Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1891-06-25


holy scramble for position and power
against man! My confidence in the other
sex scorns such conclusions. On the other
hand she will assume the duties of citizen
ship with her natural modesty. Naturally
nqustiye and conscientious she will be
anxious to know her duties and discharge
them with sincere honesty
The wife will naturally turn to her hus-
band, If he be good husband, the sister
to her brother, the girl to her lover for
counsel and advice.
farming from these she will seek politi-
cal works and current literature for facts
of history and better information on the
issues of the hour, anxious to find out.
and curious to tell something John or
James didn't know. How about woman
as professional politician? you say
Well, think she will be scarcity
OF the male voters, should say there
was about one professional politician in
every two hundred. and of what parties
call active politicians" about one In thr-
ty voters. and the rest constitute the crank
and iile" of parties and spend only few
hours each year in performing their polti
cal duties. But we want and shall need
sprinkling of professional politicians
among women; perhaps We may get one
In a thousand female voters to help puri-
fy the methods of political parties within
. h, r,p b.r Ia,
introduced, aud it has been introduced in
some form into twenty two different states
OF the Union, it has been the surprise of
prominent politicians that woman has
shown SO little aspiration for political of
fees. In 1,ol Gov. Hoyt OF Wyoming
Territory, asserted that not a single wom-
an had made application for office.
Ny friend rcvives the old argument that
woman'- sphere is home and she ought TO
stay there, What right has man to deter
mine and tx the boundary Of womans de-
velopment: Bcecher once said, 1T is a
wellsettcd fact that where there l., power
there Is function" Woman has herself
determined and proved that home is one
of her spheres, but not the only sphere in
which she has shown aptitude and ability.
Whatever step she has taken she has held
II well against mans opposition. What
ever work he has undertaken 10 do she has
wl.hstood his rivalry in peace without be-
Ing overthrown. She has shown special
aptitude in variou, trade, and professions; :;
she has taken high rank as teacher and
shown special tact 10 govern and instruct; :;
within the last ffty years she has revolu-
tionizcd the system of government In our
public schools by taking hold Of the high
cr nature of young America, and >timulat-
Ing young manhood and yet, We are told
she has no right - administer government.
Eighty live per cent. Of the schools in Mass
achu>ctts and large per cent. in Maine
are taught by females. Woman has shown
special industry, economy and manage
ment in rearing large families and sup
porting shftlcs- husbands who had for
gotten that they were the natural cham
pions, protectors and providers for WON
function, has made her less woman.
Woman has proved that She has the per
sonal courage and endurance of Il soldier
the insight and forecast Of statesman,
the tact Of diplomat the power to shape
the administration of rulers, the highest
order of honesty, integrity and patriotism.
What other qualities do you want in cit
izen: | hardly know when my friend
charaCterizes women As mannish for try
ing to do things which to him seem to lie
within the special province Of man, wheth
er he has in his mind as an ideal woman
one OF those sousy, >sppy. feeble creatures
that are reared on downy beds Of ease and
fed on gingersnaps and fruit, and read
trashy sentimental literature and talk
French and play with poodle dogs, or one
of our good, sensible, high minded. self
supporting American women, that in every
sense of the word fills the divine function
of hepmeet
Ny friend seems to think that there ale
some women who would honor the nation
by their vote but lie is alarmed at the host
of Dad women he sees fiocking to the polls.
When honesty and morality are legally
recognized as qualifications necessary to
casting the ballot and drunkards, rascals
and libertines are excluded from the high
est civil offices, then the discussion of this
point will be in order. TO allow bad m. n
to legi,late for bad women is injustice, 10
allow bad men to legislate for good wom-
en- is simply outrageous. Mrs. Mary A..
Livermore pertinently says, you take car e
of your bad men and we will take care of
our bad women"
III. W. says Great physical force car
ries with it great respect amounting to
| awe. There Is force in man which
woman must respect" 1t is not however,
the element Of authority and the power TO
WELD it, for this idea has made tyrants of
men and slaves of women, and turned
| home into living hell, but it is true no
bility of soul and maniness of character,
the surest protection woman has on earth.
| We do not want to teach the women of the
nineteenth century to bow to the majesty
of mans physical structure, and be sub
ject to his bidding. Great physical force
may excite awe and fear, but it has NO
power to command respect in this age OF
| higher civilization. That belonged to an
age Of barbarsm and superstition. Brain
force not brute force, moral force not the
vengeance of an unknown god, are the
forces that rule US to-day. Man may be
like tornado or an earthquake, he may
roar in his sublime might like thunder.
storm, or stand up in his cold and barreI
majesty like mountain, but the influence
of woman, like the power of gravitation
gently draws all things together, .. like
the sunlight falls upon the earth and car
pets it with vendure and decks 1t witt
flowers, and turns the clouds into gold anc
polishes the heavens until they shine like
silver Less than half century ago tht
question of slavery had reached the heigh
of it's agitation on this continent. On on,
side there were men who declared tha
slavery was divine institution and tn.
bible was quoted as sacred authority fol
it, Others declared that the inferiority
of the negro race made bondage their nat