The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-23

tional Council. The Countess OF Aberdeen
and all the momb ers:oi the political section"
OF the council were strong sufiraRists. At tho
solicitation Of an anti" Lady Aberdeen in
vlted the Anti-SufTraEe Association to be rep
resented. Mrs. Millicent Garrett :Fawcett.
who is at the head Of newcomers sufrr ige
associations.i in England, objected on principle.
and so did some Others. but Lady Aberdeen
persisted. She held that both sides ought to
have q hearing II they wished It. More
over. she had spent years in America: che had
had a chance TO know something OF our anti"
associations d.their line OF argument and she
probably ioresaw that IL they we're given an
opportunity to present their reactionarv views
befors that great representative gathering OF
Intelligent and progressive women. the only
result would be to cover the anti" cause with
riiicule. Truth thrives by free discussion.
All the arguments against equal rights for
women are based on ideas that are to- day
either Obsolete or obsolescent. and the oftener
such arguments are brought out and aired the
more apparent their flimsiness becomes.
Mrs Scott and Mrs. CABOT said that there had
been "a uiet but persistent opposition by
women to the suffrage movement for the last
hftv wears. They might with equal truth have
same sort of women to all the progress Of thu
It is often said that whenever the majority
But 1t 10 a simple historical fact that every i'm
movement thus far made in the condition. Of
mand from the majority OF women, but by
the arguments. entreaties and continual
coming OF persistent few; IN each case tn.
advocates of progress have had to contend r. Of
merely with the conversutlsm OF men, but
with the indifference OF women, and often with
active opposition from some OF them.
When a storckeeper In Saco. Me-. first en-
rloyed saleswoman the men boycotted his
with him the sin OF whrh he guilty. in
placing II young woman IN position of such
publicity as tehind;a counter When Lucy
Stone sought to secure for married women
with seorn. DO YOU think i would give my:
When Elizabeth Blackwell began to study
medicine the women at her boarding house ie-
he 70 sssE to de a9d psssg hs
It is a matter Of history with what rdicule
higher education Of women were received. not
only by the mass Of men. but by the mass Of
ford examinations we're thrown oren to wo-
men. the Dean OF Chichester preached a ser
mon against IT, in which he said
by tho sex at large. certainly. the new cur
ty extenied Eqnry among &c tlswome t that.
tireIy distrust or else look with downright dis
favor. on so wild an innovation and interior
In Eastern countres where wo re are sbut
NJ in .zneanns and forb dden to walk the
streets unveiled, the women themselves are
among the strongest upholders OF these ira
diuOna restrictions, which they have been
taught to think add to their dignity. The Chi
nese lady Is as proud OF her small feet as any
American anti is OF her political disabilities
Pundta Ramabai tells us that the idea OF educa-
ZION Tor girls is 40 unpopular with the mass Of
Hlndoo women that when progressive Hin
DO proposes to educate his little daughter it
Is not Uncommon for the women OF his family
to threaten to drown themselves
All this merely shoN that human nature Ia
conservative. and that it is fully as conserya-
tive III women az In men. The persons who
thke strong interest in any reform are al
WAYS comparatively few and they are habtu-
ally regarded with disfavor. even bv those
Tom Hughes saw in school DAYS at Rugby:
>, SO II is, and must be always. my dear bows
u the Angel Gabriel were to come down from
heaven and head n successful rise against the
most ahominable and unrGhteous vested in
terest which this poor old world grOans under.
he would most certainly lose his character for
many years probably for centuries. not only
vita the uhoders OF the said vested interest
but with the resIecrabe mass OF the people
whom he had delivered"
Many changes for the better have been made
during the lost half century in the laws. writ
ten and unwritten. relating to women. Every
lody APPROVES OF these changes now because
they have become accomn!ished facts. But
not one OF them would have been made to this
day II it had been necessary to wait Ill. the ma
)orlty OF women asked for it. The change
now under discuss sion ie to lie Judged on ts
merits. In the light of history the indiffer.
ence OF most women and the opposition OF a
lew rlust ne taken as II matter OF course. 1t
has no more rational sign iflcance now than 10
mems progress. ALICE STONE BLACKWELL.
DORCHESTER, Mass.