The North Cumberland Reformer. — 1891-02-12 (Carlisle, Cumbria, England)

SUFFERING 8 OF WOMEN." (Laughter.) 1 heir movement was to try and ameliorate the sufferings of women, by securing a representation of the suffering and abused classes of the community. Some people talked as if the world would be turned upside down if women got the vote, and yet at the present time she could exercise that right in the Town Council and other elections, which certainly required as much use of the intellect as voting in a Parliamentary election. The users of these clever arguments forgot that woman was ca'led upon for a far more important choice than that, in the choice of the person with whom she would spend her days, and who would rule her home.  THE: CHOICE OF A HUSBAND was far more important than that of a member of Parliament. (Laughter and cheers.) They were told that it was woman's province to darn socks and cook potatoes, and if she got a vote she would neglect these duties, and man would have to do them himself. (Laughter.) An opponent of women's enfranchiement was constantly telling one of its advocates, " Madam, if you get a vote, who will darn your husband's socks ?" At last the lady got into the habit of saying whenever he got up to steak, " It's all right; I darned them before I came." (Laughter.) It was asked: What would the franchise do for the women? What need was there for women to have a voice in Parliament ; would not men look after her just and true interests? No! they could not; for men could no more right the women than the women could right the men, for the go(xl reason that God had made half the world masculine and half feminine, and there was something in the masculine disposition, and something in the feminine disposition necessary to each other. The lecturer, passing from the influence of women in the world to her influence in politics, said legislation should be conducted on motherly, .as distinct from grandmotherly, lines ; and laws should be stamped with a certain amount of "femininity." Such questions as the housing of the poor, the supplying of pure and wholesome water in the dwellings of the poor, the erection of public wash-houses, and the appointment of women attendants at police offices, should receive proper attention. They were  NOT REVOLUTIONISTS in thus peeking to obtain the suffrage for women, but Conservative in the best sense of the word, as they were but seeking to regain a power they formerly possessed. Women used to have the power to vote at Parliamentary elections, but that privilege was taken away by the Reform Bill of 1532. Mrs Chant proceeded to trace the hi,tory of the social position of women in England from the robust and righteous Saxon times. The position of women improved in the Elizabethan age, but again sank on the advent of the Stuart dynasty.  DEALING WITH TIIE EXPLODED ARGUMENT about the intellectual inferiority of woman to man, the lecturer said that it had been founded on experiments made with the 'brain of woman as compared with that of man. The test had not been fairly applied; the brains of men like Goethe, Shelley, and Shakspeare had been put into the balance against sonic poor suicide's or pauper's, instead of against those of such women as Miss Fawcett or Mrs Elizabeth Barrett Browning. (Applause.) Miss PALMER proposed—" That in the opinion of this meeting the Parliamentary Franchise should be extended to women on the same condition as it is or may be granted to men." As a society, they had always made Women's Suffrage their one strong point, and were determined that in the future they should:do what they could to obtain for women the power to say who was a fit and proper person to be in Parliament.  Mrs .J. C. KENNEDY, in seconding, said that women ought to have a place on juries, because women felt for women as only women could. Men did not understand women ; men could not enter into her thoughts and feel for the poor fellow-woman who had fallen into wrong paths as women could. (Hear, hear, and applause.) The resolution having been adopted, Mrs HALL moved—" That a petition be signed on behalf of this meeting praying the House of Commons to pass a measure which shall include all duly qualified women." She must say that the lecturer had removed many of the prejudices she had in her own mind against women having the Franchise, and she would certainly vote heartily for it in the future. Mrs DIXON seconded the resolution on behalf of those unfortunate people who paid rates and taxes, but were not allowed to vote. (Cheers.) On the motion of Mrs Hall, seconded by Albs Waterton, a hearty vote of thanks was awarded the lecturer, and a similar compliment was also paid to Miss Palmer. Both ladies replied, and the meeting Came to a close.