A  Perspective on Collecting     . . . words from the President
                                

                                             THE IMPORTANCE OF WOMEN

                                                                       

 

 

(Picture of “History Educating Youth” Silver Certificate from Educational Series of 1896)

                                                                                                              

                      It is amazing to me that our numismatic treasures are loaded with images of women, but very few of the images are of actual, real-life women.  There are plenty of allegorical and mythical figures here and there,  but there are very few historical images of women.  Of course there are the ones with which most of us are familiar such as Queen Isabella, Martha Washington, Pocahontas, Sacajawea, and “one dollar” Susan B. Anthony.  I, for one, am of the opinion that women deserve more numismatic prominence, especially in our times when so much of what we are is attributed to the presence and leadership of women.  I find it interesting to note the progress made by women over the last century.  My grandmother was into adulthood before she could even vote.  Now we are talking about the possibility of one, maybe even two, women running for president in 2008. 

                      This thought is in my mind for several reasons.  First, the issue is on my mind because I was studying the Educational Series one dollar bill featuring “history (female) educating youth” on the front and George and Martha Washington pictured on the back.  Also today, Tuesday November 7^th, is Election Day and I’m struggling with the Nick Lampson vs. Shelly Sekula-Gibbs thing.  Finally I purchased a fairly good sized book a week or so ago that contains the complete minutes of the Texas Constitutional Convention of 1875, the gathering that approved our Texas Constitution of 1876, the one through which we were allowed to “re-enter” the United States. 

                      I just wanted to share something with you that I think is so rare and speaks so aptly to the issue of women’s suffrage as well as to the place of women in general in society of 1875.  I know that there is not any particular numismatic connection here, however sometimes an item comes along that we need to hear and to enjoy. Also, this is a way to introduce our next club meeting and our educational program time, more of which I’ll speak of below.  The person presenting this petition on September 22, 1875 was a Mr. Weaver who was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention.  I hope you’ll appreciate the wording and intent of the message as much as I do.

   

                      Resolved, That women, being by the ordinances of nature, the mother of all living human beings, that, if we accept Hebrew traditions, the word “Eve” typically means the mother of all living, and that, as mother, wife, sister and daughter, she has the first care of our lives, is our nurse in childhood, our mentor in youth, our companion, helper and consoler in manhood, our comforting, ministering and sustaining angel in death, even at the birth, trial, death and resurrection of Jesus, in the beautiful faith of Christianity, constant to him in the midst of mobocracy and despotism; and that history, wherever she has had the power to speak and act for herself, in the great majority of cases, she has risen above the masses, like the full moon out of night’s bosom, to shine with the light of beauty, virtue, charity and truth, over the moral darkness around her; and that, in this land of republican faith and representative, democratic government, by every recognition of modern, enlightened Christian civilization, she is morally and mentally man’s equal; that the same “inalienable rights” that Jefferson has made household words in every land, where human liberty has found a home or an advocate, are as much woman’s as man’s; that she is a citizen as much of these United States, by the same natural rights of citizenship, as man; that the elective franchise, being founded on these natural rights of the people, and in as much as woman is of the people, and must be governed by the laws made by the people, and is often a taxpayer, there is no reason, politically, human or divine, (The Apostle Paul to the contrary notwithstanding,) why she should not have the same rights at the ballot-box that man has.

                      Resolved further, That the writer hereof believes that the presence of woman at the ballot-box as an American sovereign, connected with feminal influence of a virtuous woman, as a legal voter, would do more to protect that shrine of the people’s rights than all the laws to guard the elective franchise that have heretofore been passed.

                     

                      Just in case you are wondering, this was the last item of the day back on September 22, 1875.  Another member made motion to “table” this petition after which it disappeared into history.

                      Remember GHCC regular meeting just around the corner on November 16^th, same time, and same location.  We’ll have the opportunity to share from some of our “non-numismatic” hobbies.  Mine, incidentally, is collecting books related to Texas history, the quote above came from one of these.  God Bless . . . Richard