The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1859-08-25


by Furnishing his children Tor crying, at
the early age of six weeks, with severe
blows faithfully administered with his
strong right haud; and at little more
advanced age, this mode of discipline was
exchanged for a vigorous welding of
Birch and Hickory rods; which parental
authority was duly exercised on all 6tting
occasions, till these seven sons ard daugh-
ters were grown men and women.
Mr.. Editor, you will perhaps fancy that
this must have been an unfeeling art
less mother, to allow a tyrannical father
to take six-weeks-old infant from her
arms for the purpose of Furnishing it for
crying; but her silent tears on these oc-
casions, bore attestation of both feeling
and suffering. She had been taught to
practice that "heroic resignedaess" which
your Grandfather recommends to wives,
and IN those days, what was preached was
believed and practised But men and
things have somewhat changed since
then, and now Mans practice is better
than his preaching, in regard to Woman !;
men still believe in their superiority, but
less in practical cruelty than they did 6f-
ty years ago; and it has come to pass that
the word "obey," in the marriage cere-
mony, does not mean as much as it once
dld,-so that now we might almost as
reasonably expect that mother, under
the aforementioned circumstances, would
cling to her child with such death grasp
that it could not be taken from her, ex-
cept by tearing it limb from limb, as to
expect that she would unresistiuglv, sub
NIT to the will Of her lord and master,
'erhtdtttng only heroic resignedness."
1t seems to me that [ should have felt
so strong in my Indignation, and that my
courage would have so increased with the
occasion for its use, that I should not
have suffered a child to be taken from my
arms, for such a purpose, unless my life
was taken with it. At least, hope it
would have appeared to ME that reason
was given US to use, and to be "a light to
shine upon the road that leads us on to
God" .... ..-....
But my Grandmother endcayored to
follow the example of the "Holy women
of old'' and tried to be such christian
as St. Paul required women to be--she
"real;zed her dependence and her defence
lessness y; but she did not thereby seem
to build very "strong tower of defence"
and protection against her husband $ cru
city and tyranny, though she adorned her
self daily with the ornaments of meek
and quiet spirit, which St Paul recon-
mends as becoming among women and
never questioned her husbands ''divinc
right" to absolute sway over his house
hold. For did not st. Paul say
"Wives, submit yourselves to your hus-
bands as unto the Lord, for the husband is
the head of the wife, even as Christ ia the
head of the Church: Therefore as the Church
is subject INTO Christ, so let the wives be sub
iect unto their husbands, in every thing."-
% Adam was first formed, then Eve, and Ad-
am was not deceived, but the woman."--
Il Let the woman learn in silence with all
-" Let women adorn them
selves with meek and and quiet spirit; for
after this manner the holy women of old
adorned themselves, being in subjecton
unto their husbands, even as Sarah obeyed
Abraham, calling him Lord -" Man ought
not to cover his head, for he is the image and
glory of God 49," Woman was created for
Man Let woman see that she reverence her
husband. Let her be chaste q keeper at
home. Let her love her husbands children
md if she would learn anything, ask her hus-
I M 6orr !,
1t would really seem that St. Paul has
so we'll defined the position and duties of
the wife, and made her inferiority to man
80 plain, that she must be very dull, in
deed, if she do not feel herself unucrthyI
of him; and that it is a degradation in
him to love her. and folly in her to love
a higher creature, whose feelings she can
never hope to partake. This pitiless oar
ricr of natural inferiority must always di-
vide and torment them Man, by the
knowledge that he must live aud move in
hrs earthly home, alone;-and Woman,
by the feeling that if she should strive
forever she can never reach him.
This is very discouraging indeed but
it seems to me that if God should speak
directly to US upon this subject, instead
Of through the earthly instrument of mas
culine clay, named ST. Paul, Cor any 9th
er name,) he might more reasonably be
to say: "That when he gave
man a companion, lie poured the same di-
vine spirit into the Trailer form; He de-
MED it much that man has, and bestowed
on it much that man has not He estab-
Iished difference, but no iuferiority."-
However this may be, the wife of whom
we are, speaking found her belief in the
truth of St. PauPs preaching, to be a
great sustaining power in her many trials,
for she was enabled thereby to "e1hibu
a combination of those amiable and ex-
cellent graces, so desirable in aconan %
but do not think it enabled her to avoid