Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-12-09

assure Hiil Iull mouse ana free en-
tertainment, but the writer resumes
the right to go right on digging coal
just as though nothing had happened.
IWoman's Suffrage and Mrs. Stanton.
Editor Courier: In reading over the
newspapers ofSthe present time con-
| tanning the words of commentator
and fulsome praise of the late and
much lamented Elizabeth Cady Stan
ton. am forcibly reminded of the
abuse meted out to her and her CO.
workers in the earlier days of her la
bors for the uplifting of her sex by the
newspapers of that time Verify the
world moves. Allow me to quote
from the Syracuse IN. W Star in
1852:
THE women at the tomfoolery con-
vention now being held in this city
talk AS fuertly of the Bible and Gods
teachings in their speeches as if they
could draw an inspiration in mainte-
nance of this women's rights stuff
1.-The poor creatures who take part
in this silly rant of brawling women
and Aunt Nancy men are most of
them izmizers whatever that term
may mean, l don't know of the rank
est stamp, abolitionists of the most
contemplate kind and Christian SYM
pathizers with such fleretics as VIM
Lloyd Garrison, Parkes Pillsbury G.
G. Burleigh and S. s.. Foster.
These men are all of them wom-.
ems Fighters, and preachers of such
| damnable doctrines as would make
the demons in the pit shudder to
| hear"
Yea, verify, the evolution of thought
has changed some mems minds, as
can show later on. But let me quote
a little further first.
In the Albany Register of March,
1864. was the following gentleman
| iy CD item: when these female
propagandists of women's rights con-
fired themselves to the exhibition of
Shcrt- retticoats and the holding III
| conventions and speechmaking, the
PEOPLE were disposed to be amused by
them, as they would by the wiz of n
clown in circus; as the performance
of 4 Punch and Judy show On fair
Gays; as the minstrelsy of gentlemen
with hlackened faces, playing on ban
jos, the tambourine and bones; but
they reyer contemplated that these
legislature and ask for the passage Of
laws sanctioning their wild AMI fool
ism doctrines. That was a flight of
impudence hardly regarded as posi-
Bile. No man supposed they would
abandon their private theatricals and
walk up to the capitol and insist that
their performances shall be held in
legislative halls. The people outside,
and especially those interested in leg.
islatiye work, are beginning to ask
one another how long this egregious,
ridiculous humbug is to- be permitted
to obstruct the progress Of business"
In comparison with the above let
me quote the comments of the press
fifty years later upon the life and
work of the foremost woman in this
work, and judge for ourselves who it
is that led us onward and upward.
In Chicago paper few days after
Mrs. Elizabeth Cady Stanton's death
| find the following tribute to her
worth:
Her long and beautiful life is full
| OF lessons for women and for men of
all kinds.
This woman proved that among
women, as among men, normal intel
lectual activity prolongs youth, pre-
serves bodily vigor and insures hap
piness in old age.
The woman who works to develop
her mind, who encourages good ear
nest thinking among other women, is
a benefactor to the race. Elizabeth
Cady Stanton was such woman She
was an honor to American women. Her
life was happy and her end peaceful.
May others like her be encouraged
and may her memory always be held
in loving remembrance by earnest,
good American women"
Then in one of our own state papers
find these words:
in the death of Mrs Stanton there
passes the strongest figure in the
movement for the emancipation Of
womanhood-a movement that must
claim large share of the thought
and attention of the historian who
chronicles the progress of the second
half of the nineteenth century
From championing the rights of
women before the law she easily be-
came the jealous advocate of equal
suffrage, not neglecting to fulfill the
obligations of wife and mother, rails
ing five sons and two daughters to
honor and revere her In her declining
years."
And so might continue column on
column if your space permitted. But
this will show that the trend of
thought is broadening and her work
has helped to liberalize the minds of
both men and women
Emily phillin