The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-11-06
THE LITERARY CLUB.
Handsomely Entertained by Mr.
Aur w. smith.

Mr.. Wilson read as follows:
Woman, undeniably, has many rights In
| She certainly has a right to be clothed in
| manner so as to protect her heal In and 10 pre-
serve her natural beauty, and she has right
to be furnished with all the apparel that may
give an additional charm TO her presence.
II being her Christian duty TO appear as
lovely and as attractive, as poss ible. she mas
| right to receive a sensible and rational edu-
cat lon.
She has right to be protected from the
blight and waste OF the boarding schools where
| her health Is elected, and where her Valua'
| BILE time and energy may be frittered away In
trifiing studies or In the pursuit OF alleged ac-
complishments.
She has right to be protected from con.
She has a right to keep her heart pure and
| TO preserve her mind innocent.
| She has right to our sincere love and al
| fection.
As to these rights we presume that there will
| be little diversity Of opinion.
reaching out, and as TO the proprlety of grant
Ing which there may be doubt.
Under the old civilization woman was
keeper at home. She was mans honored
queen. He loved her for her modesty and be
adored her for her helplessness. He Wor-
shipped her for her fidelity. For her
loyalty to all his best interests he gave
his hearts truest service. He was proud
OF her because she was an ornament 10 his
| home, and a leader in the works OF charity
and beneVolence. Her countenance and her
moral support made him courageous and
| steadfast in every good work and in what
ever pursuit he chose 10 enter she was his
guiding star in every struggle; and Tor all
who were weary OF strife or were borne do%h Dy
halo OF glory, furnished haven of rest II ne
went forth to earn bread, TO win fame, or to gain
the plaudits of the world, the splendor OF her
smile and the sweetness of her nature was the
impeling force and the sufficient reward for
the greatest self-sacriflce as we'll as an abun.
| dant recompense for the most sublime effort.
Buta new era is dawning. The New Woman
is on our threshold. Instead Of devoting her
time in College TO useless and trifing ac-
quirements as she did In former years,
| she is now directing her energies to those
| be independent and self.sustaining. She
dashes TO the ground, and away from her,
as useless, the baubles and trifes that engaged
h OF the Oa she ooRs 1
| the utility of the purpose and to the value oil
the art. Turning her attention TO the prac.
tical duties of life she proposes to be factor
living. In proof Of this assertion
| witness the overflow at the Winthrop
Normal and Industrial School, where the
young women are seeking. the mastery OF
those branches which may be of real or prac-
| tical value In solving the problem OF life. Be.
| sides the literary training. they are learning
| something Of the industrial arts. Instead of
music anu palQLluR tD6y are
learning all that woman should know to
become the lovely queen OF the home and the
successful manager OF the household. Instead
OF wasting her time In score OF non.essen-
requirement OF those arts which will make her
proficient on the utilltarian side OF life, and
which will enable her TO take an active part In
the struggle for bread In case the necessity for
Individual effort should arise. Physical
culture receives due attention while the
mental faculties are being trained. The use
full and the ornamental go on together, while
the body, the hand, and the mind receive
symmetrical development.
Less than thirty years ago, we had only
that kind OF female education which looked
| to the acqulreInent of those Improbable &C
! complishments that yielded nothing ex-
cept to the qualification OF an almless life.
Then woman had no property rights. The
avenues TO the arts, to the professions, and TO
nothing to do, except to stay within doors
and seek to ornament the home, TO grace the
| church. and to take part 10 the works of
benevolence and charity. She had no pro-
perty rights, and az a consequence her ambi-
tion to enter the fields of labor or Of litera-
ture had little incentive to action. Even III
she should acquire property, the moment she
married she lost even the right TO claim 1t as
to hold property either by gift, Inheritance,
or as the result of her own labor. Whatever
she might acquire was liable for the debts OF
But now the married woman Is protected In
her rights to property. The law specifically
shields 1t from her husband, and the Courts
are open to her for the enforcement Of her
rights, as against all others.
Woman Is now no longer dependent upon
others. She directs ler energy to law, medi-
cine, literature. journalism, bookkeeping,
and to hundreds OF other professions. as her
ability, her inclination or her opportunities
may dictate, and her success is oommensu.
rate with her ability and her adaptability to
her chosen profession.
Che c gppkinC the hQ l1nt thai che
protect her rights In property, and exercise
her proper influence In the Legislation OF the
country. The giving Of the right to hold pro-
perty necessarily involves the right TO vote
The right 10 hold property makes woman q
citizen, and being citizen II sesms that the
vote is needed we have q right to expect her
to come TO our assistance when we want her
help.
Property knows no sex. and whoever in
herits or acquires property should have moi
only the right TO go into Court, but the right
TO 60 further and TO vote for or against those
measures which affect property by taxation
or otherwise.
The right to own property should include
the right 20 exercise the privilege Of voting
for or against measures affecting the moral
welfare Of the people. Being thoroughly
Identified with the community socially and
financially, IL is possible that her right TO the
ballot will not be forever withheld. If the
town is TO Incur publ ic debt for which her
reason why she should not have as much to
say In 1t as does the impecun ious citizen
who pays no tax at all, and could neither
be benefited nor Injured by the result of any
election.
Can any man assign a tenable reasonable
for excluding the property-owning woman
from the right 10 vote on the question of
building q school house. or OF establishing
In the welfare Of the country as the humble |
negro. whose right to vote Is not questioned. |
Can any man show wherein we have a NOR |
al right TO tax the property of women by the |
votes Of irresponsible men, while we at the |
same time withhold from them the right to
their expression OF pleasure or sentiment?
That is taxation without representation. |
Can any man tell wherein her appearance |
at the ballot box would be more obJectiona- |
BILE than her appearance at the tax depart
ment OF the Government? II it be said that
she need not 90 TO the treasury, but can send |
her money by another, then why not allow |
her to send her vote and cast her ballot by
proxy? ANY woman who inherits and can |
hold property is vitality interested In the
welfare OF the country. Any woman who
can, with all the disadvantages that confront |
her. earn and accumulate money, certainly |
ernment as is accorded to those men who
neither work nor fill any useful place in life. |
While it might be well to draw the line. and
allow her TO vote only where her property is
Immediately affected, the question arises, will |
she be satisfied with that?
Or, does she really wish 10 vote at all, even
where her property Is involved? l have as
Sumed that she does, though am not certain |
that there Is any general desire on her part TO |
participate in any election. But It Is true that
the right to vote In South Carolina might
be held as q reserve power, which she would |
exercise when the impulses OF patriotism |
were awakened. In the war she did not
from selfish motives seek to Danish her male |
friends from the flreside, but when her
patriotism was appealed to, amid tears aud
lamentation, she sent sons. husbands and
brothers to the war. Women who could in
times of war, tear out their own heart strings