Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1892-02-05

adversely " tAc Dlll, OppOSeu GHS dulcIluneut.
He wanted the matter fought straight out and
the position of the Committee sustained in
their opposition to this radical innovation.
WANTED A STRAIGHT FIGHT.
Mr.. Blackstone agreed with Mr.. Lovenstein
as far as straight out fight was concerned
He was in favor of the bill and was glad to
say that the spirit of opposition to it shown
by some of the medical profession, did not
develop i'll his own, the legal profession, in
respect to women practicing law. The pro-
posed amendment was of no value as the
Boards already had the power to elect wo-
man physician if they would exercise it.
AN ENLIGHTENED POLICY.
Mr.. Watson of Nottoway said the amend
ment if adopted, in effect killed the bill. He
wanted to require the Boards to appoint
women physicians. An enlightened policy
all over the country demanded that insane
women should be treated with more consider
alton. A cogent reason for the passage of
this bill was that we had had occurrences in
our insane asylums which brought sorrow
to Virginia people. The greatest good had
followed the employment of women physic-
ians in twenty asylums in this country and
our insane should share that good.
WANTED THE BOARDS UNTRAMMELED.
Mr.. Tyler opposed the bill. He said his
committee had been criticised harshly for
reporting adversely to it, but he wanted the
Boards to have the power to elect or not as
they chose. The number of women physicians
in the country was small, and if this bill was
passed the Boards would have to take those
that came before them, even if they knew
l. TT
of making the asylums school for educating
female physicians. He explained that he was
not opposed to the study of medicine by
women.
FOR THE BOARDS.
Mr.. Echols said he believed the compulsory
feature requiring Boards to elect a woman
physician was dangerous. He had been in
formed that some of the Boards were not con-
WINGED that the present law permitted them
to elect woman physician, and he favored
Mr.. Harrison's amendment as settling for
them the question Of their right in the premi-
SeS.
Mr.. Peters endorsed the arguments of Mr..
Tyler in opposition to the bill.
woMAN's NERVE.
Mr.. Scott entered an earnest protest against
the defeat of the measure. He said there was
no force in the argument that women had not
the nerve to practice medicine. Confederate
soldiers who had been in hospitals could con-
tradict that by their own experience. He de-
Tended every position taken by the friends of
the bill and produced data to show that emf
nent men favored the bill.
Mr.. Little offered as substitute for Mr..
Harrison's amendment, one saying the Boards
"may appoint if they deem necessary and
Mr.. Harrison accepted it.
FOR WOMEN DOCTORS BUT AGAINST WOMEN
LAWYERS
MI. Yarrell of Sussex, spoke in favor of
the bill. He said the opponents of the meas
ure seemed to have thrown out straw in the
shape of the amendment to float them upon
the ocean of public sentiment crystalizing in
its favor. Mr.. Yarrell said he was not in ia
vor of women entering the legal profession.
1t was not proper sphere, he thought, for
the sex to fill. There were many reasons why
women should not practice law, the speaker
said One of them was that there were cases
before the courts which pure women should
not hear. 1t was different, the speaker thought
in the case of female physicians in asylums.
Mr.. YarreH hoped the Senate would pass the
bill and not engraft the amendment, which
he said would kill its object
THE BILL HAD THE SYMPATHY OF THE BEST
PEOPLE IN THE COMMONWEALTH.
Mr.. Marshall of Craig. advocated t.le bill.
He said the woman physician question had
but little time ago been like a cloud no
larger than mans hand. but had developed
into one of the burning problems of the day
It was bill for which there was a great
necessity. Insane women needed to be at
tended to delicately and sympathetically and
who were better prepared to meet this de-
mand than women? Are women to be tied
down to earning living as copyists or sales
women? He differed with those who contend
ell that the time had not arrived for such an
experiment. The same objection had been
raised to the establishment of the Normal
School at Farmville which is now opening a
magnificent field for women. This effort, he
continued, looked to opening up higher en-
ployment to the fair SEX 'If,' said the
speaker, in his eloquent peroration, eve go
down in this fight it will be like noble lad
who fell near me at Gaines's Mill. He looked
at me with the damp death dew upon his
brow. AS he was dying the boy said: Lift
me up and let me look toward my home and
my MOTHER So if we go down now, it will be
with the sympathy Of the best people in this
Commonwealth
AN OLD MOSS BACK ON OLD LANDMARKS
MI Stubs opposed the bill. He was
opposed to anything in Virginia like wo-
mems rights; he preferred the fair daughters
of Virginia as they are. He did not believe
that what was good for the women of the
North was good for the women of Virginia,
There was not woman in Virginia applying
for the position of physician at our asy lums.
He did not believe it was the sphere of Vir-
ginia women to practice medicine or law and
he never expected to vote for a proposition to
encourage them to do so. AS to the Farmville
Scaool it was to educate Virginia women and
inculcate Virginia ideas in the rising genera
ton Until Virginia female physician had
been rejected by board, let us not invite
those people from the North to come down
here a d take charge of our daughters who by
Providence have been stl icken with insanity
The press OF Virginia were wasting their
sweetness on the desert air, he declared. if
they expected by their criticism to deter the
Senate from doing its duty. 'H," he said,
1--WE have to bear the iSmS we cannot help, for
Gods sake do not let us legislate those we
can avoid.'' He was one of those who wanted
to hold on to some of the old landmarks at
least If the voting against this bill would
put his senatorial head in political waste
basket. he was ready for the execution. He
felt that he had done his duty and he could
do no more.
WOMEN PHYSICIANS ARE A NECESSITY,
Mr. Blackstone said he had never seen a
matter before the Senate which excited more
interest than this bill, or upon which there
was such diversity Of opinion. He had as
Con