The herald., 1895-09-23
YESTERDAYA1 THE CHURCHES
Larger Congregations Than
During Midsummer
SYNOPSIS OF THE SERMONS
An Able Address Upon the Subject, Why
Women Should Vote
Rev. A. G. Bane Bids Farewell to His Pas
torate-New Passionate at the First
English Lutheran Church


Alice Moore McComas who lectured at
the morning meeting; subject, Why wo-
men Should Vote.
She said in part: The question of wo-
mans suffrage has passed beyond the
phase of theories and arguments, 1t is
now an accomplished fact in many coun-
tries OF the world and in several states OF
this union. l am reminded of time less
than fifty years ago when the pastor oi
an orthodox church announced speech
of Lucy Stones in this fashion: Il am
requested to announce that hen will
undertake to crow like cock in the town
hall this afternoon ANY one VINO wants TO
hear that kind of music will, of course,
attend" | am glad this church is pro-
gressive enough to hear that kind of
music, for l am going to crow this morn
held in this country-hfty years
ago-was called hens con-
vention. and basely ridicu,sd by the
people and press. Then women speakers
were hailed by brick bats. Lucy Stone.
Aobey Kelley, Sarah Grimke and others
met this heroic form of argument. These
brave pioneers persisted in their deter
mination to be heard and the right of free
speech was thus won for women. The
editor of the Sprinef field, Mass, Republi-
can said of Lucy Stone in his own paper:
"You she-byena, don't you come here
But today that paper is staunch adyo-
ce.e Of wnman's suffrage. publishing
women's department every week. When
Mrs. Wallace, the mother of Ben Hur. "
as she 10 called, first raised the question
of womans rights in the W. c. I. U. in
Atlanta, Ca, the great audience which
packed the largest hall In the city arose
as one body in response to her request,
saying they favored woman's suffrage.
Education was easier after free speech
was obtained. Many people rememb Der
the odium that attached to "learned
woman" Some wise municipal fathers
once refused to- set aside good tax money
to educate She's These things can
hardly be realized so great has already
been the cnange in public opinion, which
still needs vast deal of education. Men
and women are now enjoying the same
educational advantages in most OF our
colleges. Carroll d. Wright, in his labor
stat stics, now reports 800 trades and pro-
LESSONS engaged in by women. Lucy
Stones first teaching was paid 81 week
this is less than forty years ago. We
have made great progress in this direc-
ton; in many lines of work women
are paid equally with man for
ECU Sg beautiful TG1 statue Many ~ Queen S yGg s.bs snw
at toe Midwinter Fair. Wien she. as
Young girl, wanted to study anatomy,
there was no medical college in the west
that would admit her. She applied to
DR.. Mcdowell. dean Of the medical col
lege of St. Louis, saying: II am an art
ist and need 10 study anatomy. Other
colleges have refused me. Will you allow
me to study In your college?" DR.. Nc
DoweU with all the chivalry of southern
born gentleman, said: You shall study
in my college and If any one lnterferes
with you he will have to interfere with
fc fhau OH Of oil ho
onsers in all the professions. yet to lay
they are al open to women No where
has woman suffered more disadvantage
than in the law. Elizabeth Cady Stanton,
the daughter of an abb. iurist, inherited
from her father love for the law, not
withstandiug her feninirity. She read
her fathers law books and grew so indig-
nant at their one-sideiness that she tore
out those pages referring to women,
thinking to help their cause in that way.
"Theewife's legal existence" said the
august male-made law, should be sus-
pended during marriage" She could
neither sue nor be sued could not own
her clothes. She had right to an ille-
gitimate child but if she bore child in
wedllock it belonged to her husband, and
with it her husband had the use of her
property MS long as be lived, and the law
called this procedure by the pleasing
name of ESTATE by courtesy" II wo-
man earned a dollar scrubbing, sewing,
writing or teaching her husband had the
right to spend it to get drunk and then
beat her. and If the stick with which he
beat her be no longer than the judges
thumb nothing could be legally done
with him. If a woman broke her leg on
a bad sidewalk shescould not sue Tor dam
ages, as it was his leg. Even yet in the
state OF Iowa this right is not granted
women. woman recently broke her
leg. l mean Der hus stands leg, and lost
her suit because her husband had not
sued with her. All this belongs to that
dear. sweet old time when women kept
in their proper spfere." In some states
now, including California, wife can
own her own property. If she makes
wages they are hers. If she writes book
the copyright is hers. There are twenty
law firms in the United States com posed
OF husbands and wives. You see we have
women enough to look after women>s
interests.
There have been more petitions sent to
congress and legislatures on woman suf-
rage than upon ali other questions COM
bined. Yet some people say that women
90 not want to vote.
Many of you know that the California
legislature granted us school franchise.
but the bill was vetoed bv Governor
Markham on the very Himsy plea that 1t
was not properly drawn Good lawyers.
however. tell US that it was better drawn
the progress in this country, Canada,
Zealand. Ireland. New Brunswick and
other countries have local suffrage. New
England gives its women full suffrage
and is proud OF their ability in public
affairs. DR.. Parkhurst is one of those
who could not at first see the need of
women in politics. but little experience
in reform has compelled him TO call them
to his aid before he could accom- plish
his reform. As Wyoming is the only
state that has had womans suffrage long
enough to have corrupted it, will quote
from its Legislature:
''Be it resolved by the legislature of
Wyoming that the possession and exercise
of suffrage by women of Wyoming in the
past quarter of a century has wrought no
harm and has done great good in many
ways; that 1t has secured peaceful and
orderly elections, good government and a
remarkable oegreee of civilization and
pub order, and we point with prize to
the fact that not one county in Wyoming
has a poor house, that our jails are
almost empty and crime is almost un-
Known
1t seems strange to hear preachers who
owe their positions to votes of three
women to one man, stand up and urge
that the scri ptures are opposed to
woman's suffrage. It is safe to say that
there are few churches in this country
where preachers are chosen by the popu-
lar vote in which it il not the case that
the preacher owes his position to the
women's vote and his salary to their
labors. There was time when women's
vote was not counted in the churches, but
that time is past.
warn the preachers who read the
scriptures that do not sanction woman's