Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1873-08-27
Ownership in Women.
tscribner, for scptember.i

ts for taking vengeance OIL
one who Ind practically disputed his
property in girl. The man was u
brute, Of course, but lie had nh
opinion that n girl who had given
herself to him, in the completest sur
render that woman eau make, was
in some sense liis-tlat her giving
herself to another involved his dis
honor, and that his property in her
was to bc defended t0 the extremity
of death. A prominent newspaper,
while recording the facts of the ease,
takes the occasion to say that this idea
of ownership in women is the same
barbarism out of which grow the
evils and wrongs that the "womam
is intended to remove.
If we were TO respond that owner
ship in women, only blin,lly appre-
hcnteh as it was by our brutal gal
lows-bird, is the one thing that saves
us from the widest doctrines aud
practices OF the free-lovers, and is
one of the strongest conservative
forces of Society, it is quite likely
that We should be misunderstood;
but we shall ruin the risk, and make
the assertion.
Theic is an instinct in the heart of
every woman which tells her that
she is his to whom she gives herself,
and his alonc,-an instinct which bids
her cling 10 him while she lives or he
lives-which identifies her life with
his-which makes of him and her
twain, one flesh. When this gift is
once made 10 a true man, he rccog-
niZes its Significance. lie is to pro-
vide for her that which she cam
not provide for herself; he is to pro-
tect her TO tho extent of his power:
she is to share his home. and to be
his closest companion. His owner
ship in her covers his most sacred
possession, ana dcvolves upon hi,n
the gravcsi duties. If il were other
wise, why is it that woman who
gives herself away unworthily feels,
when she finds herself deceived,
that she is lost ?-that she has parted
with herself to one who docs not
recognize the nature of the gift, aud
that she who ought to bc owned, and
that being owned, honorcd, is dis
owGed and dishonorcd! There is nc
true, pure woman living who, when
she gives herself away, does not re.
joice in the ownership which makes
her forever the property of one man
She is not his slave to he taskcd unt
abused, because she is the gift o
love and not the purchase of money
but she is his, in Il sense in which SLIT
cannot be another mans without dis
tiseasor-to= =S>;..s-ssrrrt -rfIrIrUutfUu- nut
self.
Our gallows-bird was. in his bruta
way, right. IT he had been living il
Il savage society, without laws, ant
with the necessity of guarding hi
own treasures, his act would have
been looked upon as one of heroisn
by all the beauties and braves Of hi
tribe. The weak point in his cas-
was, that his ownership p in what III
: was pleased TO call ''his grip was no
established according to the laws I'm
der which lie lived. lie was no
: legally married, and had acquired NJ
rights under the law TO he defended
What lie was pleased to consider hi
rights was established contrary T.
law, and he could not appeal to law
for their defense. lie took tn
woman to himself contrary to law
he defended his property i'll her b,
murder, and he was hanged. lie wa
served right. Hemp would grow o
, world. There is no cure tor the ma
who seduccs and slaHs but'a broke
| neck.
There is nothing more mcnac;ng i
the aspect of social affairs in tiii
, country than the effort among Il Gel
tain class of reioriucrs to break u
the identity of interest and tcclin
among men and women. Men ar
l alluded to with succrs and blame, /.
: being opposed to the interests {
. W omen, rs Using the power in thci
4 /! a ,ds-a power u>urped-to mail
. tam their own prcdominance at til
. expense of woman's rights All
: woman's wc.i-bcing. Marriage, Ill
; der this kind OF teaching, becomes
compact OF convenience, into WhIc
/ men and women may enter, caC
5 party taking along the personal il
c dependence enjoyed in Il .n@le stat
l., with separate business interests an
e separate pursuits. In other word
: marriage is regarded simply rs II
Il legal coml'anicnship of two bcIn.
{ OF opposite sexes, who have the
Il own independent pursuits, viii
# which the bond is not permitted
Il interfere. |, contcmplatcs 10 idcn,
Il firation of life and destiny. The M
S holds no ow ncrship in woman whi'
q gives him IL right to family of CHI
l. iren, and Il life devoted TO the sacr,
l. duties of motherhood. The III:
y who expects suci, Il sacrifice ut Il
t hands of his wife is rrgrr,lcd as
II ,yrant and Il brute. Women are
4, vote, and trade, and practice la'
D. and go to Congress, and dscrcythii
j. that Il mau does irrespective of 4
- marriage bonds. Women are to
-e Just as free To do anything outside
IS their homes as men arc. They Il
A. to choose their careers md purs
IN them with just as little reference
IN the intcrla! administration of lii,
Il families ,> their husbands eXcrci;
g. This is the aim aud logical end
-. all the modern doctrines cuiicrriii
rc womau's rights. Tie idcnlitirnti
he of woman with man, rs the basis
rt the institution of the family, is sec
as ed at. Any ownership in woln;
f. that comes of the gift of herself
o. him, and the assumption of the p'
nj session by hinl, With its lifelong tn,
Nv of Obligations and duties, is c,
IL trmmed. 1t is assumed tnat iutcre
IS. which are, and must forever re ina
ne identical, AZ, opposed to each 9th
be Men and women are piiicd a.aii
m each other i'll Il struggle tor pow cr
,c- Well, let il be understood, th'
of that men are opposed 10 these lnti
day doctrines, and that they viii
main so. They are determined u
the identity of interest between III
and women shall never be dcst"!'
r,r that the sacred ownership in w"m'
n,S bestowed i'll all true marrin"", si'
n, never he Sun rendered: that tie la
,h lily shall be maintained, and tiat
mi untold millions OF true women
or the world who sympathiZe Win ti'
nd shall be protected from the false y
rS losophcrs and destructive Poi'lics
.ho their few nis.ui,led sisters. who st
~ 10 turn the world upside dow
'ho Political conventions may throw IN
ar sops to cla,noring reformcrs, but u
to mean nothing by it. They have
hc deemed Il pledge to these rciormt
nss aud we presume they have never
70 tended TO do so. They expect
" y, matter to blow oyer,and,if we do
= mistake the signs of the times,
M rapidly blowing over, with more
". less thunder and with very little ia
,I In the meantime, If Tic diScussi
,aI that have grown out OF these q'
Im, tions have tended TO open broa
In field to woman's womanly lnuus'