The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1854-09-16
A Leaf in English History on the Wronsscf Wo.
man-The Hon. Mrs. Norton and her Bafones
Renr Narf0u,S POEMS

| man-The Hon. Mrs. Norton aud her Barone'
or Bear-Mrs. Norton's Poems.
The Household Words of Dickens, recently
exposed the conduct OF that miserable specimen
of the household tyrant, known as the husband
of the Hon. Mrs. Norton. He is. probably. IN
the estimation of welt informed circles. the
mos, thoroughly disgraced Englishman outside
of d penitentiary or the domains OF penal col
ony The wretch had the ternerity recently to
attack her in e London paper, and the attack
called forth the most whitening exposition we
remember to have read. He was proved to be
a shameless voator of the most solemn COM
pacts, a reckless calumniator Of the mother OF
his children and domestic tyrant OF the worst
species. So thorough was the exposure so pow
erfully did Mrs. Norton plead for reform in the
laws regulating marital rights, and so great
were the wrongs permitted and sustained ny
the laws. that the attention of Parliament was
called to the subject and material alterations
were made in the laws regulating the rights of
man and wife. Hereafter, future Nortuns. IN
playing the tiger on the domestic hearth will
find their fangs drawn.and their taCns clipped.
The future wives Of England who mag he sub
jcct to the attempts of such fellows as Norton,
will have cause to bless the memory OF the mar.
tyr wife and mother. whose sufferlnss and
wrongs invoked the interposition OF Parliament
and provided remedy for evils which have
cursed and blighted her life. There is scarcely
to be found anywhere chapter Of wrongs that
EQUALS that which records the evils of the life
, of the Hon Mrs. Norton.
In order to show the extent of these griev
Gus wrongs we present short account OF the
conduct Of the debased husband of the Hon.
: Mrs Norton, as set forth in Dickens Household
Words:
The gold of the blazoned book was soon tar
nishcd 1t, turned leaves told of love certain
ly but of love whose passion, when 1t was
' burned out left no friendship nor mental SYM
, pathy to keep alive the pale ashes. On the con-
: trary, quarrels soon took the place of fading
caresses and bitter words echoed the los. sounds
=. of fond phrases no real heart union wOve fresh
ties in place of the fragile bands which burnt
. like flax III their own fire but with the honey
moon died out the affection which ought to have
lived through the hard probation of time, and
suffering aud distress. 1t had been owe match
G but it was an ill-sortcd match as well and
: want of sympathy soon deepened int, bitter
, ness and thence fell backward into haired and
disgust The husband was a man violent
= temper. and held supreme views on marital
i privileges. His wife young. impassionc eau
4 ttul and clever, was none the less his c;.ttel.
and he treated her as such. By bitter personal
> experience, he taught her that the law which
: gave him all but uncontrolled power over her
: as his property, was not always the duty OF the
n strong to protect the weak, but might some
=, tmes-evcn in the hands of English gentlemen
u be translated into the right OF the tyraEt to
S Cypress the helpless. From high words the
. transition to rough deeds was easy and natural.
., Matters grew gradually worse ;quarres became
more bitter and more frequent. and personal
violence increased. More than once she was
n in mortal fear, with marks of fingers her
: throat, and cuts and bruises on her head more
than once relations intcrposed to save her from
further violence. In thes, quarrels she was not
wholly blameless. The rash passion Of a hi gh-
: spirited gill was not the temper best suited to
n such a husbands wife, Less imaginative and
y less feeling. she might have better borne the
: peculiar mode of showing displeasure to which
he resOrted and had she been of lower Or
$ ganzatlon. she might have more power over u
man who did not appreciate her intellect the
beauty of her rich nature. AS it was-he too
violent to control his temper on the one side !;
she, too rash and eager to conceal her pain and
y disgust on the Other-their unhappincss became
L. public, and by its very publicity seemed to gain
in strength. Friends interfercd, many throng-
: ing about her. some to advise patience: some
} resolutions: some to appeal to her wiiely love.
IS and others to her woman dignity; and she. halt
ing between the two. now consented to endure:
and now resolved to resist. So things went on
=, ina sad unhingcd manner; outbreaks continuity
" occurring, followed by promises Of reformation
L and renewed acts of forgiveness: but no solid
S peace established. and real wish to amend.
n Once she left the house, after a long and angry
:, scene. during which he struck her, and that
= with no gentle hand either until heart broken
y petitions and solemn engagements touched her
woman pity, and changed her anger in to Sor-
row. She thought. too. Of her own mlsdccds
If magnitied the petty tempers and grlish imper-
tinences which had been punished so severely;
took herself to task. while the tears strcalncd
\. from her dark eyes and stepped the black hair
hanging on her neck until at last ina gination
4 and repentance weighed down the balance of
evil on her own side. And then he was her h,is-
&c band the father of her children, and once her
W lover so beloved We all have faults and we
e all need pardon, she thought; and so she forgave
4 him. as she had done before, and returned sub
missive1y to his house. This was what the Ec-
u clesiastlcal law call conformation. And bv this
d act OF love and mercy she deprived herself of
even the small amount of protection afforded
by the law to English wives of the nineteenth
century.
C They had now three children, who made up
J. the sole summer time of her heart Only those
who know what sunshine the love of young and
innocent children creates in the misty dark
ness OF an unhappy life. can appreciate her
c love for hers--threc bright, noble boys How
she loved them! How passionately and how
tcnderly! Their lisping voices charmed away
! her griefs, and their young bright eyes and ca
ger love made her forget that she had ever
; cause for regret or for fear. For their sakes
l. she endeavorcd to he patient. Her love for
n them S too strong to be sacrificed even to
:, her outraged wOmanhood; and that she might
remain near them, and carcss them, and edu-
> cate them. she bore her trials now coming fast
If and thick upon her. with forbcarance, if not
with silence.
/ But matters came at last to a climax though
sooner and on different grounds than might
have been expected. She and her husband
u parted ona trivial question of itself, but with
1 grave results a mere dispute as to whether
the children should accompany their mother
on visit to one of her brother. who was avow-
eddy very extraordinary that he should be so.
after the married life she had led y unfricndly
to her husband. twas at last decided that
they should not go. and after II bitter struggle.
Far more was involved in this question than
appear on the surface, her rights TO the man
agement of her sons. even in the most trihing
0 matters. was the real point of contention; the
mother was Obliged to Weld and she wont