The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-05-12
MAN MINUS WOMAN
Miss Phoebe Couzins Says
He Is Coarse, Brutal
and Vulgar.
tECTURE ON THE MODERN PORTIA
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Miss Phoebe Couzinss delivered her popular
lecture on "The Modern Portiap yesterday
afternoon in Hasbrouck Hall to a small but
appreciative audience of women and one
lone man. He was not there at first, how
ever, but dropped in just after Miss Couzins
had expressed her regret that there were
not some representatives Of m~asculinity
present. =
Miss May Florence Park on behalf of
the Jersey City Sorosis members introduced
the lecturer in a graceful little speech as
',the modern Portia of America
Miss Couzins, who is a stately woman with
IN intellectual face, spoke in a clear, musical
voice. She began by saying that when a
knotty problem was to be solved a woman
had to be called to the front. Shakes
perez she continued, recognized this
was written to demonstrate it! His drama
was founded on an actual fact and a sugges-
tive truth. Before the time of Shakespeare,
there was born In Venice CIR who, at an
early age, was noted for her eruditiOn. She
was versed in philosophy, dialectics, and all
the languages. Her Latin oratlons were
remarkable, and altogether she was a
lDdlN t1 vi LII LOAk sAAAE bAO o50
Of twenty-five the Phoenix" as she was
called, conferred degrees upon a graduating
class of lawyers, and soon afterwards ac-
copied a professorship. Wonderful to re-
late, She lived to the age of 101 years"
Miss Couzins cited then numerous in
stances OF woman intellectual advance
ment in early times, quoting especially the
brilliant women connected with the College
Of Padua and Bologna.
| THE OF TIE TWENTIETH CENTURY.
Having proved that Portia was real char
acter, Miss Couzins proceeded next to dis
cuss the outlook for a modern Portia of the
| twentieth century. "Wonan's influence y
| she remarked, has been felt in art, science
| and literature, but it remains for the future
| to show what she can do in the law.
"Even Margaret Fuller did not dream that
her sex would ever attain prominence in that
| profession and and it has been tive decades
| only since women nave been admitted to the
| law schools. I was the first woman t~osenter,
and Washington University Of st. Louis
| was the first to open its doors.
"Now other colleges have followed, n d
women everywhere are gaining a practical,
and, if they desire, a professional,
knowledge of law. There is no reason why
| they should not succeed as lawyers Miss
Couzins then reviewed the women of ancient
history, showing how Deborah and other
women of the Israelites were law-givers.
| She said that it was her belief that the
| Apocrypha had been omitted from the sacred
canon because it related so many remark
| able deeds of women. She found also that
among the Norsemen perfect equality existed
| between man and woman, and that juries
were composed Of both sexes.
The lecturer then told in a most interesting
manner the story Of her appointment as
United States Marshal. Previous to her
fathers death Miss Couzins, as Deputy
Marshal, had filed his place for six months.
She was appointed Marshal by Chief Justice
| Samuel Miller, who was upheld in his deci-
sion BY President Cleveland. Miss Couzins
was the first woman to hold an executive
office in the United States and she fulfilled
her onerous duties in a ann deserving OF
the highest praise.
Miss Couzins laid among other excellent
things, that if women came fully equipped
for any profession they would find nc
obstacles in their way. Men objected only
to women who wished to do what they hac
in no way fitted themselves for.
The latter part of the lecture ave the
reasons why women should enter the law
Miss Couzlns remarked that man had beer
housekeeping alone in court too long ane
he needed woman to get the dust and cob
webs out.
A WITHOUT
Men living in a community withou1
women are subject to coarseness, brutality
and vulgarity. Women living alone arr
characterized by weakness, inferiority ant
hopeless vanity. The Portals, with trained
thought, must help the Antonios.
After citing several excellent reasons fol
the presence of women in the law courts
Miss Couzins said that as a citizen of thu
United States every woman ought to have
knowledge of the national law. Sh spokt
also of the singular inability, owing to lacl
of training, shown by women suddenly
called upon to manage their own bushes.
affairs.
She quoted next the statement of an emf
nent lawyer that woman was a destructive
element, wishing always to revolntionize thu
existing state of affairs. This, Miss Couzln'
thought, would be a good element to have
in the courts, where musty precedent
Couzins, in her ardent championship o.
woman. found q good word to say fol
Mother Eve. eff she,'' remarked the lee
turer, "had not taken the fruit from tn
tree of knowledge, Adam would still b
walking up and down in the Garden O.
Eden.n Miss Couzins concluded her lecture
by saying that the world would never b.
well governed until the feminine half of th'
human brain was allowed to do its share o.
work.
From the hearty applause that FOLLOWED
the lecture, it was evident that most OF tn
audience were not in favor of the anti-suf
frage petition.
Among those present at the lecture were
Miss May F. Park, Mrs. Augustus Creyeling
Mrs. H. G. Wait, Mrs. Lyman Fiske, Mrs
+. L. Scudder, Mrs. James Noe, Mrs. Charlie
Stimets. Mrs. E. w. Young, Mrs. Georg
Clerihe5y, Miss Blanche Meyers and Mis-
Katharine Spier.