The herald., 1895-05-09
Rabbi Voorsanger Says She
Has Come to Stay
WONDERFUL NEW WOMAN
Iler Highest Privilege Now as Always,
That Of Wife and Mother
Result Of the Ages, She Is One OF the
Great Forces in the
World

night, while he read his second lecture,
and that is not as disrespectful to the
speaker as at first glance might appear
The subject, The New Woman, Why She
Is, What She is and Where She Is, was so
powerfully presented, so magnetic in its
logic, force and manner of delivery that.
although DR.. Voorsanger directed his re-
marks sometimes to the men, at other
times to the women, and large part OF
the time to all, he carried conviction with
him, even though the immediate effect
was that of unmistakable surprise.
When he was telling the bald truth to
ths men there was an unconscious ex-
preston of serene com placency on the
faces of the women, while the men
looked a trifie too serious for comfort.
When the doctor drew a brief but bril-
liant realistic word picture OF the actively
rampant and extreme, not to say violent,
new woman, the gentlemen beamed
genially and cordially, and the ladies got
a trifie restive. But on the whole the lee
ture was so broad in its scope, sc just to
both sides, even though it was truth
bluntly put, that the lesson it taught
so magnifcently carried weight and
conviction to the minds of all, that the
new woman as she was presented by DR..
Voorsanger is more serious force in the
world than the majority OF men or wo-
men either imagine.
After sketching in couple of caricc-
lures that had caught his attention, and
relating an experience with the woman $
Press Association in San Francisco, all OF
which had been instrumental in COM
pelling the doctor to write the lecture, he
entered seriously upon his subject the
substance of which follows:
The new woman is symptom OF COM
ing changes in society. He who disre-
CARDS it is oblivious to the race. She
has thrown down the gauntlet, this new
woman. to the men of the twentieth CEN
tury. In taking it up on their behalf let
us be careful to do her full justie, for aft
er all, she will be the mother OF coming
races. and as such deserves the most
considerate treatment.
The main sentiment of woman today is
that of dissatisfaction. The male portion
of civilized soiety has dragged along with
it from the old Roman past certain rela-
tions which do not any longer fit in the
scheme of existence and government.
Difference and tender relationship and
respect. beautiful in themselves, are but
Insignificant Interpreters OF the two
principal conditions which always should
prevail, and never have prevailed, in So
clety--the equality OF the sexes and the
establishment of the law of mutual obli-
CATION. By mutual obligation | mean the
law that enjoins upon man in every So
cial and moral condition the same obliga-
tion as upon woman. There must be no
disparity in the relations they are
called upon to assume towards one an
other. There is not in nature, and there
must not be law Tor the one and license
for the other. There must not be a stand
ard for man and another for woman.
Man must not seek TO escape the obli-
cations of the domestic hearth. nor must
woman avoid, on the score of her sex. the
responsibilities that fall to her lot.
Among the Turks and Romans equality
was the expression of any courtesy. but
at no time was it a fact. The Greek re-
specte6 his wife, but he broke the law.
In much the same way, stood the relation
of the men of iron of the middle ages to
their wives. The age that produced trou-
badours and minnesingers must have had
an exalted opinion of woman, yet 1t seems
to have been much the same exalted opin-
ion as the indulgent strong have of the
helpless weak, such a loveable opinion
as the oak has of the tendril that clings
to it and. creeps from its trunk to its
branches. She passed on leaning on
mans arm. She was involved in the for
tunes made or destroyed. without "a word
of dissent. Praised for the excellence of
her own children, she was expected to ut
ter no surprise at the bars sinister her
husband sent into the world. sFrom the
standpoint of law she was no more than
q dog or piece of arabic land. Yet it is
indubitable that she was thoroughly re :
spected, loved and admired, and that is
always the old story.
But today the women speak out in
meeting and they are telling the old story
in new words. 1t is the story of inequal-
ity and violation of the law of mutually.
Who can honestly say they are in the
wrong?
Who dares to say that when a sensible +,
educated woman puts her wrongs, if she
has any in that light, she is either a
crank or an anarchist? They are right
mothers and daughters of ours have tn e
power of observation to greater degree
than. their predecessors and they have
learned to understand that they are in
volved in the rottenness of our social con-
dtions without their protest or warning
being needed.
Ali the wrongs done to woman are pal
pable enough; and all she can do as yet
is to protest; TO express her still unripe
sentiments with regard to this great law
of equality and mutual obligation. Hel
voice is not yet authoritative. She suffers
from the sins of man, just as she suffers
from the corruption of government. She
has neither choice nor will nor opinion.
Yet who will say we do not respect
womanhood. or that We are not inspired
with the deepest veneration for our wives
and mothers? But therein lies the para
dox; we love and revere them, but we dis
regard the law of equality.
Woman is the ideal OF purity and every
other ideal of which poets dream or sing
ers give utterance, and yet the law of
mutuality is constantly and eternally anc
continually violated; and this ideal wo
man stands one degree lower than thu
commonest male individual. Womenr
know this and they resent the wrong, thu
insult; they are beginning to clamor TO
the equilibrium of social conditions, ant
to conspire against the perpetuation o
ancient and medj eval conditions which
are no longer in accordance with our so
cial plans and schemes. They are right
and we cannot blame them. The nev
woman demands action on the part o
men-and that is all.
As to the first of the three questions
The new woman, why is she? | answe
because the inequalities of conditions of
man and woman still exist. Because il
the development of results woman ha
begun to realize that she has not onl.
rights which are disregdrded, but power
of the full extent OF which man know
very little.
He, the man, has not yet outlived hi
old ideal OF woman; she, the woman. ha
outgrown long since her ideal of man
The old ideals Of each have shifted. thei
places: it is mans fault and woman
misfortune.
The mensof today need stronger wives
Physically weaker than their forefathesi
their faults have also increased, or Ger
taiply not decreased. 1t is the effort TO
equilibrium and nothing else chat pro
duces the deep agitation of the present
It has reached every stage and avenue o