The Shasta courier., 1864-11-05
NUMBER SO.
A Cruel Wrong to Caiifornia--Hints ON the
Duty OF Husbands and Wives Hankerinr
to Visit :. Home', at the East.

unenuurabie YET most thuughtlessly done on
their part. Being thousands of miles away.
we can revisit them only at great expense in
both time and money. This expense the most
OF us cannot meet. while Of the few who can.
the vast majority can do it only at great in
convenience, or even severe hardship. Still
constantly from the East, parents, brothers
and sisters are writing to people here, espe-
c.aliy to wives whose husbands are toiling
under difficulties, and with anxist'es never
ssroaght "f by others. urgins them to make
,isit home to the East. Often have we heard
of these urgent appeals coming from aged ia
theirs and mothers there to daughters here. in
such language as this: We are growing
old, and fear we shall never see your face
again; do come and visit US once more be.
fore we die"
To what powerfully sensitive cords in our
nature are such appeals addressed, often most
cruelty agitating the feelings of loving
daughter whose Woodworking, industrious
husband can scarcely tell what to do, as he
sees the wife of his affection longing or even
weeping to visit Eastern parents, while a
band OF little children. dependent upon him
for food, raimeHt, education and all parental
aid, surrounds him, and he knows he can do
only a part of his full duty to them for want
Of greater means. Must he take much of his
little store ofand gave to his wife, the moth
er of the little ones. to spend in the enjoyment
of visit to father and mother. or family rel
atives at the East. while he is left toiling on
IA year or 80 alone. and his children must suf-
Ter for life beSause his means for their educa-
tion are gone. spent on that wife !? Or shall,
he towards TIE wife he loves better than self,
appear unsmypathizing and hard Of heart,
hxa. Al.
relatives, diminish her love for him, and en-
tail upon her IA sorrow for all the years of her
life? Oh. cruel, cruel is this alternative, of
ten forced upon him by Eastern relatives, and
also cruel is that wife that presses it upon
him
We have seen in California some of the no.
blest OF men. true husbands and fathe $,
whose whole being seemed nerved up in anx-
ious doubt and perplexity in circumstances
like these trying their very souls. And we
have known them to sacrifice much, send
their wives East, and exhibit an experience
Of sorrow vastly more deep than the joy of tho
wife was high. We have known them acting
as if the sacrifice had broken the cords Of af-
tection, and their conduct bordered on aban-
donment. We have known the wife to return
and we could see plainly that the warm,
sweet, oneness of affection was surely dimin.
ished for life, and they, too, were aiterward
less like husband and wife, but rather man
and woman in permanent business partner.
ship together.
Such things are cruel to us, and spring
from great wrong at the East. When IA
ther gives up his daughter in marriage. he
has no right to agonize her husband. by urg.
ing him at such a sacrifice to send her back
on visit. The doctrine of the Bible is clear
and positive ON this point. He (she) shall
leave her father aud mother, and shall cleave
unto her (himj and they Two shall be one.
Neither of the two has any longer a right to
30 love father and mo.her as through it to vio-
late the obligation, and interfere with the
new enloyments ard uniform life cooperation,
out of the new oneness, and thus
prevent the full advantages to each other and
TO their children, VIII ch might be secured, if
the new duties incumbent on them were alone
regarded. The cases we speak of are not rare,
for thousands in California are more or less
examples of what we here specify. We have
known mcthers to cry in presence of their
husbands and~children telling Of their desire
to visit once more an aged father or mother
in the East before they should die. We have
known families reduced from wealth to abso-
lutte poverty hv such visits Men have told
US, in their lonesome tolls, of such visits Of
their wives, tniking quietly without word
OF reproaeh towards those enjoying these Wis.
its, and then speak of the anxiety of wife
to return in a manner to show that it was
sad kind of relief TO unburden their feelings
in a simple rehearsal of the case. Yes. and
we here believe that we could see more or
less exhibition of feelings which put in words
would be g Let her suffer little; we do not
care much we hope she will learn to be
contented.' We have not heard such words
uttered, but we have believed we could detect
such feelings, and wife should fear 10 sub.
ject her husband to them. Parents and rela-
tives at the East are cruel in endorsing it,
We repeat they are cruel. and we would de-
mand Of them, in the light Of reason and from
the word of God. to refrain from it, and rath.
er urge upon their daughters to remain cheer
fully here with their husbands, ana here do
all possible for the common welfare of one
another and of their children. hoping to meet
only in heaven for nersonal reunions with
parents, brothers and sisters.