Others appear to think that the happiness and safety of the world consist in magnifying the difference.

But when reason and religion shall rule, there will be no difference between man and woman, in respect to the intellect, the heart or the manners.
[Autograph: Very respectfully your friend Gerrit Smith] A stirring letter was sent by Neal Dow, expressing his great pleasure that women were taking active and decided measures for the suppression of intemperance, and closing: "It is absurd, therefore, to argue that the community has no power to control this great evil; that any citizen has the right to inflict it upon society, or that society should hesitate to exercise its right and power of self-protection against it." Many other letters were read from friends, among them Abby Kelly Foster, who said to Miss Anthony: "So far as separate organizations for women's action in the temperance cause are concerned, I consider you the center and soul, without whom nothing could have been done heretofore and I doubt whether anything would be done now." Strong addresses were made by Rev.Channing, Frederick Douglass, Lucy Stone, Mrs.Nichols, Antoinette Brown, Mrs.Bloomer and others.
When this association was formed a clause was placed in the constitution allowing men to become members and to speak in all meetings but making them ineligible to office.

There were two reasons for this: it was desired to throw the full responsibility on woman, compelling her to learn to preside and to think, speak and act for herself, which she never would do if men were present to perform these duties for her; and it was feared that, on account of long habit, men would soon take matters into their own hands and gain control of the society, possibly to the extent of forbidding women to speak at the meetings.

Many of the ladies, however, objected to this clause, among them Antoinette Brown, who refused to join the society on account of it.

So, yielding to the pressure, Mrs.Stanton, on this first anniversary, said "as this seemed to many a violation of men's rights, and as the women had now learned to stand alone, it might perhaps be safe to admit men to all the privileges of the society, hoping, however, that they would modestly permit woman to continue the work she had so successfully begun." [Autograph: Very respectfully yours Neal Dow] Miss Anthony, chairman of the committee on revising the constitution, brought in a report in favor of admitting the men, which was vigorously discussed.