The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1882-01-26
WOMAN'S RIGHTS.

but on Woman's Rights taken all in all.
Her rights as pertaining to her profess
ion or calling in life. Her rights as a
citizen, as voter, as q woman.
| 1t is claimed that woman is so exceed
ingly sensitive as to shrink from the
sight of physical pain, and is hence unfit
to be either physician or surgeon. But
we maintain this is not so. During the
late war many women of delicate nature
went into the hospitals and in short
time became efficient nurses in places
where even the stoutest hearted surgeons
pulled. They were daily, almost hourly,
witnesses of the greatest sufferings and
most torturing operations yet these
scenes only made the hands frmer in
their work and tenderer in their touch
An illustrous example of these women is
Florence Nightingale, an Englishwoman,
who, during the Crimean war, with 80
fellow volunteer nurses, at one time ten
ded 5000 wounded soldiers. An attack of
the hospital fever interrupted her philan-
thropic work and left her with broken
health. Since then, however, she has
had the superintendent of several hospi-
tails and started them in their missions of
charity. In all the Catholic hospitals
the whole of the care and nursing falls
on the Sisters of Charity, women who
have devoted their whole life to their
work, land are all that is good and true and
womanly. Men say women's minds are
unlogical, SO unlogical, in fact, as to be
incapable of drawing conclusion from
logical reasoning. But the success of
many women who have made law their
profession tends to disprove this asser-
ton. One of these women, Mrs. Foster
of ILL.,, had for her first case suit
brought. by the widow of drunken
wretch against saloon keeper to recover
damages to the amount of $4,000. When
the summons was served, the irate inn
keeper rushed to the office of Mrs. Fos-
ter and finding only woman in the room.
and thinking he was in the wrong place
went to the opposite part of the house,
where her husband hung out his legal
shingle. When his mistake was made
known to him, he was at first incredulous
and at once settled in his own mind that
he was perfectly safe. But Mrs. Foster
argued the question skillfully and won
her case in the Circuit Court. From
there it was appealed to the Supreme
Court of the state where the first verdict
was affirmed. Examples like hers are
no longer isolated. While few years
ago dependent women could support
themselves only by washing, sewing or
teaching, they can now prepare them
selves either for one of the professions or
can learn telegraphy, stenography, type
setting or any other such business, and
the laboring woman now commands as
high wages as the laboring man.
On the subject of suffrage, men use the
same argument of woman's mind being
unlogical. Women could not trace .he
effects of momentous questions and
would be entirely lost in the great sea of
politics.
Men say, too, that Woman's Suffrage
would take her out of her "Sphere."
But what is her ''Sphere ?" Is woman's
world comprised in the narrow household
routine ? Was she forever destined to
wash dishes, sweep and cook; or has she
some higher Office in life beside this
But, they say, she should be a helpmeet
in domestic affairs. Of course she
should and does. But has she no bust
ness aside from the hearth Is man,
therefore, doubly blest with two spheres,
two worlds. two lives? Truly then he
has much TO account for.
There was time, not many years ago,
when the perfect gentleman kept his wife
and family in total ignorance of his bust
ness affairs; and, in consequence, they
were upbraided either with foolish ex-
travaganoe or mean stinginess. Now
woman is, in business as well as home
life, called with truth, the "better half. :"
At this same time the negro had his
"Sphere" defined for him. His fate also,
was sealed by the "wise men of the land. :"
He was member of a benighted race.
His mind, but he had no mind. His
soul if he had soul was considered as
black as his body, and his hopes for the
future were as dark as the picture of his
present. They were cursed of God and
born to be crushed. Now, in the House
of Representatives of the United States
sit men belonging to that benighted race.
But singular thing about these people
is that while in slavery the women were
the equal of the men; but when freed
they Immediately sunk below them.
Another argument is that the franchise
ment of woman would degrade politics.
But would the reimbursement of woman
degrade them more than foreigners who
are constantly admitted do2 The average
American woman is the equal of the man,
and as his equal she claims the ballot.
Though the reimbursement of woman
would produce a great revolution in pol
itics, still thst change could be only for
the better.
But men say that with the privileges
of franchised citizen she also incurs
the liabilities of the same. For instance,
in time of war she is liable to be drafted
into the army to take part in active SER
vice; and this they maintain she is un-
able to do.
In this case We will take for our stand
ard the French Maid of Orleans, Joan of
Arc. She led in battle and was victor
ious. She was modest, and her modesty