The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-01-07

these counties. except Denmark and Sweden
the regency may bs delegated to women By tn,
specislIsw
" seems an anomalous fact. and the advo-
Gates Of woman suffrage make the most Of the
contradiction. that. while the female sex Is
deemed qualified to exercise tho powers Of In
divldual sovereignty. even whero these ars an-
tccratic MS in Russia, It has nowhere in Europe
| beer permitted TO discharge That small part 81
the collective sovereignty which II represented
By casting q single ballot for momber ~ the
national legislature From tho latter point Of
view woman in western Europe actually lost
| ground through the French Revolution 81 11SD
| as compared with the position which she had
occupied under the feudal system. In the
middle ages not only could women. as
| We have said. inherit acme Of the prln.
clpal nefs OF the French crown. but
| even after the great feis had been
absorbed. the heredlty OF feudal tenures con-
ferreI upon women the prerogatives Of public
| power in con siderAb BILE numb her Of small segn-
| ioriea. In the election to tho States General
OF 1903. 1870 and 1876. widows and daughters
| holding separate property took part In the
| assemblies which met to draw up n list Of
grievances and to choose delegates. Under the
| absolute monarchy every trace OF woman's
political rights disappeared in France. though
through the salon and tho alcove she rose to
be = power in tho State. Even In the great
| crusade for the recognition OF unacknowl-
edged rights in which the eighteenth century
philosophers engaged. scarcely any attention
was paid TO tho condition OF women. Mon
tesduieu expressed the opinion that nature
had given woman accomplishments. in
tending that her ascenGAncy should not
spread beyond them. and Iouaseau declared
at NJ IN NCa spartnIly crenfaI n oF1ar 4
please man. 1t was only on the eve OF the rev.
oluton that tho voice OF Condorcet was raised
IN favor OF the political Emancipation OF the
weaker sex. Is 1t not" he asked. " in their
character Of sensible beings capable OF reason,
and with moral ideas, that men have rights2
Women. therefore. should have absolutely tho
same. Either no Individual member OF the
human race has any real rights. or ese all
have tho same; and. whoever votes against
the rights OF another. no matter what his re-
ligion. his color. or his sex may be. has hence
forth ubjured his own" Again he says:
You will doubtless admit tho princi-
pie OF tho English that ono is legit-
mntcly subject only to those taxes for which
ono has voted. II not personally. at least
through the medium OF representatives; from
this principle It follows that every woman is en-
tied TO refuse to pay Parliamentary taxes. 1
see no valid reply TO such reasoning. so far at
=" 10 VI u'''"i .eu women "'o
=, .. os,roko'sh ,, uu,' says ,na'
III '.o p"ses y, ooaootee' WIN We i".nu OIL 'ne
a'su'heh, ,, WIN WING" .ne oa,l'e Vi wonans
e'ano,p"''on nus oe iouEn' III '"o o'n eren'
countries OF the world
In 1850. during the elections for the States
General. several pamphlets appeared demand
Ing the admission OF women and protesting
against national assembly from which half
the nation was excluded. With but one or two
exceptions. nevertheless the Callers OF the
states-General contained no reference TO tho
political rights Of women. When women
themselves made their voices hoard. 1t was
always. ut first. to ask for an improvement In |
their material condition. Thus In npetition TO |
tho hing. they demanded that men should |
not ply the Trades belonging to women. |
whether dressmaking. embroidery. or haber- |
dashery. Ere long. however. they grew boldor: !
the frenzy oil the revolution gave them cour-
age and they demanded full equality with the
other sex. Upon the Declaration OF tho Rights
OF Man. Olympic de GouGes published Dec
lnration OF the Rights OF Women. contending