Mariposa Democrat., 1858-02-18
Women's Rights.

Much is said and written nowadays, Of
women's rights. What, then, are her rights ?
She has a right to an education. This it is
not only just but expedient to give herman
defrauds himself when he withholds it; for is
not woman to be his constant companion; +;
Would he choose that his companion should
be destitute of ideas? Surely not The con-
versation of an educated woman is a perpetual
feast If the first pleasure of life is action,
the second certainly is talk ; and there is often
almost as much pleasure in talking about
things as in doing them. A man wants in a
wife not only companion, but counsellor.
No one mind ever saw all sides Of all subjects,
nor even all sides Of one subject; and the wi
sest suggestions, not unfrequently come from
the least informed. The Pythoness, the Syb-
lis Of old, were women, because women were
always supposed to enjoy nearer access to
the fountain of wisdom than man.
Women have right TO good husbands, be-
cause most of them mean to do what is nearly
right. When they marry, they have a right
that their husbands shall be men, and not
mere wrecks Of debauchery and dissipation.
Oh it is one of the cruelest of wrongs for a
pure and innocent girl to throw herself away
upon broken-do down victim of RIGHTEOUSNESS,
who is more fit for a hospital than to preside
over a family-the candidate for premature
decay and early death-the mind and moral
nature generally, in such cases, quite as much
wreck as the body; the freshness of life is
all worn off-the gayety of innocence is forev-
er gone. The life of such a man is cold and
hard, destitute Of sentiment and enthusiasm.
Woman is cruelty wronged when she has ac-
cepted such companion.
Woman has right to the society 81 her
husband Home should be his sanctuary, and
he ought to find his highest happiness there
If he does not, there is something wrong He
has promised to be the husband-that is, the
house -band-the band that keeps the house
hold together His presence there is neces-
sary to keep all right II he wanders away
heedlessly, something is apt to go wrong. His
authority is often wanted to maintain order, to
arrange business, TO supcrintend labor His
absences ought to be as few and unfrequent as
possible. Woman has a right to this, and her
rights are grossly violated when her husband
is often and unnecessarily away.
Lastly, women have a right to the earnings
of their husbands for the support of their fam
lilies. We never pass drinking saloon, from
the low groggery to the pondrous hotel, with
out saying to ourselves, here after all, is the
most outrageous violation of woman's rights.
We sometimes get glimpse of the interior of
these apartments and whom do we see thereg
Husbands and fathers, who subsist upon their
daily wages, spending the half or perhaps all
their earnings in liquid poison to ruin their
health, spoil their temper, corrupt their NOR
ais, and make themselves odious and loath-
some vagabonds, while their wives are at
home earning. by the slender gains of their
needle, the pttance which rescues their mutu-
al offspring from starvation. Oh! this is too
bad to be seen and suffered in a christian
country.
This outrage upon women's rights cries
loudest of all to Heaven, and If there were
particle of true chivalry in these degenerate
days. this is the first abuse in our social econ
omy which would be abated. Tell me not of
the barbarsm of the Malays or the Fejee ISL
anders, who roast their enemies and pick their
bones-ther enemies expect it, and would do
the like in return. But here the black hearted
cruelty is inflicted by friend the one who
ought to be the nearest and tenderest of all.
Our boasted civilization and christianity of the
nineteenth century-what are they