The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1872-06-15
Searching for Light.

| The following is from the pen of Mrs. F. G.
Prescott, of this city, published in the Pittsburgh
Ecening Chronicle, on the 23d ult., under the
name of A. G. Roper "a groper) searching tor
light on the subject of "Women's Rights" The
| reader will observe clear vein OF quaint humor
running through it, and here and there rising
into brilliant sarcasm;
Now, what want to know is, what good will
it do? What is "Vic" Woodruff going to do
with tie faded-out women and their families
that are taken good care OF now, if she succeeds
IL perverting converting I mean the world to
her creed? Is she going to build big palaces
that will cover half of creation to put them all
| in And are they to be maintained by the
government? If net, what are they going to do
with them?
Now, I have scquaintances-good women they
are, too-faithful in their domestic responsible.
ties; and numerous they are, too. They ANT
handsome, nor brilliant, nor overly amiable, but
their husbands have realizing sense of their
duty Chats an old.fashioned word, know, but
then am old.fashoned about some little things)
and bear with their little infrmities of temper,
remembering that they were young once, plump
and fair, until the anxleties of life and cares Of
motherhood, as we'll as wifehood, dimmed their
eyes and scanned their faces. Now, if these
sane HeH VINO really nave D. REGARD Ior outy
| and responsibility could be persuaded that it
was wrong for them to live with and maintain
these women, who are their wives, the first time
some magnetic female, young and interesting,
sends an electric thrill through them by acct.
dental contact or otherwise, turn the aforesaid
aged and infirm individual out to pasture, like
an old horse, to Craze herself away for past SER
vices, what good would it do, 1 say"
And who is to furnish the pasture? For
many man can support one living wife, and
put up nice tombetones over several dead Ones
| who couldn't take care Of too living.
And, moreover, how would the children feel !?
Or, isn't that Of any consequence? feel as if
| were cropping in the dark on these grave SUBJ
jects. | was brought up in an old.fashioned
way, and went to Sunday School repeated texts
of Scripture and all that sort of thing, and really
have no code of morals or guide to conduct but
that old book, called Bible. You see there is
no medium in our family And the one we
have in our town for public oracle isn't. for some
reason or other, considered very respectable; 60,
You see. have delicacy about consulting her.
| But to go back to my hunting ground, would
the new occupant of the bed and board take
kindly to the first brood while the mother was
| living? Wouldn't she feel as if the old lady
was drawing too many rations| For the way
| we have it now, the first one il comfortably
buried out of sight and the way of want, before
the second feels a thrill of possession over either
| husband, children or property. Nor would it
| stop here. There would be third, fourth,
| and-well, l never was good mathematician or
quick at figures, and don't want to get mixed
| up in an endless problem like that, for we must
all die some time, and want to stop reckoning
long enough before my time comes to say my
prayers and make some fitting preparation for
| more congenal cline, where instead of being
$50 much married" there "will be neither marry
ing or given in marriage" Oae would feel more
settled fancy.
And what would become of all the children,
say? I've lived long enough to have observed
great deal, and have noticed (now before tell
you what. you must promise not to repeat It,
though editors never do, aud can 20 ON in
trust and confidence) that men married and
single do enjoy and indulge in a little hand
squeezing and kissing behind doors and so on,
when they think no one is looking; there is some
one looking though once in while. But then
l never tell anything 1 see, for it is wonderful
what u triae will make fuss in family and
set everybody by the cara, if that triae happened
TO be discovered by the right person to raise a
breeze. But when these little things are never
perpetrators. One generally likes to forget what
has been done on the sly. notice, and will
here observe, that the human memory is very
convenient in this respect.
Well, as | was saying, what would become of
the children? and what good would it do You
see man, IN his natural state before he civil.
lied and Christianzsd. was inclined to Just this
state of things that "VIc" wants to bring about.
I'm afraid she hasn't been cultivated up to the
preseLt standard of morals. You take an In.
di tribe of Mormons, Shoshones* or Pdr kn6es,
aud you will fRd that the old squaws are kept
tor culinary and Laundry purposes. while every
old ,id of u brnre keeps an Abshag or a Shu.
nA'al'e, or some other mite. to afford him u mite
OF coiat,rt. Now this may be all very we'll, pro-
vlded the old lady consentsP Bat does she |?
Now this may be pure selfishnesS in her, and
perhaps she and l are the ones not cultivated
quite up to the mark instead of "Vic." wouldn't
wonder
And here arises another question in my lace.
rated mind W,s the race Jour race, mean
better oft in those days and among savages than
now IN our day aud country If not, what
good does it doY She IL fixing II all up for
the men, aud not helping us out Of the trouble
we really have. We shall be worse off, "a zee
It. Oh for u little light! In tho presence of
iotora Woodruff, feel 70 benighted.
Now, l notice. that most young and pretty
women are satisfied with the rights and privi.
ieges they at present enjoy. Indeed, they .eem
to have real good time. Ii 1t because they
are ignorant; Aud Il seems to me (perhaps 1t
l. because | am narrow minded, and havnt any
mission) that unattractive females are better of
than they will be under the new state Of things,
oecanse every fellow will be for himself, and be
wan feel us II the women were trying to oppress
him, and all his natural and cultivated gal.
lantry will desert him, and he will Just cay,