National Republican., 1883-01-24


ogaihon. To Miss Couzins the elevation of her
sex is conservation, to Mrs. Blake duty.
THE RELIGIOUS SPIRIT OF HER ANCESTRY
directs Miss Couzins's glances upwards, while
Mrs. Blake seeks to sec only what lies in the
path before her. Had Miss CouZins lived in
the sixteenth century she would have given
her lofty aspirations, her clear, chaste intel
lcct, and her generous enthusiasms to the
church, founding, perhaps, like st. Theresa,
q sistcrhood of kindred souls, or nerving
Coude and Coligny to q still higher aim or
still sterner resolution. Mrs Blake, under
like circumstances, would more likely have
sought in political intrigue channel for her
restless energies, and been found everywhere
plotting against existing authority. AS an ora
tor Miss Couzins possesses grace of manner
beauty OfvoiCe, u wonderful command of lam
guage that falls ever in musical pauses, so that
you do not feel clearly how strong is her intel
lectual grasp until the moments witchcry has
flown Mrs Bakcs clOqucncc is fiery, i'm
pctuous current, sweeping away many obsta-
clcs yet carrying drht around many Others
| that are thereby saved from the influence of
its sweep. Both wit and humor are gifts of
Miss COuzins, while Mrs. Blake seemingly
disdains to press such allies into her service
| Both are doing good work for their cause but
| the great breadth of Miss COu2in's intellect
| gives her n firmcr hold upon her audience
! than Mrs. Blake seems to take. After brief
I HuNTPSS DN MISS AnlnOlll MIS- Jldht ulsCuooCu
| the question,
"Is IT A CRIME TO RE A woMANW
The orator was dressed in u black velvet po-
lonnaise and skirt of black brocade satin,
fitting gracefully, while bouquet of pink
roses on her bosom gave the desired relief of
color to her dress. She maintained that in
this country every woman was treated by the
| law as If she were to blame for being woman
Many instances in illustration of this assump-
tN.afln
F-of applause, was the conduct of a certain min
lister of the gospel who, when wOman-actress
came from Europe TO- this country, instantly
grew indignant because slander was busy
with her name but these ministers never
thought of censuring or rcproving the com.
mission of the same sins by the hOary-hcaded
millionaircs who occupied the front pews OF
those churches every Sunday. In New York
an honorable married woman has no right to
her children. a married man has; so
it is not the marriage but the sex
which is thus punished by deprivation
of maternal rights. Among other in
stances, Mrs. Blake said that husband may
beat his wife and the courts will not inter-
ferc, on the ground that such interference
with his domestic amusemcnt5 Is calculated
to break up the peace and tranquility SO de-
sirable in the married state Mrs Blake spoke
of marriage, of the government Office customs,
of the unequal payment for services rendered
by women, the treatment given by the gov
ernmcnt to the women who went out as nurses,
as furnishing proof that it was crime to be
II woman. She closed however, by express
ing decided conviction that the triumph of
woman was assured, and
HER ENFRANCHIsEMENT WOULD De SPEED
lily OBTAINED.
A song by Mrs. Elizabeth Boynton Harbet
was sung by the audience, and Miss Phoebe
w. Couzns made the closing address. She
was attired in gray cashmere, with pale blue
trimmings Her theme was a Woman
Without II Country" but it was pitched in so
high u key that it might well have been
termed "rhc Country OF Women" Its cen
tral idea was that rs the old world civili-
2ationJ had utterly faded away or to.
tally failed to evolve high and
pure humanity, God had given this country
as the field of the last trial, where man and
woman, equal in sovereignty might together
. work out to glorious solution the problem
that has baicd the old wOrld-the problem OF
an exalted humanity 1t was Il woman whO
enabled man to discover this country; il
was woman who sent Sir Walter Raleigh to
rcdiscovcr il il was n woman, n princess,
who received Raleigh with welcome at Roam
oke; it was woman, Mary Chiffon, whose feet
, first landed on Plymouth rock; it was d
woman who saved the settlement in Virginia
. from destruction it was a woman, Betsy
} Ross, who designed the flag and the seal OF
the United states, ana gave them their name
and their Latin device; they were women who
J had written the declaration of independence
! had sent Paul Revere on his famous
, ride, who had upheld the war of indie,
pendence which they had brought on and they
} were women who in this generation would
| reform the tortuous public life, and side by
side with man carry the country onward t.
its true destiny-that of purifying, ennob
ling, and refining the world.
Mrs. Anthony then gave notice that al
who desired to join could send their applica
, tions to Mrs. Spohord at the Riggs house, ant
. that no calls would be made on the audience
| Adjourned until to-day.