Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1873-02-22
Cold Comfort.

The cause of woman's rights has me-
with blow in England. A judicial de.
cision has been rendered which attacks
not merely the claim of the wife to be in
dependent of and superior to her hus
band, but even her right to share equally
in one of the most indispensable privi-
leges of any household. 1t is not her
right to the metaphorical and symbolic
trowsers which is denied, but her reason
able and proper claim to share in the
marital blanket.
1t has hitherto been supposed that the
wife had property in the undivided half
of the marital bedstea1, mattress, and
other accessories, which could only be de-
stroyed by her own misconduct. The
law has supported this view by specifi-
cally granting to the widow the sole
ownership of herbedstead and bedding !;
while the practice, peculiar to slighted
husbands, of advertising their runaway
wives as having resigned all rights in re-
spect to bedroom furniture, strongly sup
ports the same theory. But now we are
told by an English Judge that this view
is wholly mistaken one, and that the
wife who attempts to enforce 1t Is guilty
of a misdemeanOr,
The case which called out the decision
originated In the vigorous conduct of
wife who returned to her home late In the
evening, and found her husband monopo.
ilzing the entire supply OF sheets and
blankets, wholly regardless of her feel
ings or the state OF tho weather. indig-
nant at his selfishness, she proceeded 10
establish her rights with the fife-sh6yei,
and 10 e6nyinee him with the poker, of the
gross injustice Of his conduct. The inge-
huity with which he had eheased himself
~ maze Of blanket, proved fatal 20 tho
integrity Of his eatiele. for he was unable
10 e&tfieate himself before his wife had
proceeded so far In her argument as 10
decorate him with variety Of neat pat
terms In black and blue. The following
day he preferred against her a charge of
assault and battery, OF which she was
found guilty, and sentenced to flns and
imprisonment.
The possession of right implies the
further right to enforce lt. II this injured
woman could not enfsrce her claim TO half
the marital blanket, It follows that her
claim was not legal one. The effect of
this decision Is, therefore, to apprise the
wives of England that they are dependent
for blankets wholly upon the generosity
of their respective husbands. Hereafter,
the selfish husband may condemn his
wife to shiver through the night unpro-
tected, except by the casual mat or the
accidental hearth-Iug, and no woman of
foresight and caution will consent to en-
ter the married state unless a proper pro-
vision Of blankets be expressly gtiaran-
teed in the marriage settlement, Thus,
while Mrs, Jex-Blake and her friends ara
lighting for the unsubstantial shadow of
hospital privileges, they are losing the in
dispensabie substances Ut sheet aud blan=
ket, Though they gain the sweet priyi-
lege OF carving the corpse OF the palper,
their triumph Is embittsfed by the Thought
that the law has established 4 male m0D9z
poly ~ blankets, and that the monster,
man, is beheeierth permitted 10 fayei IN
bed=e8ties, while the wis 10
forced % siie hBmbly with the nfe=sh0yel
f8f corner " e6phiefpsBe, aBd ~ feigh
b6tihdless gratitude f6f the boon 6f a iaf=
row strip ~ sheet,=N r. Times,