New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-04-14
wOMBN,s RIGHTS IN ENGLAND.

wOMBN's RIGHTS IN ENGLAND.
About month ago Lord Brougham presenteds
petition TO the House of Lords, signed by upward
of 1900 women, asking an amendment OF the laws
relating to women He said that he esteemed il ~
honor TO have been selected as the person to pre-
sent this petition on the importance Of the objects
of which he dwelt at some length. No one could
doubt be sald the absolute necessity Of applying
remedy TO the gross and grieyous defects-he would
not dignity them with the name of anomalies-of
which the petitioners complsined; defects which
pressed hardest on the most meritorous part Of tho
female community. He spoke of the liability Of
lsboriDe women to have their wages taken from
them BY brutal and drunken husbands, and OF the
impossbity of their obtaining any sufficient re-
dress, from the expensiveness of separation, and
the impOssbility of divorce. He paid high CON-
pliments to Mrs Jameson and Mrs. Hewitt whose
names headed the petition, and ended BY hoping
that Lord Lyndhurst would redeem the half pledge
he made last year on this subject. Lord Lynt-
hurst intimated in reply that when the Lord Chaa-
ceIlor (Cranwortb) brought in the bill be had
promised, for amending the laws of divorce after
the Easter holidays, he would have something's
say en- the subject
Times are changing surely when two great law
lords on opposite sides of the House are agreed on
the necessity OF some relief for the hardshps and
Injustice to which English law subjects one halt Of
the population. Nothing could seem to be more
more fixed and unchaDgeabe than the Common
Law of England with respect to women. Black
stone treats of their legal condition as part and
parcel of the Perfection of Reason. We well re-
member attending course of law lectures IRON
an eminent Judge in which he took especial pans
to show US how the Common Law in this psrtica-
lar was arranged for the especial benefit Of TIE
fair SEX and how any change mux be the wors
for them. OF course the conservative spirit,
the spirit is called which thinks an old sbow
worth dozen new improvements, is strofsa
in England than in this country, and
as any modification of the Common Law
must be a concession Of power on tho
part of with the niue points on their side, 'T
reformation of it was hardly to hoped for. But tho
women-luckily for them as well as for us-ha's
tongues and pens, and they have been doing TIER
best, many of Them to yentilste the atmospheric
England and purify it of some Of those gross 80
ments which made life hard for them there. Mn
Norton, Miss Martineau, Mrs. Jameson and Ms
Hewitt, among others, have done much to makesAs
men of England ashamed of the way in which hs
treat their women. Ii Was but the other day Ena
paltry fine was all the punishment & man wa
liable TO for the most brutal assault upon womsa'
not actually touching life and limb. This has ben
very lately remedied by the application OF severe
penalties for the punishment of these cowardg
brutalites, and with marked effect upon the Iowa
classes.
This is all well as far as it goes, but there ~
brutalites harder 20 bear than those that bfas
the body, against which the woman OF tenderef d.
ture has little redress from law. The letter
Mrs. Norton, the granddaughter of Sheridan,p
the Queen, laid bare the cruelties and torturing
from which genius and beauty and rank could no
defend her, and for which the law gave her no 10
lief. The anomalies, or as Lord BrOughsm mo"
Justly styles them TIE defects Of English law wnles
merge the identity Of the wife in that OF the nus
band, make her personal property bis IS soon %
10 DtT, nun
her children, are fertile Of suferings and wrong
to which We rejoice 10 see the wise sagae'V"
the Nestor Of English Law, Lord Lyndnu''A
and the versatile talents Of Henry broasE
am, who seems to be more than any oil nH
contemporaries like Charless Duke oil BucAns
ham. DOT one. but all nsnkinds ep'tome, u
rec,ed TO matter so vital to the interest and tH
happiness of helpless thousands. The Ia"
divorce IN England, above all things demands
reconstruction. Men and women should net
tied inexorably together "mo'tsa r'ri''" alter
life Of love and mutual respect is utterly kiie
out, to perish by living death AT w
there Should be some other way Of escape @'
womsn from coDjugal ill-trestment except thr'ee
the crime against marriage. Our laws IN TINS coz
try are far enough from being what they snoua
but they are much in advance Of those " E's''~