The herald., 1895-07-01
Abbot Kinney's Fustilade

Abbot Kinucy's FushIade
Editor Herald:-In today's Sunday
edition of The Herald Mr.. Abbot Kin-
ney has letter which needs an answer.
He appeals to religion In support of his
theory of woman's political slavery. This
used to be conquerng argument but
mel and women OF this latter day use
their reason when considering a ques-
ton in political economy.
See the orb of science rise,
WOOing thine enraptured eyes!
Meath her bright meridian skies
Shams shall disappear.
Shining in eternal youth;
Frauds consuming without ruth:
Naught shall stand her beams save truth,
To each vision clear.
Every side of every question can be tri-
umphantly proved by an appeal to the
authority of the Bible. My mother said
during the war that tne South would whip,
for sin the Bible, Noah said to Canaan
(tne negro), cursed be thou. a servant o.
servants shalt thou be all the days of thy
lite. Many church conventions at
that time passed resolutions declaring
that the condition of slavery that then cx
listed was "divine institution" and
proved it by the Bible.
This is an unpopular view, but must
not therefore be blamed for meeting man
with his own argument. The right and
wrong of any question can never and was
never settled by an appeal to an authori-
ty. The basis of Mr.. Abbot Knney's
case is purely fallacious, that the woman's
movement excludes religion. 1t does
nothing OF the kind. 1t is neither relig
ious nor anti-reig Ious. 1t is non-rellG
ious-a very different thing. The woman
movement is q straightforward ,resenta-
the female man $ right to elf-governmen.
The advocates of this great principle stake
their all upon the intrinsic merit of their
case-its right and wrong-without vex.
ing it with past prejudices or an appeal
to an unsubstantiated authority. If Mr..
Kinney can find many limitations that
the Bible imposes upon the woman, let
him ieme nber that whatever may be said
of the origin of that book, it has been
IN the hands of the male man for forty
centuries Its translation and revision
are therefore unayoida5ly ira ie- marked
with masculinity. Nearly il not quits all
the passages that show woman's inferior
ity GEAR the unmistakable earmarks OF
male invention. Their very God was
made a male.
Truth for authority" instead of eau.
tnority for truth, is the slogan OF tie
beings. They represent the feminine
principle that exists everywhere in this
broad universe with the solitary excep.
tion of man-mads garments, which, for
successful and harmonious operations.
make the worst showing of all. Women
are endowed with capabilities competent
to unfold these. They are part of hu-
manity-an equal part W tn the male men
they share its joys ana sorrows; they
help do its work; they contribute to its
character; they suffer equally with the
enjoy good one. Not only are women
interested in the general laws. but they
have sex interests upon which it's d,sas-
trous for the opposite Sex to legislate
alone. They claim to be interested in
government as the female sex-not seek
ing to trade places with the males, as Mr..
Kinney imputes-and they therefore
claim the right as a sex to have an equal
say IN what laws both sexes have to obey.
They claim equal intelligence with men,
and if Mr.. Kinney doubts this he can
speedily convince himself by taking the
platform in debate with Susan B. An
thony or Anna F. Shaw. So long have
the males Rugged themselves with their
starchy ideas of superiority that it is
agreeable to their pride to put the woman
question aside as female fad" But
hearts and brains are in their work, and
the women can no longer be shamed by
sneers and jokes. But however loud the
males have always boosted, many OF us
have long been haunted with subcons-
cious feeling that many of the high-as
founding things we are in the habit Of
proclaiming about ourselves from the
housetop. have no other foundation than
our vanity, bols.ered up by the possession
of the governing forces, backed by phys
ical prowess. and arbitrarily imposed
upon the weaker sex. And now that the
women--praise the Lord forN inventing
tbem-have found us ont, and though
faint heart meier won the fair creatures,
we may as well throw up the sponge be-
fore we reveal our bankruptcy Of argu-
ment more completely.
W. C. 8. RANDOLPH.