Last night Mrs. Fawcett delivered a lecture in the lecture-hall of New College Chapel, St. John's-wood, on "The Influence on Character of Political Conditions." The Rev. Johnson Barker occupied the chair, and there was a large attendance, mostly composed of ladies.
Mrs. Fawcett, who was very cordially received, devoted the main portion of her lecture to the question of the extension of the political franchise to women, quoting extracts from Mr. Froude's work "Oceana" in support of her arguments that the political enfranchisement of women would not only be beneficial to them but to the State in general. Women had been taught that their sphere was the house, and that they had nothing to do with politics. The healthy patriotism, the proud sense of being citizens of no mean city, which Mr. Froude said had such an important effect in making the character of a man grander and his aspirations nobler; had been denied to women, and the wonder was that under such circumstances women had as keen a sense of public duty as they had.
There might be some practical difficulties standing in the way of their enfranchisement, but nothing great was easy of accomplishment. Practical difficulties were met by limiting the demand to the enfranchisement of those women who possessed all the qualifications demanded of the male elector. The discovery that woman was a human being belonged to the nineteenth century, and women were now the only important class of persons who were taxed without being represented.
She was not certain that Mr. Gladstone, Mr. Chamberlain, or Mr. Bright had yet awakened to the notion that women were human beings, otherwise they would see that everything they had ever said in favour of the extension of the franchise among men was equally applicable to women. Women did not blow up gaols, or break windows, or loot shops and therefore Governments did not pay much attention to them; and, considering this, the progress of the movement in support of women's rights was remarkable.
At the close of the lecture a very hearty vote of thanks was awarded to Mrs. Fawcett.
.lcMrs Fawcett, one of the leading campaigners for the vote, muses at this public meeting that the government might pay more attention to women's demands if they blew up prisons or looted shops. This was some years before the WSPU began to use violent tactics, and when they did, Mrs Fawcett opposed it.
