have seen any recognition
of woman's existence in a Texas news
paper. You have struck the true key
note in saying, THE country's laws, If
need be, must undergo reformation.
Woman, if enslaved, must be liberated
at least from chains of dependence and
helplessness. We have seen them,
even in this little capital with hollow
eyes and pallid faces, wearing smiles
when meanest penury and hunger
were driving them pitilessly to perdi-
ton. The remedy is not clearly de-
fined, but the condition of the un-
guarded, unfriended and poverty
| stricken women of the country de-
mands thorough changes In modes of
education and industrial training,
even If 1t do not require their investi-
ture with enlarged personal, political
and professional rights and privileges"
The remedy as clearly defined (psrdon
me); 1t is to simply educate girls to
light business or profession, according
to capacity, as you do boys. At pres
ent the noble animal, man." is the
only paying thing they can 60 in for.
The Jews set an example. Their
daughters need not degrade the sacred
marriage tie to obtain living. They
are taught the noble art of self-de-
pendence and can afford to
marry as they please, and
when they please. Change of educa-
ton is needed, even if women are not
invested with personal, political and
professional rights and privileges, and
why should she not be? She is born
the same way as man. Who is it has
set up the authority of fixing her
'sphere" in the world? Her place is
just wherever she has capacity to find
waiting nickle. Why should she
not have political and professional
rights? Is it right she should scrub
out legal office and receive twenty
five cents, but wrong to receive law
yer's fee for an opinion. II is immod-
est to be "doctress,' feel a pulse,
or write prescription, but quite mod
est to perform the lowest offices as a
nurse for men. 1t is quite modest to
angle, cheat and lie to herself to OBJ
tain husband, but highly immodest
70 study the laws of physiology, sex
ology or motherhood. Being married,
it is not womanly to engage in politics,
therefore her husband seeks the society
of congenial minds, male and female,
elsewhere. Her education has been
narrow and her aims are narrow; she
is more jealous and eXactlng than
gifted woman would be. She feels her
power gone to hold her husband
Vapid conversation. lislessness, with
occasional bursts of Mysteries are borne,
until the man, sick of life, escapes, and
she commences, de nO0O, to find another
victim to abuse. What wonder the
generation of dressed, helpless, sorry
dolls we have; but it is not their fault;
it is the fault of their education. And
in justice to your question, ''What do
the politicians and statesmen think of
it?" l must say they think a great deal,
and would willingly remedy many of
woman's disabilities. 1t is woman her
self who blocks up her sisters way. 1t
is so pretty and poetic to be the sweet
''twining IVY" only the "ivy" don't
always get a noble oak to twine round,
often frail, worthless stick, full of
cranks and thorns. Better the pretty
ivy had not tried its twining power at
all. Better, infinitely better, the ''ivy'
should be made so strong and self-de-
pendent it could afford to wait until it
found the real noble oak fit to bear its
weight than do as it must do now, for
lack of sustenance, for very feebleness
of constitution, mental and physical,
twine round a worthless stick and get
trailed IN the mud. But in justice to
the poor ivy, let US see what power
it possesses, as well as weakness. 1t
has great powers, sometimes, in its
very weakness. / have seen its tiny,
delicate tendrils so interlaced and
locked, as to keep many broken, crum-
bling old worthless buildings from GO
ing to utter ruin, giving picturesque
beauty to what would otherwise be
bare and vulgar.
Politicians and statesmen do think
of the forlorn position of unprovided
women. But ah, what can they do
against woman herself 1 am told
women themselves do not want reform.
No; well-off, well-housed, pampered
women, do not. They don't think at
all; their hearts are as narrow as their
sphere, and that means intrigue,
scandal, a good deal of wine and
dress, with dash of religious dissipa-
ton now and then. But the women
who are tossed out by circumstances,
and their name is legion, demand re-
form in those gentle laws, erected by
society and fashion, which make it
immodest for a woman to display
brain powerl and quite ungenteel to be
anything but an inanity.
Mr.. Editor, / was glad to see your
editorial, and believe me, when you
invest woman with political aud pro-
fesslonal power, you invest her with
the incentive to higher life, a no.
bier ambition; you give her the
means to be self-supporting; you
Opcu lnc EOdu lOI utI on WHICH
every God-given faculty will have q
fair field. You make her mans COM
panIon intellectually, and lift her from
being only sensuous toy, to minister
to sensuous epjoyments as she is now.
You should direct your principal edito-
rial pen against the namby- -pamby,
water-gruel women, who are standing
in woman's way to progress, and not
against the politicians, who are quite
convinced, only they have not the
courage to support their convictions,
and are under the influence of these
very namby pamby, sensuous, unintel-
lectual dolls. In face of the fact that
woman is still mother of the race with
not the smallest show OF reform in that
old-fashioned practice), l JOIN hands
with you in hoping for higher educs-
ton for her, loftier ambition, self
supporting, self-depending school for
the rising generation, which, to my
mind, can only be obtained by the pos
session of suffrage-not for itself, but
for its consequences. Yours,
SARAH PARKER.
The President signed every bill that
was presented TO him for approval dur
ing the session of Congress Just closed,
with fWo excenf1One namely fhe eiI-