Women -- Suffrage -- History; Women -- Suffrage -- United States -- History; Women's rights -- History; Women's rights -- United States -- History
If you seize the young tree, when it just begins to put forth to
the air and sunshine and dews, and bend it in all directions for
fear it will not grow in proper shape, do not hold the tree
accountable for its distortion. There is no danger that from
acorns planted last year, pine trees will grow, if you do not
take some special care to prevent it. There is no danger that
from an apple will grow an oak, or, from a peach-stone an elm;
leave nature to work out her own results, or, in other words,
leave God to work out His own purpose, and be not so anxious to
intrude yourselves upon Him and to help Him govern the Universe
He has made. Some of us have too high an estimation of His
goodness and wisdom to be desirous of thrusting ourselves into
His government. We are willing to leave the nature of woman to
manifest itself in its own aptitudes. Try it. Did one ever trust
in God and meet with disappointment? Never! Tyrants always say it
is not safe to trust their subjects with freedom. Austria says it
is not safe to trust the Hungarian with freedom. Man says woman
is not safe in freedom, she will get beyond her sphere.
After having oppressed her for centuries, what wonder if she
should rebound, and at the first spring, even manifest that law
of reaction somewhat to your inconvenience, and somewhat even
beyond the dictates of the wisest judgment. What then? Is the
fault to be charged to the removal of the restraint; or is it to
be charged to the first imposition of the restraint? The
objection of our opponents remind one of the Irishman walking
among the bushes just behind his companion, who caught hold of a
branch, and passing on, let it fly back into the face of his
friend; "Indade I am thankful to ye!" said the injured man, "for
taking hold of that same; it a'most knocked the brains out of me
body as it was, an' sure, if ye hadn't caught hold of it, it
would have kilt me intirely!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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