Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1861-03-16

Legislation we seek will deveope aud individuality
that will result 10 antagonism in families. They
have more reason to fear antaSonisi;, il they do
not grant our prayer. Oppression changes the
smile Uf kindness into the tinge Of sesentn snt, the
look Of tenderness into the fierce and flashing
glance, the tones Of the voice, soothing and sweet
as the harmonies of heaven, when breathing the
language Of oonjugal unity, into harsh and discor-
dant accents, uttering menace and reproach. A
proper adherence Of the unjust laws that degrade
woman, rendering her a mere dependent upon the
bounty of man, and robbing her OF parental rights,
10 already kindlsd in her bosom, and the time is
coming when che will openly disclose all the sense
of wrong that has lodged itself there, and disdain
to hide Que emotion Of honest indignation. No
one need anticipate any abatement Of this dis
pleasure by Withholding justice on the other
hand it will grow more and more, by the food it
has to feed on. Woman has heard the clank Of
falling letters all over the world, and has earnest
ly asked, g Why may not l too be disenthralled9"
She has drank of the spirit of freedom and found
inspiration in the dsaught. Men may try to re-
verse the order Of nature, they may forbid the
grass to grow, and the seasons to change, or, as
the poet says, they may try to stop the thunder
bolt, and turn back the light Of the sun, but they
need not Try to crush out the spirit of Liberty that
has consecrated the middle Of the nineteenth cen
tury. They may suppress its manifestations for q
time, they may exile its Garribsldi, but the hour
. Of its triumph will as surely come, as did the sri-
{ umph Of Italy's Liberator.
. The WiSe ruler always seeks to avoid collision
between the interests of his subjects. Ispeak Of
men as rulers. The Cincinnati Enquirer once
q stated an undeniuble fact, by saying: "Politic-
+ ally, there are but two classes of people in the
United States citizens and subjects. The form
er are native born white mep, and foreign born
n white men naiuralized. The latter are aliens, me-
n groes, women and children" This states the
t case plainly, though not in language altogether
pleasant to The ears of those who wish to preserve
a reputation for devotion to the welfare of woman.
, A wise ruler, as I said, tries to harmonic and
promote the interest of all bis subjects. How ad-
mirably England's maiden monarch managed the
question Of monopoly. By a few words-a single
act, she changed the deepest indignation into ben
ediction that rent the air. The un,cise ruler i'm
poses burdens too grievous to be borne. When
the subjects Of flames H., resisted the heavy hand
that be laid upon them, be invariably said $50
much the worse for them" But when he found
himself an exile at St. Germans, it was SO mach
the worse for him. Only for that logged obstina-
cy, that petty tyranny, hs descendants who are
now wanderers, might be the reigning dynasty
over a nation 80 vast that her morning drum-beat
circles the earth with the sun.
Men say, our laws are very we'll as they are.
We shall not better them much, l fear, BY change.
One Gays, my wife and | get along we'll enough
now. Very likely. l trust there is not one man,
l hote there is not, in all your Legislative body,
who does not practically recognizes in his own fam
lily that equality which our petition demands. But
60 abroad, go into the highways AID the b~y-ways,
. go to the abodes Of wretchedness and woe, where
women toll late and early for a scsnty support,
and where children cry for bread anG there is
none to give them, and you will learn that a
large proportion of this suffering is owing to the
inferior position that woman has occupied. She
has had prejudice to oppose her, unjust lawp to
rob her, and barbarous usage to crush her. Go
to your pauper establishments, to your county
poor houses, end hear from her own lips the story
Of the widows wrongs. She will show you that
her dover being insufficient for support, she was
= thrown upon the generosity Of her children, and
= that failing her, there was nothing left in her de-
~crepitude and age but that humiliating resource.
1t is very well with your wife, I dare say, because
you individually, are so much better than the
laws. But how will it be with that daughter OIL
yours, who is now one of the brightest associa.
tions Of you- home--around whom cluster fond
: hopes and expectationsf She may not always b.
- the favored child IF afiuence. Others with hearts
as light, have been forced to struggle with mis-
f~ortune. The current of her life, instead of flow
~ ing serenely onward, radiant with beauty and pro
III mise, toward Il Universal peace and harmony, MAJ
&C. be turned away backward, and forced TO channe
its way through dark and thorny mazes, downward
and downward, oward unmitigated sorrow anC
despair. Oh why should you let the occasion sli,
now, to do justice to the sex to which she belongs
1t may be said that all the legislation which
" has had for its objec. the amelioration Of the hard
ships to which woman is exposed, is forgotten
Not so. We are sincerely thankful in behalf o.
that class whom the law has kindly gathered into
the family homestead, and guarded with intrench
- ments that no heartless creditor can surmount
And when we remember too, that it is impossible,
for the husband to alien the homestead, withou
" the consent Of his wife, and that his death. even
~ cannot eject her, if she have children living will
her, We cannot be unmindful of this benz 6cen
" law.
And again, we are grateful that when the hus
is band shall violate the provision which EXEMPT
Up from execution, goods or cha:tles for the Use of tn
> a family, the wife may bring and prosecute an &C
.m- ton in her own name, for the recovery of sucI
Inc property or its value in money. This is surely
step in the right direction. We are elated wit
'u' hope,for here appears to be an effort to resuscitat
ed' the legal remains of the wife. Ifthey are not en-
our dued with vitality they have The benefit of auton
en- attic machinery, at a given time, for a given obiec
I0u We rejoice also in the statute which enables til
; oil wife to make contracts for her own labor, and tia
ad of her minor children, and collect earnings whe
not her husband is Incorporate, although it wi
In not be of much practical use, for women will b
SIX very slow to avail themselves Of its advantage,
YER 10 cases Of extreme drunkenness. only, does th
be wife gather force enough from her necessities,
II - 80 HH .. .N .r.HL H|.| H| -