Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1870-07-14
one causeofrt.

philosophers, statesmen, grand ju-
ries and people are eternally trohb.
led about the social evil All mas
culiuity seems afflicted with its
proximity, and with tho prayer
"lead US not into temptation" lin-
ceasingly breaches and protests
against this power Of woman over
the weakness OF man--as If the
prayer we're aimed against the temp
tation instead Of going to it and be-
ing conquered by it.
While we would not abats any
whit Of zeal in this crusade against
the "weaker vossel,p we would re.
spectfully commend, TO all con-
cerned, the propriety Of a little
preaching to, protesting against,
presenting, indictibg, furnishing and
disgracng the "lord Of this lever
world" the ''head of the woman"
the proud paterlamilies and master
of all.
Instead OF giving morals and
Legislation this direction, the ef-
fort has been, for the past quarter
Of a century, to destroy all the
sanctions Of chastity, by degrading
woman to the level of man, in re-
spect to this indulgence. How
many novels, whose object was to
diminish the popular detestation OF
unehastity, under the pretsxt of
reforming the fallen, have been
universally circulated ? How ma
ny moral reformers have exhorted
the public with pleading tears, to
take by the hand, lift mp and sus-
tain the "erring sister," as if the
"once fallen women" we're not "for-
ever fallen!' This sentimentality
has been the chief cause Of the in
crease Of the "social evil"
All Yankees know that the fall
of New England woman, previous
to the past thirty OF forty years,
was so rare, and regarded as so
horrible as to be an astonishment
to the public. This virtue was the
outgrowth of puritanical discipline
on this suhject-a discipline all pow
erful over women, and not altogeth-
er impotent with man. Every Yam
kee of fifty years of age can re-
member when the sedueer could
not live where his offense was
known. We know of a case where
one of the "fast young ladies'"
(how their number has multiplied of
late years = fell, and was induced
by her seducer to charge it upon
an innocent young man; and so
great was the popular indignation
against him that he was compelled
10 run away.
He went to Central New York
and there endured till the day of
his death the silent anguish of be-
ing disgraced for what another was
guilty of. Such was the force of
the puritanical discipline by which
the social evil was rendered almost
a stranger in the Yankee States.
Hawthorne, in his "Scarlet Let
ter" and almost everybody else,
has united in arguing down, sneer.
lag down and laughing down puri-
tanical morals, and the result is
that grand juries perpetrate the
semi-annual farce of presenting
this evil in various shapes for pun
ishmcnt; but it has become too
strong for juries, jails, fines, law,
gospel-and for no other reason
than the breaking down of the old
sanctions that were more powerful
than law.
There never was chaste people
that did not develOpe this virtue in
the same way. tits said that Clip
sy women are the most faithful of
Ill the women Of the world to their
and to their marriage
VOWS. Why? Because a women
hat falls among them is not per-
nitted to live. An account is CIV
IN of a beautiful Gipsy girl who
eft the camp under the attraction
If music she heard from the town,
md engaged in a dance. She was
,aressed and loaded with jewelry,
At the close of the ball she was de-
aimed by young man who sought
Ter ruin. Sho rosistod for some-
ime, but finally yielded. The next
morning her body was found hung
0 post, and scarcely a vestage Of
he camp was to be seen.
All had left in gloom the scene Of
# disgrace We are told that the
was secured to bring the
10 justice, bot We near
II no proceedings against the Sc
lucer who caused it all.
Who will dare say that Puritani-
al and Gipsy rigor is not, ON the
fhole, the most humane method en-
his subject? An occasional exc
ution is nothing compared with
he moral and physical rottenness,
nd the inexpressible misery of mill
ons which such misery prod cas.
There is no hope Of return to
he old method of dealing with this
ubiect. The remedy is in moral
ulture, of which we are sadly def
lent. We must ceme to this, that
o seducer or adulterer shall be
ligiblc to any honorable position
4 society Women must come to
his, and utterly exclude from their
9ciety every unchaste man and IN
rider to be on the safe side they
lust refuse theacquaintance of any
AN that is suspect. - C9ncinnatS
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