Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1871-1872, 1871-07-07
HENS RIGHTS.
The History of the Great Reform
movement.

3AAA ~ NF
cocks and about a dozen hens. The cocks
were "a me and of the best breed, and were
renarka bic for their pluck and ~gallanIry, as
we'll "a for their devotion and attention to
their wi YES. When food was thrown to them
thew never partook Of il before calling up
the hens and seeing that they were served
6rst, and, whenever they CHANGED to find g
sAvory bug or to scratch up u delicate worm,
they always denied themselves the luxury
and invited the hens TO enjoy it in prefer
ence, thus showing their chief qualification
consisted in the comfort and happiness OF
their helpmstes. And the hens were not
slow to avail themselves of the self-denial
and politeness of their husbands, but
gobbled up grain, worms and bugs without
even saying Thank YOU" or won't you
Join u.s." They seemed to look upon these
delicate attentions of their lords, and the
appropriation of all the best things to
themselves, as their natural and inherent
right.
On the other hand, the hens were loving,
gentle and obedient, and attended to domes
tic duties notably; laying their eggs with
regularity and dispatch, sitting on them
carefully and patiently, and raising their
chickens in the most Sffectionate and de-
voted manner. Both men and women, if
their pride permitted, might draw instruct
i've lessons from the social life Of this family
of domestic fowls. The men might copy
after the cock in the courage, self-denial,
and those pleasing little attentions which
are so much appreciated by their wives; and
the women might initiate the hens ia their
regularity, patience, diligence and industry;
in their devotion to their children and 10
their respect for, and submission to, their
husbands.
One day this family Of fowls was visited
by two strange hens that had Just arrived
from Massachusetts. The strangers were
tall, rAw-boned, long-hggsd, long-necked,
aud big-foOIed, and had coarse, harsh
voices. Without invitation or introd uctlOn
they strided into the bsrn-yard, and circu-
lated amongst the hens, and conversed with
them in as free and essy a style as if they
had known them ell their lives. Indeed,
Que would have supposed that the barn
yard belonged to them. After q few re-
marks upon the late war and the scarcity OF
Of cocks, they requested the hens to sspa-
rate themselves from the ROSTERS and to
collect in a corner of the yard, as they had
matters of vast importance to communicate
10 them. The curiosity of the hens being
thus excited, they fled off f~artively to the
appointed corner, and formed a circle around
their new acquaintance, aud IN solemn and
respectful silence listened to one of them,
who thus addressed them
"Ladies-l have called you together to
address you on a subject Of paramount i'm
portsnce, not only to your own comfort and
happiness, bat to the future success and
progress of your prosperity, and of all civil,
lad n0nlfrv Va, - gvora oF tba ao,a-F-
ed idea that in the beginning Of shis world
she male portion Of creation was made first,
and that the female was created as a sort
of Afterthought or side Issue, to relieve the
male from the tedium of being alone and to
contribute to this comfort and pleasure.
There is no doubt that, acting upon this
idea, the male has constituted himself the
lord of creation, and has set himself up as
beng the superior of the female, and taking
a mean advantage of his greater size aud
strength. has imposed upon the female al
the cares and drudEery of this life. Espec-
Tally is this the case with the feathered
tribe, and pre-eminently so with that portion
of it shat We represent. Upon the female
portion Of our tribe have been imposed All
the Inconvenience end labor of lay ing eggs.
snd the responsibility and trouble Of raising
chicken, while the male has nothing 10 DO
bot TO strut about and admire himself, and
give an occasional scream when be sees e
hawk lowering in the air, but taking good
care to get out of the way when the hawk
p0uuces down upon our unprotected brood
he will fly upon the tor OF a fence and cap
his wings aud crow as it the world belonged
20 him, and look down with the utmost con.
plscency upon us hens while we are toiinF
TO support our families.
IN ow this sort Of thing has been going
on for 50 long a time without the protest,
and seemingly with the consent snd Ap-
pr0val Of the hens, that it has come 10 De
regarded IS the nGturst state OF sfaIrs, and
suppose II wonid have gone on forever II
Plymouth Rock had never been visited b.
our ancestors. You have ell heard of the
maidstone, the wonderful mineral which.
when applied TO the parts bitten by q msd-
dog or snake, will instantly extract the
venom, and save the life of the sufferer.
Well, Plymouth Rock is the great mora
maidstone which, when applied to the mora
sores and bites which BllIct this world, will
produce On instant cure. My maternal an
csstor, BIddy Hsrdshsll, came over IN ghe
MSydower, and was the first of the poultry
tribe that ever set foot on Plymouth Rock,
and the fret hen that ever laid an egg in
America. When Biddy Hsrdshell gave her
frat csckle upon the classic spot, there wa
uttered the warning note of the diaenthrAll'
meut Of the gentle sex.
-" Since then the female at the North ha.
been at work, and its activity is immense
far beyond anything that you luKuriou,
daughters Of the sunny South could evel
- IL. 1Ls,11al ak-n,-la-N a..
alembic OF our minds are crystslized into
gems OF thought that are destined to dazzle
the world. You will therefore not be sur
prised when9 tell you that we have discov-
cred that the laws and customs by which GU
social, domestic, and political life hsv'
heretofore been governed, are unnatural
unjust, ana degrading TO the female sex.
TO a hen OF inquiring mind the question
naturally arises, Why are these things q
they are7 For example, why is it thu
hens lay eggs and ROSTERS do not? Why j
it that a hen is subjected to the inoonven
fence Of incubation, sitting like a foo.
staring At vacancy for three mortal weeks
in a very oonBed and crRmped position
in order that a dozen or more hungry chick
ems may be brought into the world, Will
her self-styled lord, who has been the caus
Of all the mischief, struts about and amuse
himself paying gallant attentions to othe
deluded femsles? Again, why is it the
roos.ers crow and hens only csckle ? TIL
first question is rather hard to answer, and
am afraid that in your present uneducste
state it would be difficult of sstisfactor
explanation, but the second question ha
been very clearly answered by Professo
Greeley in a small essay entitled What
know about Growing in which it is state
that when the frst rooster crowed the he
Immediately clApped her wings and GROVE
also whereupon the rooster, indignant
being initiated, and no doubt fearful Of bein
excelled, bounced upon her, and gave he
such a wiring of the neck as to cause
structure of the larnyx, from which she nevt
recovered, 80 that ever Afterward whenevt
IL. ATTAIN I'D To nxnz The annnd dnnana-ats