The San Francisco call., 1896-05-08
SUFFRAGISTS CHEER So
Miss Anthony's Glowing Tribute to the Jour-
nal That First Advocated Woman
Suffrage in California.

said:
1.-The primitive woman by tradition is credited
with the invention of the needle, the basket and
the spindle. The needle may have been only o
thorn, the basket leaf and the spindle smooth
stick. But withal she was the first adapter of
means to ends. It may have been that man made
the first bread, but we can hardly think that
that the primitive woman made the first bread bv
grinding acorns and baking them. She may also
fingers and dropping in the seeds that were to
prove the foundation Of the harvest, the orchards
and the wheat fields of later times"
81 have seen the primitive woman exhibit her
good points on other lines" remarked Mrs Bid
well, land was much touched by it. A little In
aien boy was dying of consumption. He coughed
once when was visiting him, and needed to ex-
pectorate. Two old Indian women passed him q
cuspdor, an old woman holding handkerchief
between the vessel and myself. These Indians
diggers. Yet this is only one of countless in
stances of deiicacy and refinem ent among them."
Mrs. Marshall had HCtle personal observation
tsWhile way I'D in the Sierras last summer" she
said 81 saw Indian riding horse and beside
him walked the woman carrying 3 pappoose and
a large supply of household stun, but he had
Mrs. Nellie Blessing Eyster. a woman known as
a writer and suffragst leader discussed woman
"ln SaVageryi" subject tAat she treated In the
following way:
81 do not wonder that the ship carpenter carves
the head OF a womon on the PROV of his vessel nor
that railroad appliances and locomotives are ad-
DIR essed as she, for woman in savagery was the
first beast OF burden of the earth. From her back
TO the stately ship and the flying steamcar lies the
evolution of all that is involved in the word trahs
portation, or the carrying industry an act that
has sent our race exploring and possessing the
whole earth. Nor do L wonder that that gr eat
perverter ofthe plastic tendencies of clay, the pot
terS wheel, was described by the poet as 'Twirlng
her axis, and ever she turns forms OF
beauty doth create For women in savagery were
the first ceramic artisans and developed all the
technique the forms and the OF the pottery Of
to-day.
"Between the Eskimo woman at Point Barrow
and the Temple of Yesta at Rome, between the
arid plains of Arizona and New Mexico and the
Prytaneum at Athens, lie leagues OF distance, but
hafuT THA aFCf or ANN n ar
and the exquisite vases which adorn the affairs OF
the latter are the links of the ceramic art as in
vented by women IN savagery.
Women in .vagery were the first weavers.
Centuries the classical Penelope wove the
famous web by which she saved her wifely honor,
the Carib women of South Africa, the Aborigines
of America, Polynesia of Australia, the squaws of
Navajo the hupas OF california, In oref, me
tex, lie industry known as basketry and weaving,
and even before them had come the mothers of the
rs -. spnu.ng threads, drawing them out and
cutting them OF.
- nat climax of modern womanhood, the fine
lady, who by her personal grooming and intel
lectual refinement is an ideal of supreme art in
looks and behavior, had her beginning in saw
agery. In savagery women are the hair-cutters,
the shavers and tattoers, and this Characteristic
struggle for beauty in every direction, by every
woman. had a most refining effect upon society in
its infancy. In the conservation of the history of
language woman has played an important part
through her knowledge of folk lore. In all nur-
sery rhymes and riddles and iinges bits of ancient
phiology and traditional wisdom have Deen trans
mitUed for centuries. AS patron OF religion
men IN SaVaSery nave eQrlcneO Tidal ana national
mytholosies with elements peculiar 10 our own
modern ideas of heaven. as a proof of the strong
statue of Crawfords armed Liberty on the dome of
the Capitol in Washington to-day is called by the
American people the Goddess of Liberty.
At this era OF American women's political inc
quality IL is a cold satire. The lowliest of the
lowly to-day are the Andaman Islanders, yet our
boasted civilization may learn lesson from them;
for says the highest English authority, $50 far as
the contract OF marriage being regarded tenn
porary arrangement. to be set aside the viii of
other cause is allowed TO dissolve the union, and,
while bigamy, polygamy, polyandry and divorce
ton, but The rule, and matrimonial differences
soon settled without the Intervention of friends"
Among the WyandotteS, the Mohawks and Iro-
quois the social organizations form groups, all OF
which are recognized viz: the family, the gems,
is the woman. When q woman is installed as
councillor feast is prepared by the gems to which
best attire, and the genti chaplet OF feathers is
placed upon her head by the sachem of the tribe,
who announces in solemn nanner that this
woman has been chosen a councillor. The councils
are between the sexes, no distinction being made.
The tribal council is held regularly on the night
of the full moon aud conducted with great cere-
mony. Such are the organic functions of tribal
government in savagery, the object being 10 pre-
rights and enforce the performance of duties
Ferocous. wild, uncultivated, untamed, un-
taught, unciviliZed, unpublished, rude, heathensh,
cruel inhuman fierce, pitiless unmerciful afro
cious-al these synonyms for savagery, and
yet the phrase woman in savagery' seems q
paradox in that connection.
The road from the woman in savagery to the fin
de steele queen of society is long indeed. Who can
estimate its countless miles of toilsome travel,
its pitiless patient podding and its iourneyings to
and fro across the swelling Jordans of prejudice
and ignorance? The maternal instinct, the strong
back, the deft hand, the instructive aversion TO
aggressive employment. the conservative spirit
were there in flower.
The phrase the survival OF the fittest refers gen.
orally to plants and animals; but there is higher
law well a lower one of the survival of the
fttest, and the emancipation and exaltation of
women is always the synonym of progress. All
the social fabrics OF the world built round her.
Both web and woof are as yet sadly imperfect, but
Thoughts things. God help her to preserve
her holy Ideas.
Savage woman" remarked Miss Sever
ance, was innately honest before she be-
came contaminated by traders of the
plains. a trader was asked by a squaw to
lend her shirt pattern, as she wished to
gamble, for among those Indians shirt
patterns were standard currency-no silver
question bothered them. Well, that
squaw returned later in the night with
TWO shirt patterns as a result OF her gam
bling. That might have been considered
gam bling with a purpose"
Mrs. SWEET told another story. =
During one of my sum mer vacations" !"
she said, ~ noticed the squaws gathering
berries for the white traders. One of the
newly married Indians tried to get his
wife's wages. But she knew a thing or
two, and slipped her hand in above that
of her husband, clutched the money and