WOMEN IN AMERICA.

Waikato Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1772, 13 November 1883, Page 2

WOMEN IN AMERICA.

The political and social condition of women in the United States of Ameiica has been held up to the benighted and down-trodden women of this countiy as one woitliy of imitation on this side of the Atlantic. In the spacious new As sembly Room known as the Prince's Hall in Piccadilly, two American ladies— Mis I Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Miss Susan B. Anthony — have delivered addresses holding forth the inestimable blessings of the treedom enjoyed by Ameucan women, as complied with the abject subjection in which their follow-creatures of the female sex are held in England. In America we are informed that a woman can "do all that doth beenne a man." Mitrht it not bo said that there are many who "dare do more?" But these, Macbeth tolls us, "ate none." The young w oman that was held up by Miss Susan B. Anthony as au example to English maidens would ceilainly be lcgaided in this country as having lost quite ;is much of the womanly as she had gained of the manly character. We are told of a Miss Morgan, who is described as a tall young woman, uho went to Hoi ace (ireeley and asked him for journalistic uorU. With much practical good sense, ho advised her to seek for home woik ; but masculine energy such as Miss Moigan's was not to be denied. " Nothing daunted, &he went round from newspaper to newspaper, until at last the editor of the " Now York Tunes " lound out what she was fitted for, and made her a cattle H'portci — to attend and describe hoi so fails, cattle markets., and other similar meetings." The chili actcr of .1 woman who was found out to be fitted tor the duty of a, lcpoitci at hoisc fails and cattle maikets-is hardly one that it \\ as judicious on thp part of Miss tiuvin B. Anthony to hold us as worthy of imitation ; foi th< j qneiie& at once present themselves, Did the young lady carry a stick or a horse- win p, without which attending horse and cattle fans is haully a safe piocccding even for a man ? Did sho with the occupation assume the dress of the male leportei? How did she manage to exclude from her ears the language of the copers and drovers with whom she came into contact ? We are afraid that, m holding up this eneigetie young female as a bnqht example, Miss Susan B. Anthony exhibits more zeal than disci etion, and the advocates of a still greater extension of women's rights may well exclaim, " Save us from our friends." Another young woman was held up to admiration because she would not stay at home and help her mother ; but we are told that when she saw the young men going West and making their foi tunes, she detei mined to do the same. With a very small capital sho managed, by running at first into debt, to buy a tract of land, which speedily doubled in value ; and by selling part of it she paid off her debt, and is now exceedingly well off. It would hardly be regarded as sound, social morality in this old-fashioned country to run in debt and buy land in the expectation of its doubling in value, even if the speculation woio made by an enterprising woman ; but then we are not so enlightened on this subject as our American cousins. Nor can the example of Miss Harriet K. Hunter, who practised medicine for years without a diploma, be safely followed in this country, as there are certain legal restrictions, and in case of death the authorities, have an awkward habit of trying unlicensed and unqualified practitioners for manslaughter, a/id, if found guilty, sentencing them to imprisonment or penal servitude. It was stated that upwards of one thousand women were piaotising medicine with diplomas in the United States, doing, as the speaker said, their full quota ot curing or killing, as the case might be, and being paid for it. When the number of bogus colleges existing in the United States is taken into consideration, we are not surprised at the number of their licentiates of both sexes ; but in England, as wo have recently shown, the right to practice medicine can only be gained by passing through a complete course of study extending over several years, followed by severe and searching examinations. The women who have acquired the right to practice in England have fully earned their privileges. But the serious question before the meeting was the extension of the suffrage universally to women, which was looked upon both by the chairman and the speaker as a question of time. When that happy period arrives the women, being the majority, will have the whole government of the country in their hands, tor, by the judicious working ot the American Caucus, they can entirely ignore the views of the minority, and we may look forward to that period when the great majority of our representatives, and consequently all our ministers will be women. Possibly they may leave someoffices foi' the male sex to fulfil, and if such an antiqna ted and murderous, proceeding be ever required as the defence of the country from an invading enemy, the brute strength of the men might be required; but the general distribution of official positions will be indicated by a phrase well known and constantly acted on in American politics, "To the victors belong the spoils," and as the largest portion of the constituency, the women, will return the fapgest ' number of representatives, we may expect, sfjoulcj Mr .JTocob Blight's aspirations be realised, to find thjs, country under amazo.nia,n government. There are duties, such as those of the household and the maternal relations, which might be supposed to stand in the way of the full political emancipation of women; but doubtless these will be subjected to a radical reform, or possibly a complete revolution, when universal female suffrage is gained, and the supreme power rests in the' hands of the majority of the peojle, namely, the "froHWHt^Ths Queen,