The Republican journal., 1872-08-29
He or She.



This, then, is your last word Corinna
Your mind is made up? You will not
yield ?"
''Will not yield! inot yield! Ii is yon,
Jacob who will not yield. / have done
all a woman ought to do. | can not
PROSTATE myself. | can't degrade my
whole sex, and | never will and YOU are
a cruel creature-and hate you ~
"What | have asked of yon is only the
smallest concession, not to me, but to
your duty my duty-the common pro
prieties of life. Will you give up that
Woman's Club ?"
'Never ~
"Will you promise to obey me if-if-"
off you are condescendn@ enough to
marry me, suppose? No, Sir, never. |
am you equal not your slave. ! don't
endeavor to bind you down by any
PLEDGE
because | am a man.
ooh, indeed Very well, then, because
am a woman I'll not be bound No,
Jacob, neyern'
"Corinna, You know how earnestly
feel on these questions"
"Jacob, you know-;ll least You might
KNOW ana Ou1tt 10 KNOW W-DOW earnestly
| feel on them"
with me it is sacred principle"
STUFF! SO ii is with me"
81 have read i'm the Bible"
Yes, and so have l."
This attempt of woman TO put herself
out of her place is fraught with the most
appalling consequence to society"
The servitnde of woman has been the
bane OF society,"
81 am resolved to protest against it,
81, for one, am resolved to show that |
won't endure it."
Then Corinna, must we part P"
81 don't know; it is all your doings if
we must" CThere are tremulous move
ments of lips, and eyes begin to fill with
tears.)
dearest Corinna, how can you allow
us to part thus-we who have loved and
been engaged so long ?"
81 don't jacob don't want to- do
all | can to avoid it; but you are cruel
and hard"
"Only say. dearest. that you will with.
draw from that foolish society only give
me one little word of promise that you
will recognize the lawful and sacred
authority OF a husband.'
'Jacoh, can you not trust me as an
equal Why should You uphold a system
of odions tyranny? Why would you have
a bOnd-saye ?'
Then You will not give up? ?"
"Never. feel that | cannot"
''Enough, Miss Masters. 1t would be
idle to try to proong an engagement
which could only end in unhappiness"
Very well. Mr. Thurstone We must
only part"
"We must, indeed. Good by"
He made a step toward her, rs if to
take her hand; bnt she turned away. He
thought her attitude one of deliberate
coldness and contempt, and he redeemed.
and abruptly left the room. She had only
turned her head from him to hide the
tears that We're streaming from her eyes ;
for she would not let him see that she
could be weak enough to betray any
womanly emotion When she found that
he had really left her she gave full vent
praying in his heart that he might not
meet any one he knew he could hardly
speak with emotion.
These quarreling lovers We're Miss
Corinna Masters and the Rev. Jacob Thur
stone, both living in a pretty little pro-
gressive American "city,' as it called
itself village" AS it would have been
called by the Needless stranger. Jacob
was one of the most popular preachers :;
Cornna was one of the literary leaders OF
the place. Jacob was n tall and hand
some young man; Cnrinna was "A petite
and beautiful young woman. They had
been engaged for some time, and were
devoted lovels-until lately Mr. Thur
stone had been finishing his studies in
Europe, and when he came back he found
Corinna one of the principal supporters of
IA local organization for the maintenance
or conquest of woman's proper place as
the equal Of man. Corinna was full of
the magnificent new theory, which she re-
garded as another religion IInluckily
Mr. Thurstone was strongly convinced
that there could be no safety for society
if once the patriarchal principle We're de
parted from which proclaimed the man
to be lord and master of each household.
He was resolved to preach with all his
energy against the Revolutionary doctrines.
Hence the quarrel and the scene we have
described
In a few hours the news went all round
the city of Acropolis Qor by such classic
name had the inhabitants chosen to des-
ignate a pretty little rural village built
on smiling plain without a hint of an
elevation any where in sighD that the en-
gagement between Corinna Masters and
Jacob Thurstone was at an end. Nor was
the cause of the quarrel any secret.
Miss Theodosia Lemon rushed at once
to congratulate her dearest friend Corinna
on the heroic stand she had made for
principle and the cause. Miss Lemon
was tall, stately, handsome young wo-
mana very power in the Woman's Club
She had been delegate from the club to
the State Convention, and her eloquence
there had rivaled Phoebe Cozzen's, and
positively astonished Mrs. Livermore.
Miss Lemon embraced Corinna. and so
praised her that the girl felt quite like a
heroine and martyr. 1t was consoling,
although there was a dash of pain in the
reflection. that M Lemon herself was
about to be mar led next week to a
charming man who adored her, and who
was ready to swear to every point of any
and every feminine character to please
her. He was good-looking. mild-man-
nered man, with blue eyes, fair hair and
gentle tones. He had written treatise
on moral aesthetics, and he always pro
claimed in his calm, sweet way that wo
man was natures last word and highest
law.
"You will come and see us immediate
ly after we return from our wedding
trip" cried the impetuous and generous
Theodosia. "You must stay with us three
months-sx months year! How you
will like my dearest Marcus! How his
views will delight you! How they will
strengthen you in your noble resolution
All, my dear. you are one of the true
heroines of my sexH
Corinna kept feeling like a heroine even
after her friend had gone. She had found
herself repeating some lines from Mrs.