The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1869-09-30

>s..:..: NO. H. ~: !.
ing back into the dark ages; while to'
centuries he has owned and controlled
the proceeds Of her industry BY The
force Of this terse little statute: "All
that she can acquire by her labor, ser
vice, Or act during coyerture belongs ia
her husband"
The ownership Of master, and chat
telhood Of slaves have been pretty gen
erslly discussed and execrated in this
century but they did not extend be-
yosd the limits of this law, except in
the right Of transfer and degree Of pun
,ishment permitted by explanatory en-
actments.. The master did not own the
slave as he did an OK. He might not
legally eat him or convert his skin in
to shoes. He simply owned Lis labor,
as every husband in this country owns
that Of bis wife. The amount of equiv
alent differs in degree, not in principle.
The slave was to have Peck Of corn
and two pounds Of pork per week, and
two suits Of clothes . year, with sup
port and medical attendance in old .ge
and sickness. The wife is to have just
such food and clothing, and shelter as
her ! husband may please to provide dur
ing lis life; and the proceeds for fife
Of onc-third the property she has help
ed to acquire, if she survive him. She
can no more make provision for her
chIl q lren thaa could the slave; and,
like him, she is deprived Of Der natural
tight to their society Her husband
has legal right to hire her out and
collect her wages, or to apnul any con-
tract she may make for her services,
and and demand the proceeds from, her EN-!
ployer. e,... ....=
g ~ Under this state Of affairs We have
been told that "modesty is quality
which highly adorns a woman . and
every form Of protest BY her has been
pronounced immodest. Would :. not
that same quality be becoming to every
official member Of those churches that
have actively or tacitly' supported these
laws aud, when any one Of them
comes f>rward with his strong reasons
against the remedies proposed by the
victims, does it not behoove him to
show that he aud the organization he
represents have been laboriog in some
other way for their repeal? Those doc
tors Of divinity who hasten to protest
against woman's reimbursement
should propose some other plan of
emancipation, aud prove that they have
not been silent under the wrong, and
are not now moved to speech by fear Of
it's dlscontiouance.
1t is but beating the wind for any
man, or woman or organization to try,
to pcrpetuate the legal servitude of wo- I
man in the essential relation Of wife
The demand Of the age is free and it
is quite as important in the domestic
circle as in the cotton-feld or factory.
Wives. must be emancipated if for no
other cause than the unproitableness IF
the present slave system. Thanks to
the denss- monde Of Baden Baden and
PARIS, 1t is becoming more and mere
difficult for a man to support the wife
who has been legally degraded from
her natural position of -belpmeet and
equal partner in the matrimonial firm.
Man, in self.defense, must take his life
partner by the hand on the broad plat
form OF human rights and equality be-
fore the law, or the world sink into the
dismal swamp Of illicit love.
The completely Of the church in all
ages with the oppressors Of all ages has
driven the great mass of reformers be-
yond her pale; and in no other species
Of oppression has she been more ac-
lively in the wrong than in this en-
slavement Of the mothers. of tho race.
Satan is ever ready to quote Scripture ;
Gut, as the Saviour refuted him by =
weapon from the same armory, the
friends Of truth need never fear to fol-
low its enemies into the Bible. The
cause which may not be brought to the
light Of Revelation is one that ought
to fail; and those who fear that the
Sacred Books will lose their authority
unless all things remain as they were
when the fathers fell asleep need, only
recall the mania Of Philip Second, ant
other fanatics of the middle centuries
for killing sheretics andawitches in obe
dienos to Scripture; the opposition y
the Copsruicau system because Joshu
told the sun to stand st;ll; and to th
truths Of geology, because Moses ~rot
that the world was made in six days.
9 People are slow 70 learn that man
arts Of the Bible we're written fer Ii
then present occasion its precepts au
laws given for temporary use and ADAPT
ed to the then state Of the people. Fo
instance ). the laws for getting out (
II 49, aEG. ~ = t.1t trptSs n -