National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-02-20

our wealthy, welltodo women are wrong
fully directed.
They are employed in theinterest of vanity,
OF worldly ambition, of public display, Of
sense qualification. And from whence arises
this misdirected ambitions The harm is
caused by The false standard man holds up
to woman. Would men no longer admire
the shallowness Of such women they would
undoubtedly aim higher. Woman Graves
Tor sympathy and admiration, and as long
as men bow before a beautiful, heartless
coquCttc, so long will we have them. On
the one side man subordinatcs himself to
woman's whims and caprices and on the
other side she is made conscious all the
while OF her dependence and subOrdinatiOn
In all that pertains TO the higher interests
OF life. And, while he makes a slave OF
her, she revenges herself and makes n slave
OF him. See how these women hold men
down to their own low level; for women
who have no higher aspirations than their
own immediate pleasure will induce men
to do the same. There is an even.hande1
justice that rules this world For every
wrong society permits to exist, society
must suffer. Look what fools nen are
made Of by foolish women; women who
were brought up with the idea that they
must be ornamental, beautiful toy for
man to play with. See how they turn
around and make toy of him, an instrument
10 pay upon NJ Jnelf leisure.
What We ask in place of all this in.
diligence Is simple justice, a recognition Of
woman's higher endowment. In giving
her higherduties to perform, nobler aims to
accomplish In making her a responsible
human being you will not only benefit her,
but regenerate the manhood Of America.
Woman's influence upon man is more
potent than she herself fathoms, and when
the law has clothed her with the regal
nf 90 q tI,,.. ,t,,r Al
power IN our countryside will devote her.
self to the sterner duties of life, and, hand in
hand with man, she will tear away the
parasitic form that seems to keep her up,
but drags her down.
To make our sufIrhgists responsible las this
physician has done, for the sins Of Amerl-
can women, is simply atrocious. For II Is
from these that every reform for and
among woman has started; II Is they who
search and preach and provide simplicity,
puriy, devotion, and who would grid all
womanhood with the armOr of self-respect
and true wOmaniness.
What a sad spectacle our country would
represent If itwere not for the moral nspira.
ton, the ardor, the enthusiasm, the deep
abiding love for all that is Just and pure
among our sufTragists.
The examples Of Mrs. Stanton, Miss An
thony, Lucy Stone, Mrs. Howe, and others,
has collected type of womanhood broader
In their sympathies, grander In their aspira-
tions, nobler In their deeds than the most
heroic women OF antiquity.
That such women have to come before
the public, before the legislatures and pray
for such rights as are freely given to every
uninstructed and unenlightened foreigner
is a burning shame, and reflects badly upon
the intelligence, the righteousness of our
legislatures and our people
IL German women would petition, the
German parliament would be justified in
saying "Prepare yourself and then come
again, and we will consider your claims"
But no such answer will do for American
women, for they are often better prepared
than the male voters, and the average IN
telligence Of woman stands on par with
man.
Thus justice, reason, common sense, ira
dition, INTERCHANGEABLE conspire together to
convince us that we must move onward
with American alacrlty. Other nations
have taken the lead already, and yet the
proclamation of mans rights little more
than hundred years ago created a new
hope and faith throughout the civilized
world. Make that hope complete In pro-
claiming the rights of woman, and a civili-
cation such as the world has never seen be-
fore will rise on our horizon, and we may
then sing with the poet:
Hail great republic of the world.
Which reared her empire in the west.