Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1873-10-04
A SOCIAL USAGE.
Some Reasons Why it Would be More
Harmful 70 Admit immoral Women
Than immoral Mon Into Decent Society.


Harmful 70 Admit immoral Women
Than immoral Mon Into Decent Society.
There is a word to be said just here
concerning that usage on ~hich the re-
formers exhaust their whole store OF in
vtclives, viz; the banishng Of immoral
women irom society, while immora men
sulcr no such exclusion. II what they
urged was th1 equal rrprobation Of these
offenders, well aud good but since 1t is
rather their equal social acceptance
which the, contend for, the square truth
must be said, thai however these parties
may stand before Heaven, such are the
facts OF earth, that it Is the presence Of
mmural women, and not men, IN society
which would instantly fstter there the
freedom OF every virtuous member Of the
sex.
Ii is because the line is so strongly aud
| inexOraby drawn between reputable
female society and the disreputable, that
man of careless life Is compelled to
| leave his careless manners behind him
when he enters the former, certain else
to be- prOmuly Alcsc out of it for his
[ failure i'm viItuuus etiquette, even by men
who might think very lightly indeed OF
] his VirtuOus character elseW here. OdiOus
were that society where a lady must bristlC
! with the airs OF a prude, to be certain oil
respectful behavior from the other sex,
and iuto such bondage would modest
women inevitably come In all general
companies weie he merptrlciOus of their
own sex common and unmarked there
Ii is idle to sentimentalize about the un
mi-takabe air OF innocence il is hateful
to women to he mistaken even aiar oil in
>ach matters they feel slurred by The
speculation of "a glance, and 1t is the
sitting of their own sex which saves then
from such aunOyances, even in wOr.I
of unsifted mVn. Under present social
rules, virtue is not Obliged to proclaim
itself, firstly, because il is virtue, AM
secondly, because il is in the place 0
virtue and the second reason would b.
Important to Diana if she went among
people who had never personally hear'
of Diana, aud who we're disqualified, b.
having lost their Orn purity of soul, frOu
knowing her by instinct.
1t is not plea ant To eXpound thes
matters. Nothing of our present suhjeC
is pleasant to rXpound but IL is tim
somebody undertook To Point out that a
the old womanly traditions are nc
found d in sheer nonsense, or hardHes
of hcarl, and women have been esp'
clally censured for this unequal discrlm
nation against their own sex. We sa
they have at least ths one most logic,
. and necessary reason Tor such discrim
nation, viz: that free social range Il
. bad aud good women cannot exist t.
gethcr When Greek coIrte, ans WEI
, abroad, Greek wives stayei at home, au
i were compelled to the ignorance, IL
rusticity, the mesger, halffevelOped III
4 and character which are the result Of
= Gagged existence.
/ This is AN existence which none of l
=, desire, and to which the daughters Of tn
, republic have never been wonted. Amer
/ can women have had an uneXampl'
. freedom, because American men have ha
n on the wuOlr, an uneXamp,ed respect 10
n and belief Ia, women. The soil of o
!. Puritan morality made the open, con
dent ground where the women of II
y country have walked and however tn
a. foundation may be sinking through q
\ growing dissiputions Of men, our hig
p, Nay OF liberty, as We have endeavor
- 20 show, would he far more fatally ruin
il by the similar diffusion through society
4. corrupt womeu.-LN,H Gray Noble Scr
utr's for Ocfsbtr.