motive
to open them. You open to her the door of science: why should she
enter? She can gain nothing except in individual and exceptional
cases; public opinion drives her back, places a stigma upon her
of blue-stocking, and the consequence is, the very motive for
education is taken away. Now, I believe, a privileged class, an
aristocracy, a set of slaveholders, does just as much harm to
itself as it does to the victimized class. When man undertakes to
place woman behind him, to assume the reins of government and to
govern for her, he is an aristocrat; and all aristocracies are
not only unjust, but they are harmful to the progress of society.

I welcome this movement, because it shows that we have got a
great amount of civilization. Every other movement to redress a
wrong in the past generations of the world has been yielded to
only from fear. Bentham says truly, the governing race never
yielded a right unless they were bullied out of it. That is true
historically; but we have come to a time--and this movement shows
it--when civilization has rendered man capable of yielding to
something different from fear. This movement has only been eight
years on foot, and during that time, we who have watched the
statute-book are aware to admiration of the rapid changes that
have taken place in public opinion, and in legislation, all over
the States. Within the last four years, in different localities,
woman has been allowed the right to protect her earnings, and to
make a will--two of the great points of property. Aye, and one
little star of light begins to twinkle in the darkness of the
political atmosphere: Kentucky allows her to vote. Yes, from the
land where on one question they are so obstinate, the white race
have remembered justice to their white co-equals. In her
nobly-planned school system, Kentucky divides her State into
districts; the trustees are annually chosen for the State funds;
and it is expressly provided, that besides the usual voters in
the election of trustees for the school fund, which is coveted by
millions, there shall be allowed to vote, every widow who has a
child betwixt six and eighteen years old, and she shall go to the
ballot-box in person or by proxy. Kentucky repudiates the
doctrine that to go to the ballot-box forfeits the