The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1890-12-12
LEBANON, OREGON, FRIDAY DECEMBER 1a, 1890
Dnntpn'a @DnrIo.
Mrs. stanton in England.

The following Is small part OF an adj
dress given by the president. Mrs. Eliza
beth Cady Stanton, at the opening ses-
sion OF the National American Woman
Suffrage convention In Washington, Feb.
IS:
When was last In England, daugh-
ter of the great statesman. John Bright,
invited me 10 her house TO spend a few
days. as she proposed to have a parlor
meeting and wished me To tell her friends
the status of our cause In America.
" But" said she, Il want you TO be very
careful as to what you say. You must
remember we have municipal suffrage
for widows and splnsters, but not for
married women; so say nothing about
them. Don't say anything about mar
rage or divorce, nor the Bible, for our
people are not prepared for any radical
ideas" was so afraid that / might get
outside the narrow limits that l said.
The best thing is for you and your
friends 10 ask questions, and thus keep
me on the line You DESIRE" That was
agreed on, and after / had talked about
fifteen minutes on the condition OF women
In America, one OF the reverend gentle
men present asked IL the sphere we pro-
posed for women was In harmony with
the teachings of the Bible. / said our
Bible, like our constitution and statute
books, was susceptible OF various inter-
pretations. but its general principles OF
| justice, liberty and equality, illustrated
| in the characters of such grand women
as Huldah, Deborah, Vashu and Esther,
| fully warranted women in assuming all
honorable positions In the college, the
state, or at the head OF the army. As
they listened apparently with interest to
my commentaries. gave them the most
favorable view for our movement that
can be drawn from the scriptures
made no reference to Paul's epistles. noE
to the contemptuous disposition of every
thing Oh the feminine species In the
pentateueh.
/ When the audience dispersed, my host
ess said Il am afraid you shocked thess
Christian people; they never heard suef
Iatitudinarian ideas before"
We'll" said l. perhaps lt Is time
they did hear them For my part, like
TO rouse people to some new thought
even IL at first 1t does shock them" As
Mrs. Margaret Lucas a sister Of JON,
Bright who has Just passed away, wa.
OF our party, we talked by the flresid,
late that night as to the wisdom of utter
ing the highest truth We saw as oppor
tunity offered. The next morning, to ny
surprise, the Methodist minister called {,
invite me to occupy his pulpit in th'
afternoon. and give exactly what / sait
the previous evening. l accepted thu
invitation.
When Mrs. Clark and Mrs. Lucas re
turned from church, told them Of IN,
afternoon engagement. Why" the.
exclaimed, that will never do; the min
ister will lose his place; the general con
ference would repriniand him severel.
for allowing 50 heretieal a teacher Z
preach in his pulpiti'' WELL" said
go and tell him what you think; wi
not be offended If he reconsiders th
invitation" She returned. saying he wa
quite determined. So / gave my Bibl
argument. and the congregation receive
it with enthusiasm. The women wer
particularly pleased TO hear that the
were not an afterthoHght In the creation
that they were not the authors of sir
from the beginning in eolluslon with tn
devil; that maternity was not intende
, as curse, nor marriage necessarily
condition OF slavery. The minister wrot
; me letter afterwards telling me ho
much pleased his people were with all
had said. Here is an evidence of no
little we can judge OF what the peopl
are ready to hear, and OF the wisdom
, uttering at all times the highest truth "
see.