The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1854-09-16

friends and friends hitherto strangers, support
ed her with their warmest sympathy and II
the readiness of the world in general to the
kindly honest, and to set right proved wrong,
could have acted directly upon the law, or
could have essentially served her without its
aid she would have had ample redress. But
it is the peculiar hardship of such case, that
no aid but the aid of the law itself, remote and
aloof can give redress. The feelings may be
soothed, but the wrongs remain.
And now began the most painful part OF the
sad chic whose nitiatory hymns had glided
into dirge a dirge for ruined hopes and
wasted youth. for heart made dcsOlate. and
home destroyed Il drge for shattered house,
hold gods and the tieetipgs Of the fond visions
Of her beart.
The suit wus ended, and the law had pro-
nounced the accused wife Innocent But the
law also pronounced the innocent mother with
out claim to her own children. They were'
their fathers property; absolutely and entire
Iy. He placed them with his sister, lady VINO
shared his. propensity for corp0rcal punishment;
and who logged the eldest child, sensitive
and delicate boy of six years DID, for receiving
and reading letter from his mother. TO i'm
press on his memory" she said, THAT he was
not to receive letters from hertz The yet
Younger was stripped naked and chastised with
a riding-whip. Yet the law heid back these
children from their nother's love, and gave
them to the charge Of those who thought their
education fitly carried on by such means
Time passed. and still the quarrel and The sep
aration continued. By a small alteration in
this same law of course-ths idol made ~ oar
hands, then detiled and wOrshippcd-~sbc was al
length permitted to see her boys But only al
stated times and at certain hours, and III tne
coolest manner. 1t was her husbands privil-
ege to deny her all maternal intercourse win
he sons, and he stretched his privilege to the
utmost No touch of pity dissolved the iron
bars of the law, and no breath OF mercy warm
ed the breast of the husband and MASTER
against the decree of the law, what was the
protesting cry of nature? A hollow whistling
among the reeds ola sandy waste, which no
man hceded-which no voice answered
Years trailcd YEARLY on. Long years OF
tanning down her proud heart laden almost be-
yond its strength 4; long years of battle with
the wild sorrow of her childless life long
wears. when the mothers soul stood in the dark
valley of death, where no light and no hope
were But the criminal law swept on the beat
en- track. and no one stopped to ask over whose
heart this great car OF Juggernant passed.
The mother-she to whom God has delegated
the care of the young-she on whom lie shame
and dshonor if she neglect this duty for any
selt-advantagc whatsoever; shea man wife,
and a man. lawful chattel--bad no right to
those who had lain beneath her heart, and
drunk of her lite, The law in this respect is
now changed mainly because this sufferer Ia
bored hard to show its cruelty. The misery
inflicted upon her maternal love will be endur-
ed by no English mother
The marriage settlements provided that a
certain sum of money should be secured to the
children beyond the power of the husband or
his creditors. 1t belonged to the mother and
children. The domestic tiger after years Of
separation from his wife. applied to her to cna-
bic him to raise a loan on this trust fund, and
she consented. on condition that he should exc
cute u deed of separation and settle upon Der
an annual allowance A lawyer drew the paper
she required, and five hundred pounds year
for lite,was settled upon her, and the paper
was signed by the lawyer and her husband
Three years rolled away. and the wife's mother
died. The husband Inherited the wife's life in
tercst in the fathers estate. The mother had
secured to her daughters by every legal means
possible. legacy Of five hunered pounds
year. The husband at once wrote to her that
as her mother had lett her that sum he should
no longer comply with the compact, by which
he had procured her consent toa loan on the
trust fund. The paltry wretch told her that
she must either submit to his terms or receive
nothing. and when she appealed to his bond,
he told her THAT by the law. man and wife
were one. and therefore could not contract with
one another y suit at law settled that fact,
and the Court said that her husband could seize
all her earnings and demand rs his own the
copy rights of her works and the sums paid for
| them. She could not sue for a divorce because
she had once pardoned the wretch, and by that
means shut her: elf out Of the protection OF the
| laws.
ohis is horrible leaf in the history of cvili-
cation that should be materially changed
There is too much of it in our own favored
! land.
We have made this summary preparatory to
~ n of q 1lj ian of ha
OF the Hon. Mrs. Norton from the press of G. S.
Francis Il Co.. Of New York
The edition contains The Undying One
Sorrows ofHosalic," and a multitude of those
miscellaneous poems and TRANSACTIONS with
which Mrs. Norton has long cntranccd the low
ers of poetry in England and America. She is
dcscrvcdly one of the most popular of modern
poets. and will take her place among this Brit
ISL classics,