The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1890-04-09
IN W0MAN'S BEHALF.
CARRIERS IN THE WAY.
What 1t is That Impedes the Progress of
the Woman's Suffrage Movement.


According to Elizabeth Cady Stanton,
who spoke recently before the National
American Woman Suffrage Association
at Washington, the chief obstacles in
the way of woman's progress are:
l. The apathy and Indifference of So
ciety to all reforms.
2. The lack of thorough and wide
spread organization. Lecky has well
said THE success of a movement de-
ponds much less upon the force of it's
arguments, or upon the ability of its ad-
vocates, than the predisposition of So
ciety to receive it," Conservatives are
made up largely of those who are afraid
of every thing new, and of those who
are too lazy to entertain a new line of
thought and action. They take it for
granted that our earthly arrangements
are permanently established for all
time. Though they see the marked
changes made, from the remote past to
their day, yet they can not believe that
as marked changes will be made in the
future.
The apathy of society is large factor
in every step of progress. Each re-
form demands an entire change in pop
ular thought, and new line of action.
This, to that large class who accept
things as they find them, who be-
lieye implicitly in the traditions OF
their fathers and never do any think.
ing, is troublesome and heretical.
From want of use the muscles Of their
minds are flabby; they can not entertain
a new idea. You might as well ask
those who are not trained gymnasts tc
stand on their heads, as this class tC
grid up their minds to thinking. Tt
their vision the principles of govern
ment, religion and social life all run il
parallel lines together. Now a PROPOSE
ton to change one of these lines they
readily see, puts it out of joint with the
remainder; but they do not understand
that change in all directions is the law
of progress, and that in due time, with ;
new current of thought on many othel
vital questions, all the lines will bt
changed until parallel once more, wheI
woman's political equality will be il
harmony with the changes in all othe
directions.
3. As to organization. For many year,
we lad no forces to organize Each in
dividual was free lance, to- say or to d.
whatever she listed. The few State
that took any action whatsoever, did 81
Independently of the rest. Though thu
methods and specific demands were thu
same, they were so not from any concer
of action, but from the same injustice
suffered. Until the war, a Nationa
Committee that rarely met was the onl.
bond of union. When the slaves of tn
South were emancipated. and their pc
litical status was the same as ours, W
urged the abolitionists to unite with Il
in an Equal Rights Association. Blu
they, believing that the freedman stoo
better chance for enfranchisemen
than the woman refused the propose
utilization. However, our Equal Right
Association was formed. but owing
divisions on the anti-slavery auestio
and tho pending Fourteenth Amcnt
ment and some personal differences.
lived but brief period, and from il
ashes sprang the National and Anne
lean organizations. And now, afte
twenty years of grand work on differer
lines we have come to the eonclusio
that in union there is, strengthsand add
ed power in thorough organization.
uniting all our forces to-day under or
banner, with the hearty cooperation (
every friend of the movement victor
' might soon be ours.