Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1857-04-17


which heed is due. In one word, tho writ
crs complain, in tho roundost terms, in tho
btterest Saxon, that they are the drudgcs,
the household slaves of money-gctting hus-
bands, who, provided they can Law by year
after year money Zone lady says $4,000 Of
profits, arc either Indifferent to, or do not
appreciate, the cares, sorrows and over-toil
Of their wives. We do not make these
charges, but they como thick and heavy in
various letters, the writing of which may be
bad, but the thoughts come hot from the
heart and brain. What asks one lady, is a
farmers wife as often found9 A drudge, q
slave Sharp terms, these. What does
she do? asks tho same queriest. Every
thing but instruct her mind. She has no
time for social enjoyment, for domestic
adornment, and hardly leisure to 90 to
church even occasionally. She tolls with all
the heavy claims Of observation-disclosures
ing, suckling--as though woman's lot was
not hard enough without being made to
work full up to the mark like the man day
laborer. From morn to night, and night
interrupted by the thousand anxieties of a
mother, she is going in the kitchen, the
nursery, the wash house, the dairy, cease
less round of hard and unrelieved drudgery.
What time asks our fair correspondents, can
such woman have to learn to do anything
intelligently? learn to cook as cooking
should be learned3 What time to give
grace and beauty to the table, when it is
spread, by her toilette, her leisure and her
Accomplishments? What is life to her but
a slavish burdenG shout chorus of fem
inine correspondents.
We are implored, conjured to appeal to
''the blunted or undeveloped senses" Of many
men in the country in regard to the treat
ment of their wives, booming them to "a
dreary slavery in the Free States" A girl
VIC are told, is married at say II, "and from
that her slavery begins: children come thick
rs blackberries; births follow in furious sue
cession; and the matron is but the cook,
washerwoman, dairywoman, housemaid soul
lion, nurse, slave" The husband in this
case, "what is he but tyrantF" He is pc
nurious--he grudges everything except his
own "modest" vices: that is, he drinks, per
haps-he certainly chews and expectorates
, his filthy tobacco, and as certainly smokes
and occasionally "frolcs;" but his poor wife
what care is there for her! Then in Amer
/ ica whether of the country or the town, you
have q great deal to learn before you appre
ciate the rights of woman, and as we use
these words we hope no fool among you viii
, grunt "strong- -mided," "bloomer," "horse
marine," DC. The great poet says:
I oman so oft unjust to man,
And always so to woman"
But yesterday woman in European Chris
: tendon was relieved from absolute slavery
: from being bought and sold like duml
, beasts, or like-2,000,O American-borl
: women. Now, in Europe, it is a fact tina
when one occupation is harder or more re
pulsive than another, woman may be Sc
lected to doit. We have seen such scene
. as this, which we give to exemplify our pc
sition: AT French port wharf was beinI
. repaired; it was necessary to drain POI
J ton of tho dock round about it; the opera
ticn engendercd stencil so intoerable tina
: the workmen recoiled, and-workwomel
accordingly were sent down to complete tn
operation. In France we have seen VIC
. man, gcarcd with a quadruped, blowing
On the Rhine they drag the boat. In Vi
emma they carry hods. And so through th
whole catalogue of masculine meannes'
cowardice, cruelty and infamy. Ever
!, scoundrel called great-the Napoleons, th
: Caesars, the Alexanders-dooms women t
v yet more ghastly drudgery by the wal
!. which kill of their natural protectors, de.
v troy capital, md multiply pauperism g
= was" says an American, "six months in th
q south of France, at the time of Napoleon
: Russian campaign. During that time di
9 not see six men working in the fields, bl
y all women-the men being dragged ava
r. for slaughter and glory"
+ Now, while we arc shocked at these citi
a tions of the degradation of European W.
\ men, and especially of the wives of Europe
an peasants, what shall we say of the w
men of our own country? American W.
men are either European-born, that is in
h migrants with immigrant husbands mo
it likely, or of European descent. Accordin,
a y our rural customs-as well as those of th
le towns-partake largely of the brutality an
e. barbarism of European life. Hence it
IN that the farmers, complained of by our ia
~ correspondence tiO hOI LiSdO InSH WIVES IN
is women, but like beasts of burden, after Il
is chivalric European fashion. Hence it
Of that such farmers-and be it understoo
l- we do not make the application except whel
le it is deserved-have not got out of ii
is slough of European degradation-have N
ur learned to respect the exceeding glory
le woman--her beauty, her charms, her dev
ton, her piety, her measureless work-whiC
is are the themes of inspired poets, above {
BY of a Shakespeare, who, if he lived no
y would give to the whole sex-to the poC
IT. tho obscure and the oppressed-the loN
he honor and ecstasy he bestowed, after d
. fashion of his chivalric time, on the nobl
born and beautiful.
Remember, men who turn your wives
to drudges, that tho custom of thus maki
ps brutes of women, is the lie direct to the te
uI der and lovely spirit Of Christianity, as W,
q as to all true ideas of humanity. RENEE
&c Der, too that our political system is CHA
Oh ly farce if social amelioration, and above
'aS "a the exaltation Of women, is not one of
VI fruits. If you are making money do
."r hoard il all, but use it generously and wi
~ ly, for the purposes Of decent life. Il
wv not better TO spend a little of it, that S
VI whom you have sworn TO love and cheri
10, shall be really loved and cherished, ratl
iid than TO be little richer and a great d
MS meaner at the end of the wear IN