, 1873-08-31
OWNERSHIP IN WOMEil.

A man was receatly hanged iii Massachusetts
for taking veuscanco Oh oi'o who had practically
disputed his property in girl. Tho nali was
girl who had given lierAclf 10 hin, in tho conf
plotcat surrender that ~ullan Gun nuke, was
in some seHe his; that her giving horsllf to ar-
other involved his lis!lonor anu TINT his prop
eity III hor wAs to be dofelaed 10 The extremity
| Of deAth. prominent newspaper, while ro-
cordiug the facts or tho case, takos the occasion
to Hay lhnt this itloa Of ownership in women is
the same barbarisrn out OF which grow the
evils aud wrongs thut tho Il womun movement
| ia intended to remove. It We wore to respond
TINT owneEnhip iu womon, ouy blindIy avpre-
hended Al it WIS BY our brutal gnows-bird, is
doct,inos und practlees of the freoloyers. aud is
ono OF tho strongest conservative forces oil So
cicty, il in quito likely that VIC should be misnl-
dorstood but we shall run tic risk. aud mako
TAore III an instinct in tile heart Of every
woman which tells her TINT hlle IL his to whom
| she gives herself, and his alone,--an instinct
| which bids her cling to him willie she lives or lie
! nlakeB Of him and her, twain, ono esli. When
| this gift is onee made to true man, lie rccog
nizcs its signicallcc., lie ~ to provide for her
that which sho cannot provide for hcrsef ho il
| to share his homo, and to 10 llH closest conf
pauion. His ownership in hor covers Lis most
| Gacrod poeseason, and deyolyes upon him tho
| gravest duties. II it woro otherwise, why is it
Il
foolu, vl,o., ells ii,i5s cgaolf decayu, that she
is lost that she Aus parted with herself to one
WHO does not recognize tho nature Of the gilt,
and thut ahe who ought 10 10 Owned md, by
| EclnE owned, honoreu, Is disowlsed mud diulluu-
| ored There is no true, puro woman living who.
when she gives herself Away, does not rejoice ii,
| the ownership which nakcs her forever tire
property Of one nun. She il not his slave, to he
tasked aud nhlHcl, becnrHb she is the (,itt Ut
love and not the purchase Of money bNt She is
his, i'll EenBe in Which she cannot lie another
n,an's without diBhonor to him and damnatlon to
| hersolf.
Our gallows-b'rd was, In his brutal WY, right.
| If ho lad been living IN sasnge society, without
| lnwn, aud with the necessity Of guarding his
own treasures, his act would have been l0oked
upon as Quo of horoisns by all tho boautics mud
was, that his ownership in what he wns pleased
1 to call " his grl wal not established according
| to tho laws under which he lived. Flo waa not
legally married, and had acquired no rights uu-
dor tho lnw to ho defended, WIiat Ito was pleased
I to consider lis rights wcro established contrary
| to law mud 10 could not apreal'to lnw for their
dafenHo. lie took tho woman to himself coll
trary to law, l.o defended his proporty iu her by
| murder, aud ho was hanged: He was served
/ right. Homp would grow on q rock for such us
he, anywhere III tue world. There il no cure
for tbs man who seduees and says hut a broken
! neck.
There is nothing more menacng in'the aspect
Of eocal atfaira lit this cuuntry shsn ile olfort
among certain caas Of reforlners 10 prenk up
tho identity OF interost aud feeling. auldng men
| and women. Men aro alluded to with sIleers aud
blamo, ~ bouE opposed to tho interests Of
wonae.,, as using t'.e lo%er ILL., ~ tesr nanusma
| inance ut tllo ospeuee Of woman'n tighthsand
wonaan's well-boing. Marriage, under thlh KIND
Of teaching, hecumea compact Ut convenience,
into which men and women may entert eaah
party takng nlong tho pcrsonai independence
enjoyed in single state, with separate business
interests mud separate pursuits. IN other words
marriage iA regarded si1np!y as tho legal conf
panionHAp Of two beings Of opposite pcxes, who
the bond is not permitted to Interfere, 1t con,
tomplntes no Identification Of ilfo aud
destiny. Tho man holds no ownership
ttS wGsp ~ is sh gy1s [a m oxo,aa 1s5 ta tho te
aaorod duties Of motherhood. Tho 'nnn who e3-
pecls such sacrifice at tho hantls Of liH wifo iH
regarded as u tyra1lt or Il brute. Woman are to
vote, md isaae and pr9ctico Law, Ard psseneh
man doeB, irrespective Of tho marriage honda
Wolnen arc to DO just at FREQ to do anything out
side Of their homes MS mon ara, They are tc
choose their careers and pursue ahem with Just
Oh little reference to The iuternl administration
OF their families aB tlloir lllpbanas exercise
This is tlse am and logical end OF a!l tho nsodon
doctlincs concerning wo;nans rights, Tht
identification OF wonun with MN, as tho basis o.
tho inatitution OF tho family, IL scofed ut. An,
owno,ahip In woman, tlat comes of tho gift O.
herself to him, nnd tho assumption Of tho poa
session by linn, with lts lifelong train Of obllga
tioia and duties, il contomnc.!. 1t IL asBuuet
that interests which nro, ind must forever rc
, main, identical, arc oppoacl to eaeh other. Mc'
aud women aro plttod against each other i'll {
struggle for power.
| opposed to these lattor.lny doctrines, mud Tim
tioy will rornain 10. Ylluy aro determined Tia
tl.e dantty OF intorostbBt" oun lslen and wonlel
shall noyor bo destroyed; aud tho saered owuo1
t ship In wolnon, bestowed III nll trllo marriage
4llu1l eYur hu HuTrCutlprCtl that lAG fHlilly Nlp