Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1870-08-05
Equal Rights.
INDEpENDENcE, Iowa, |
July %, 1S70,


MY DEAR SNYDER You seem to
think IL very absurd that God should
ordain marriage through the laws Of
nature, by making 1t properly re-
suit of the association of men and
women in society. 1t is unfortunate
that His views do not coincide with
yours in this matter, but, for all your
wisdom, / am still inclined to accept
His judgment in preference TO yours,
and to believe His course not so abb
surd after all.
In your reply to my letter OF June
Goth, you say Of marriage, "Tbat re-
lation makes the t,oo, one. 1T denies
individual rights, while IL expressly
declares, they are no longer twain
but one flesh You and the free
toUer both dCny this relation. You
claim that they are as much two as
before marriage. That is, there are
two individuals Joined together in a
partnership for their mutual benefit,
retaining their individuality, having
the same separate interests, rights,
prerogatives and relations as before.
Now, my dear Snyder, the above
Is In many respects an unequivocal
misrepresentation of my position.
Nothing I have written could war
rant your assertion that claim that
married people have the same sepa-
rate interests, prerogatives and rela-
tons after marriage as before. To
my knowledge. no leading writer or
speaker in favor of women suffrage
ever advocated any such nonsense.
Why must you persist in continually
placing me in a false light before
your readers? Is misrepresentation
your only pillar of support?
You say marriage makes the tao,
one. DO you mean that their bodies
are literally one? A child would
laugh at such an idea. individuality
holds good here, then. Do you mean
that their souls are literally one ?
Every Gospel minister breaches the
doctrine Of the indivi 1ual responsi-
bility OF every soul, whether male or
female, married or unmarried. Can
a husbands conversion save n wife's
soul? Here we find the whole Chris
.ian pulpit preaching the rankest In.
dividuality. Why do you not cry
out against it and denounce 10 for
preaching free.love heresies? 1t
would be just as reasonable TO de-
nounce individual right and respon.
sibility in religion as I'm government.
One has just as much to do with free
love as the other-and that is, moth
ing whatever. DO you mean, again,
that their minds, thoughts, ideas,
judgments and opinions upon all
subjects are literally one. Such de-
struction of individuality Is OF course
impossible. The husband and wife
must of necessity retain the same
body, the same soul and the same Ca
pacity to think, after marriage as be-
fore. You will hardly claim, then,
that marriage makes two human be-
ings, body and soul, literally one.
The expression must be taken fgura-
lively. Bearing In mind this fact,
that the individuality of two souls
cannot be literally blotted out by
marriage, let us sec where your asser.
tion, marriage denies individual
rights" leads us. This denial must
of necessity extend to both or to one
of the parties concerned. Your ar.
gument is not that marriage destroys
the rights of the husband; hence the
only meaning it CAN have is that
marriage leaves woman I'm the pos
session Of no rights whatever as an
individual. She is snothing--her hus.
band everything. He is her absolute
lord and master-she bis humble aud
devoted slave. Thus, while you can.
not literally destroy the individuality
of the wife. you do literally destroy
every right which pertains to her as
al individual. The marriage ring
blots her out forever, so far as indi-
vidual rights are concerned. BY
your conception, marriage makes the
two one, and that one the husband
This Is all very fine for the man,
when rights and privileges are con-
cerned, but when the woman violates
the law, does the husband step Ia
and suffer the penalty? Ii tho wo-
man murders, does the husband pre-
sent bis body 8 living sacrifice to
atone for the crime? All! the ono
very suddenly becomes two here, aud
while her marriage, as you claim,
denies her all irdividual fights, she
must yet suffer every penalty for in.