Women -- Suffrage -- History; Women -- Suffrage -- United States -- History; Women's rights -- History; Women's rights -- United States -- History
Dr. NEVIN: Very well, then I should call him--turning upon Mr.
G.--worse names than those. Only one word has fallen from woman
in this Convention, to which I can take exception, and that fell
from the lips of a lady whom I have venerated from my
childhood--it was, that the pulpit was the castle of cowards.
Mrs. MOTT: I said it was John Chambers' cowards' castle; and I do
say, that such ministers make it a castle of cowards; but I did
not wish to make the remark general, or apply it to all pulpits.
Dr. NEVIN continued some time longer.
Mrs. FOSTER asked, at the close of his remarks, if he believed it
was right for woman to speak what she believed to be the truth,
from the pulpit; to which he replied affirmatively, "there and
everywhere."
Mrs. ROSE: I might claim my right to reply to the gentleman who
has just taken his seat. I might be able to prove from the
arguments he brought forward, that he was incorrect in the
statements he made, but I waive that right, the time has been so
unjustly consumed already. To one thing only, I will reply. He
charged France with being licentious, and spoke of the degraded
position of French women, as the result of the infidelity of that
nation. I throw back the slander he uttered, in regard to French
women. I am not a French woman, but if there is no other here to
vindicate them, I will do it. The French women are as moral as
any other people in any country; and when they have not been as
moral, it has been because they have been priest-ridden. I love
to vindicate the rights of those who are not present to defend
themselves.
STEPHEN S. FOSTER: Our "reverend" friend spoke of _dragging_
infidelity into this Convention, as though infidelity had to be
"dragged" here. I want to know if Christianity has been "dragged"
here, when the speakers made it the basis of their arguments. Who
ever dreamed of "dragging" Christianity here when they came to
advocate the rights of woman in the name of Christ? Why then
should any one stand up here and charge a speaker with "dragging"
infidelity when he advocates the rights of woman under the name
of an infidel. I supposed that Greek and Jew, Barbarian and
Scythian, Christian and Infidel had been invited to this
platform. One thing I know, we have had barbarians here, whether
we invited them or not; and I like to have barbarians here; I
know of no place where they are so likely to be civilized. I have
never yet been in a meeting managed by men when there was such
conflict of feelings, where there was not also ten times as much
confusion. And I think this meeting a powerful proof of the
superiority of our principles over those who oppose us.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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