MASTERTON DEBATING SOCIETY

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 863, 3 September 1881, Page 2

MASTERTON DEBATING SOCIETY

Thb usual meeting 'til the tyasterton Debatiiig Society ps heloj last" evening, fc DeOastro in the fjhair. A letter was rend from the Institute Committee agreeing to the terms offered by the Socioty for the

use of the room, and a vote of thanks w»* passed to the Institute Committee for the concession made to the Society, .. Mr D'Aroy, in opening the debate 6d " the advisability of extending th§ franchise to females," submitted that women were morally and intellectually equal with men, and that therefore their sex should be'no bar to their' performing any task, unless it was one involving physioal strength, which mah was capable of doing.' Women were as much interested in obtaining goed legislation ajrraan. Itf literary and pfiiianthroplbjabpra'the sex neWto'the fore aU ! the world over, and / he'oited numerous instances illustrative of/ feminine.heroijm and devotion. Eveii'in politics women had made their mark,'and in the family-circle who would hot admit the value of their counsel and advice. Latterly women had made great strides in pro-, feßiiona formerly olosid to proved'themsolres. fit for exercisirif]ifc£ privilege,;. The: legitimate result of 1 tIT franchise would bo for women to sit on local boards, and in Parliament, and heclaimed that the mixing of the sexes in such bodies /would be advantageous, and quoted the- Town; Land r Trußt as an example of a body where softening and ameliorflting elements were needed. Mr; Grundy would admit that some . women were equal to, men but he could not admit that the sex as a whole-were sobad we ever had a woman yetwho was equal to Shakespeare or to Milton t The admission Mr D'Aroy had madeof women possesing a very different physical organisation indicated that nature had designed her for a different tphere of labor. Women-possasaed a political influence which they exercised in the influenee which they brought to bear on. their husbands. Further than this they ought not to go, is to do so would lead to their registering vote 3 in opposition to their husbands, As a rule-' they were essentially indifferent on political questions; He admitted that single women:: holding property should excerise the: the franchise, but drew the line with married women.

' Mr Payton argued that the reason why women as;a whole were not equal mentally to'men was from want of iuUllectual training, and that with a training equal to that which men had they would be better fitted to be his companion. Mr Parker held,that if women .were, made equal to men in local bodies, and Legislative Assemblies, they would haye to be treated as men, and thus special Influences would be lost. He showed that women had been tried as officers in various public departments, and as a rule had to be put aside as a failure, In his opinion a .tendency, to spoon was a fatal weakness in the sex. Mr Arnold considered that if women were admitted to Parliament they would have so much to say that men would.not be able to get in a word edgeways, He was also afraid of the borrowing and expending; capacities of the sex, ; Mr Daniels briefly addressed the meeting on the question of the ''employment of females" legislation. Mrß. P. ! Perry while he-would recommend that worthy women should be accorded every privilege,' yet held that they did right in depriving the state of their services, in order to retain them for special work in the domestic oircle. Under any circumstances he would not give vain frivolous women the franchise, but he thought that single women after a certain age should have it, ;

Mr D'Arcy having made an able reply the question was put to the meeting and carried in the affirmative, by the castingy voto of the Chairman. if. It was arranged that the next subject for debate should be " Ts prutection desirable for New Zealand.' 1 Affirmative—Mr Hogg ; negative—Mr Park.