The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-04-01
THE DAILY STAR
BROOKLYN LETTER.

Woman and the Elective Franchise
The Headway she is Making In
the state OF New YOrk-Two Direc.
ttons Where She May BE Trusted to
Vote 1ntelIigently-Rev. Henry
ward Beecher's Opinion - How
women Commit Improprieties-
The Exhibition OF the Academy OF
Design.
Correspondence of the Star.
BROOKLYN, N. Y, March 90, 1880.
A straw makes pretty fair weather.
gauge, but when the shingles are flying
about ones ears there is no necessity for
consulting straws to ascertain from which
direction the wind is blowing. Just now,
fguratively speaking, the shingles are
flying, and there is no difficulty in con-
Meeting the phenomenon with the female
suffrage cyclone. So long as woman con-
fined her efforts toward the attainment of
the elective franchise to making denunci-
atory public speeches, sending long
winded petitions to Congress, and assum-
ing male attire. she made no headway at
all, and only made the fact all the more
palpable that there was great difference
between the lion skin in which she pa
raded and what was beneath it. But
when she quietly set to work to demon
strate in a practical way her fitness to
make judicious use of the ballot in GER
tain dirsStions men began to give the
question the attention it merited, and in
this State l already perceive signs of a
public future for women. 1t may be
that some day woman will be invested
with all the elective powers at present ac-
corded to man. but that day, if it ever
come, will be far of.
There is, however, growing inclina-
tion to give them voice in
the disposition of questions af-
fecting education and morals;
in fact in the former direction step has
recently been taken by the Legislature
which is full of significance, though at
tended with limitations. The step is in
the form of an act making woman eligi-
bic to any office connected with the pub
lie school system Of the State, and au-
thorizing her to vote at school meetings
At first this latter feature was inter-
preted as empowering her to vote for
school officers throughout the State, and
was jubilantly hailed by the fair sex as
the evangel of complete victory North,
East, South and West. But it turns out
that this power only exists where the
form of election is the "school meeting"
which is in only three minor cities,
Yonkers, Rome and Kingston, while
there is perhaps even in these few in
stances further limitation--a sort of
property qualification. But though all
that was hoped for has not been gained
the Legislature has, by its careful con-
sideration of the question, raised the
hopes of the fair sex to degree that will
encourage them to press their claims
upon that body in the future with re-
doubled zeal. My own opinion is that
in the end woman will secure, as she
ought, equal share with man in the man
agement of the public schools of the
State
Another direction in which I think
woman is going to make herself heard
md her influence felt in this State
through the ballot is in the control of
the liquor traffic. For several years she
has steadily, earnestly, modestly and in a
Christian-like manner been asserting her.
self on the side of temperance until, GER
tainly in this city, she has virtually be-
come recognized power in the temper
ance work and, indeed, is looked up to us
the strongest foe with whom the liquor
dealer has to cope. There are to-day
three Woman's Christian Temperance
Unions in Brooklyn, and the other night
one of them, at the annual meeting,
packed the Academy Of Music to reple-
tion with cultured audience of ladies
and gentlemen, and has counted Rev.
Henry Ward Beecher and Rev. DIR. The
odore L. Cuyler among the speakers.
Some idea of the work done may be OBJ
tanned from the statement that last year
this single branch held one thousand and
eight meetings. Mr.. Beecher struck the
popular key when, in his speech on this
occasion, he pleaded the right Of woman
TO vote, saying:
at is often said that women do not
want to vote. More shame for them if
they don't. If they don't, the Church
wants them to vote. If they don't, the
Commonwealth does. Is there any per-
son on earth who stands in the same re-
lation to the mischiefs of intemperance
as Christian mother, who bears the bur-
den and the sorrow, who is sent that her
child may enter into human life, who
withdraws herself from whatever is sweet
and charming in outward life to devote
herself day and night to the unrequit-
ing child, who ineessantly watches and
warns, and as it were lays herself down
that the child may walk over her to the
road Of safety? \ Idon't
argue the rights of women on an ab-
stract ground. but I say as q temperapce