The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1861-04-26
Woman's Condition in Various Coun.
tries

IuC lnltIlVT COUullIOU OI woman IN AL
bnt II few highly civilized communities is
shown by the prevailing customs concerning
marriage. Everywhere. except la parts of
Europe aud America, her person is mado
the subject Of bartcr direct or indirect. for
tho male members Of hor family. In somo
plccos sbo is openly sold in tho market; in
others sho s privately bought with Gifts: in
sill others sho is traded Tor by discreet 90
bctwcons. But nowhere, unless among u
Icw favored nations, has sho any liberty OF
choco In marriage.
o! all the known empires Of Antiquity
Asssyria was the most nuciont. Ii was tho
Custom in Assyria 10 mako nm auction cvcry
year of tho marriagoabio girls. Tho
beautiful ones always brought high promi.
ums, aud thcso premiums. by not unwiso
law, were divided US por ions among tho
nglior ones, in order TO procure husbands
for tho lattor. Tho ilindOos wero another
ancient people. Among thom, marriage
was purely u commercial transaction.
Tho bride was always purchased from
tho fathcr, or, if her father was dead
from his male representatives. In China.
IL has been, from timo immemorial, and still
continues TO be, tho practice to mako tho
hand OF daughter means of cnrching tho
parents. Tho bride in China is sold TO her,
futuro husband, without ovor being consulted
and hnr husband can whip her, starvo her,
or even lot hor out for longor or shorter
term.
In tho heroic ago of Grocce. tho ago
which Homer commentaries, women wcip
sold by their fathers. But tho high price
VIII ch brides usually brought. proves tha,
theiy wrro held in considerable estimation
n one case as much as u hundred oxon, and
n thousand sheep and goats, was tho amount
of purchase money. Even afterwards,
when Grocco had become more civiliz I'd
womon. though no longer openly bid for by
competing suitors. were regarded as tho
property of their fathers or guardians. who
expected to bo bonefttrd by their sottlo.
mcnt in life. Even un Athcnian wife never
sat with hor husband at table. nor won't out
with him to dinner. Tho Romans wore
really the first, among all tho nations of
antiquity, TO recognize the just claims Of
women, aud, by so doing. effect Tho customs
of later times. 1t is truo that the old
Egyptians, il wo are to credit some writer's
looked upon tho femslo rs equal to the
male but thoro is no conclusive evidence
on this point; and tho influence of tboir
example, even If the suppusiton is correct.
perishod Nth themselves. But tho Romans
ideas of she interiority of women, gradually
learned to rccognizo hor equality with man,
not only bv social Custom. but by legislation
also. Even in this nineteenth century,
:horo are commonwcalths belonging to this
Union, aud civilized States in Europe, whose
Jurisprudence so far as woman 10 concerned.
might tuke pattern from that of ancient
Rome
All savage notions treat woman ns prop
orty her than as person. Among the
aboriginal tribes Of Now Holland, tho chiefs
mOnopolixod nearly all tho women, just as
in other countries they monnpolizrd the
cattlc or the land. Stealing women is com.
mon, and often tho poor victims, when the
theft is Intercepted. perish between the
combatan,s. Tho Caribs always stole their
brides. In Brazil this custom is por-half.
civilized tribes, by conventional fashion.
that girl, sought in marriage. shall bo car
ried off apparently by force Tho Circassian,
oven alter he buys his wife, as is the inva-
riablo practices, pretends to abduct her,
Among tho Celtic tribes of ireland aud
Scotland, il was considered manly. even up
to late period, TO seize brido by force,
nor were such marriages regarded as do.
grading by the victims. With our own
North American Indians, stealing or buying
is tho invariabio custom. Among tho Ma
lays, tho wifo, if tho whole of hcr purchase
money be paid, becomes tho sIavo of her
husband; but. to ovade this ancient law. il
has become the practice, in modorn times,
to leave small portion unpaid, in which
case, the bargain being considered incom-
plcte, the wife is regarded as her husbands
equal. Generally, in all countries advan-
cling in civilization, even Oriental ones, the
condition Of woman is being ameliorated.
Much remains to be dono, however, oven
in enlightened Europe and America Mar
riages in which practically tho bride is sold.
are not unfrequent in our own country, and,
therefore, occur oftenost, perhaps. among
those who pretend the most culture and
Recommendation what else but a bargain
and sale is marriage of convenience p
Phitad'lphid Lrdger.