Year: 1867

/ y
ton Of male electors ever Learned - no
one, say, can pretend that they ore not fit
to exercise the political functions Of which
every male householder is supposed TO be
capable. Is 1t supposed tha: if they are
admitted to the suifl ago they will revolu
tionize the State, or deprive us of any OF
our valued Institutions, or that they would
| be worse governed than ct preseatf No
one believes any of those things.


opJEcTIoNs ANSWERED.


| The house will probably expect that
should not rest my arguments solely or
| principally upon general principles either
| of Justice or Of the constitution, but that |
sh auld allege praci al reasons. There is
nothing practical in it at all it is a mere
feeliug-a feeling of strangeness. The pro
| posal they say is new at least they think
so. That, however, is great mistake, for
it is very old oae.


Sir some things were very strange TO
many of us some months ago, and many
others are strange now which will not DO
strange to some persons few years hence,
or even possible few months lence.


We live in world of novelty. The des.
potism of custom is on the wano. We are
not satisfied now to know why thing is,
but whether it ought to be. | am bound to
suppose that in this house an appeal lies
from custom to a higher tribunal, in which
reason is the judge. Now the reasons
which custom is in the habit Of giving for
itself ON this subject are very brief, and
that indeed ia one of my difficulties. IL is
not easy to refute an interjection. lutor.
jectons, however, are the only arguments


WHICH we usually hear on this subject,


which ii appears to me are at all difficult to


refute.


The others consist chiefly of such aphor-
isms as these.-poitios are not womens


business, aud would make them neglect


their proper duties women do not desire


the franchise, and would rather not have


it--women are sufficiently represented by


their male repreeentatives-w have


power enough already. | shall perhaps be


thought to have done enough in the way of


answering when have answered all these;


it mar, perhaps, instigate any honorable


gentleman who takes the trouble of reply.


ing TO me to produce something moro re-.


coudite.


WOMEN IN POLITICS.


Politics, il is said, are not womans bust


ness. Well, | am not aware that politics


are mans business either, unless he is tns


of the few who are paid for devoting their


time to the public service, or is o member


of this or the other house. The great ma


jority of male voters have their own busi-


ness which engl osses nearly the whole Of


their time but never heard that the hours


occupied in attending once in few years


the polling booth, or the time spent in


reading the newspapers or political treat


ises, has hitherto made them neglect their


shops or their counting. houses. | have


not heard that those who have votes are


worse merchants, worse lawyers or worse


nhvnininnc N f.lar fb IN


other people. One would think that the


British Constitution allowed no man to vote


who was not able to give the greater part


OF his time to politics. If that were the
case we should have very limited constitu-


encies. Is it not the essential basis of con.


sttutonal liberty that men should know


whether they are properly governed or not,


and by whom All those nations which
have this privilege excel most in the con.


Quoting all ordinary affairs. 1t is said that
the usual occupations of most women are
and will likely continue to be domestic.
, ask nre these occupations incompatible
= with a deep interest in national affairs, and


in all that concerns humanity? TO say that


they are would be as futile as the appre.
hension that artisans would desert their


factories and workshops if they were
taught to read.


TIE SPECIAL OCCUPATIONS OF WOMEN.
> know there is an absurd feeling-which
: it is felt to be shameful to express openly
that woman has no right to care abont
: anything except to become the most useful
, and most devoted servant of man. / am
sure no one here will say that the exis-


tence of fully onehalf of the human race
, should be for the benefit of the other half


To say so would be perfectly silly. Those
! who lave had the ordinary experience of life


know that without certain amount Of
mental cultivation the occupations ! have
, referred to cannot be carried on. 1t re.
quires brains TO use practical experience
but brains without practical experience
would go further than practical experience
without brains. 1t is thought the special
occupations of women are more antagonis-


tic than those of men to q comp rehcnsion


Of public affairs. Perhaps it was thought
that those who had the chief charge OF


the moral bringing up of future gener'
alton could not have an opinion worth
! caring about, or as if those whose duty il
was in the household to produce the great
est results with the smallest means could
not be compared with those honorable gen
tlemen opposite who manage to produce
such singularly small results with such
large means.


SILENT DOMESTIC REVOLUTION.
should not feel the confidence | do in
this subject if tie great change | advocate


was not grounded on previous social


change, The idea of a hard line of sepa'
ration between mans province of thought
and woman's belongs ID state OF Hociety
that is receding further aud further into
: the past We talk of the political revolu
t tions of the world but we do not pay suf
! fcient attention TO the fact that there has
taken place a silent domestic revolution
Women and men for the first time in
history are really companions. Our ira
ditous of the proper relations between
= them have descended from a time when
T. their lives were apart, when they were
, separate in their thoughts because they
: were separate in their amusements and IN
I their serious occupations. The man spent
! his hours of leisure among nen--all hit
|, friendship, all his ntimacies were with mel
1 with man alone did he converse on any
e serious subject the wife was either play


thing or an upper servant.


I All this among tho educated classes is
}, changed. Men no longer give mp their
spare time TO violent outdoor exercises aud
7 boisterous convivialities with male asse
: c;ates the home has acquired The ascend
!, ency the two sexes really now spend tbeii
q time together; the women Of the family are
c mans habitual sooiety--the wife is his
) chief associate. his most confidential trienc
= and often his most trusted counsellor. Now