The Washington times., 1902-02-17
HISTORY OF THE MOVEMENT.
Development In Recent Years Is
Rather Interesting.

Rather Interesting.
The record of what may be called the
woman's movement in this country is
rather an interesting one, especially in
view of the development OF recent years.
From the first women have taken some
what prominent part in the progressive
movements of the Republic. A few of the
recorded facts in this line are as follows:
The home of Mrs. Warren was the first
rendezvous of the revolving colonists. and
it was she who first suggested the idea of
separation to John Adams. before even
Washington had thought of it.
In 1776 tax-paying women were voting
in Virginia.
Frances Wright, born in Dundee in 1897,
was the first woman to give political lee
tures in America She came here in 1920.
In 1S4S Elizabeth Blackwell, the first
woman doctor of medicine, received her
diploma at Geneva.
In 1886 Judge Hurlbut, of New York.
wrote a book on Human Rights"
In 1910 Margaret Fuller. then editor of
the Dial" wrote an essay. published in
that paper and entitled THE Great Law
Suit; or. Man VS.. Woman, Woman VS..
Man." demanding perfect equality. This
attracted much attention.
In 1915 Samuel ]. May preached a SER
mon advocating the same theory Anna
Franklin printed in Rhode Island in 1872
in the first newspaper published in that
colony.
Elizabeth Mallet edited in 1902 the first
daily paper in the world. which appeared
under the title THE London Daily Cou-
rant" Its avowed object was to give the
news of the day without scandal or lam
pooning.
In iSiS New York secured to women
equal property rights, being the first
State to do so. Prudent Dutch fathers
were at the bottom of this. wishing to
protect their daughters from the schemes
of fortune hunters.
The Seneca Falls convention in favor of
woman's rights convened July 10, 1913,
and there Mrs. Elizabeth Cady Stanton
and Lucretia Mott first met. Some of the
legal decisions of the day, found in the
records of this convention, are curious.
In 1853 a court in New York decided
that the friends of woman who had fed
from a worthless and cruel husband must
pay her husband the sum of $4,000 for
having, at her request given her shelter
and aid a mother. left widow with three
young children found that her husband
had privately given two of them to his
relatives, and was obliged to give them
up.
At one of the conventions Antoinette
Brown Blackwell thus expressed her idea
of womans duty toward her husband
even when unworthy:
The great responsibility that has been
laid upon ME is the responsibility never
to sit down and sing to myself psalms
of happiness while aught suffers. Shall l.
if the man whom | solemnly swors to love
to associate with in all the interests OF
home, and its holiest relations-shall |,
if he falls into sin, turn him oil and go
on enjoying life while he is sunk in
wretchedness and sin? l will not do it.
To me there is higher idea of life. II, as
an intelligent human being, ! promised
to co-work with him in all the higher in
terests of life, if he proves false, l will
not turn from him, but | must seek first
to regenerate him. the nearest and dear
est to me- as | would work to save my
| children-who are next-and then turn
my thoughts to others
In comment on the proceedings of this
same convention the Syracuse (N. "
Star said
"Our usual amount of editorial mat
ter is again crowded out this morning
by the extreme quantity of gable the
woman's Fighters got off yesterday. Per-
hap5 we owe an apology for having given
publication to the mass of corruption,
heresies. ridiculous nonsense and reek-
ing yulgarties which these bad women
have yomited forth for the past three
days"
This is a comparatively mild paragraph
! of the newspaper comment of the day.
! 1t does seem as If an apology were due
! somewhere.
II may not be generally known that
women took part in the Witenagemote OF
| England in the seventh century. The
! Synod of Whitby in the ninth century was
| held in the convent of the Abbess Hilda
who participated in its proceedings. In
the reign OF Henry III four women held
seats in Parliament, and ten in the reign
OF Edward l. In the thirteenth century
I Queen Eleanor served as keeper OF the
great seal.