Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1860-06-30
i'IInocent TIIrtatI0ns.'5

Ifthere is any feature Of American society
that cries more loudly than any other for,
reform, that feature per excellence is the
system Of airtatious carried on by married
women. -ae'e} e 'o. i-I
Niaetentbs Of all the divorce suits brought
by husbands against their wives for criminal.
itY, can be traced directly to ''innocent fir
tations." And the weak victims of an elope.,
ment can almost always look back to her
first error as committed at the time when
she received the attentions of another than
her husband These innocent flrtatious OF
married women are the denominations of
modern society. and tend to subvert the do
nestle relations, as visiting tipping shops
does drunkenness.
Sideuy Smith says--Show me q woman
who will not blush while displaying her
beauty, her charms, or grace, and you will
| have shown me one wtcse virtue hangs upon
a thread that word will cut" There are
some women who can always see ia the
many who Surround them in their conining.
lings with society, certain attractive points
that their experience tells them are not pos.
sesSed by their husbands, aud whenever
they discern one of these apparent excelIen.
cies in others they are sure to see cor.
responding deficiency at homie. Forget.
| ting that none are perfect, such women are
apt to magnify mole-hils of faults into
mountains of crimes Auu uneasiuess there.
fore, takes possession Of them, aud they
think over the faults of the husbauds until
ther happiness is destroyed, and they are
prepared to receive the attentions of all
those who approach them, hopping to find
a "congeniality" which their own imagina.
| tions have convinced them is essential to
happiness.
This disqsietude is heightened when they
consider that they are bound already id
matrimonial obligations which cannot be
severed and as society, though guilty of the
same failngs, perhaps equally with them.
will not look upon them with complaicency
in receiving familiar attentions ia public,
clandeatine meetings are next ia consider
alton, aud honor and virtue yield willing
prey to prevented judgement, and sensual
appetites. The wife seeks to keep from her
husband knowledge of her preference for
another until from her oft repeated intima-
cies with others. her heart is utterly estrang.
ed from him Theu actuated by guilt alone;
feeling herself debased beyond rederup.
tion, she throws of the cloak of privacy
aud energies into the world despiscd by
those equally guilty, and by society at large
Is proof of this needed Are not elope-
ments the order of the day Are not they
coming to be more prevalent than other
species Of crimel Divorces by the dozen
are ofcommon occurrence. and society is con.
tinualy nauseated by tales Of guilt brought
to light hy newspapers and the courts. We
are not sure as there is any remedy for this
state of things so long as parents persist in
training up their daughters in idleness, and
sons in luxury and efsmi0acy -utterly igno,
rant of the true aim and object oflife---with
only q parlor education for the first and a
'faSt life" for the otheF--haviug no great
; er care than to carefully ft their daughters
ia extensive appearance. for the matrimonr
ial market, aud to establish their sons in
''positions" among the corrupt Surroundings
of fashionable society, thus giving to both
an ontside show which Is entirely at war
with the real business of life. eis .g 9o
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