Liberal Republican. [volume] (Dallas, Or.) 1872-1???, 1873-08-30
HEAVENS LAST, BEST GIFT.

our day finds curious illustration in the
criminal record. The Walworth case,
the Glllem case, the Smith case, the
Goodrich case, the monstrous list of
cases of undistinguished wife murder
ing, wife aveRging Patricks, all point
one moral, 1t is plain that the popular
prejudice still comedies to the man
some divine right of ownership and
control over the woman, whether he
be brother, loyer. husband or son,
whether he cherish or hate, honor or
outrage. And because this belief
belongs to patrarchal age and Eastern
barbarism, it works infinite evil in our
modern Western Civilization.
When brute force governed the
world, men were. rs rule, the necessary
protectors of women. Tn their turn,
women were the helpless slaves of men.
As society was then organized, some
sort of marriage was open to every
woman, for every man wanted house
hold of cheap sevitors. IF he fought,
on occasion, to protect his wives and
concubines, as he fought to protect his
camels and asses, they cancelled the
debt in labor They were the house,
hold millers, bakers, spinners weavcrs,
dyers, clothiers, chambers, breeders ;
and always everywhere ignorant chat
tells to be scourged or parted with at
the will of their master Women were
not conciously debased by this system
because nobody dreamed Of anything
better.
In Europe, the p.triarchal arrange
pent fell into early discred,t. Greece
aud Rome, therefore, with their host-
OF unmarried women, were perpexed
with the consequent social problems
that still battle solution Later, the
Catholic Church offered its remedy of
orders Of celibate nuns. That failed,
4s was inevitable Medieval Europe
maintained the supremacy Of the man
over the woman as rigidly as primitive
Asia bad done, though by different
means The loftiest ldealist of the
seventeenth century saw no higher
doctrine than ale for God only. She
for God in him" With advancing
Intelligence and morality the position
Of women has necessarily improved.
She is, in fact, to-day, responsio le,
capable and vigorous member Of society
perfectly able to take care of herself
But in popular theory, and to a tertain
extent in law, she still remains a weak,
wavering shadow of man, his helpless
care and absolute property.
1t vas this most monstrous tradition
which made OF Walworth the husband
brutal domestic tyrant, course do
mestic bully. Should not man do what
he would with his own? 1t was thi,
Sentimental nonsense that made oil
Walworth the son a calculating parri-
eide. Should not a son "protect" hi:
mother! That the costly legal machinery
of State stood ready to "protect" hel
as threatenings and pistols could not
was fact to common place to weigh
with him. Her honor being insulted
chvalry demanded that he shoule
avenge it. Smith, who killed a mar
and tried to kill a woman, because tha
man paid court to that woman, justified
himself a hundred times over with tht
same plea-"She dleongS to me-
And he died, to his own thinking, il
the fnll odor of sanctity, and in the sin
cere belief that he had committed M
crime. Gillem coolly stabbed his wife
because she refused to live with hin
on accout of his debauchery, iaithless-
ness, and violence. He thought he
exercised the plainest right of hus-
band, and said to the policeman, "Y ou' e
have done the same if your wife had
left you" And that 20 iceman ad-
mittod that he saw the murderer lying
in wait, knew his mad RACES, and fearec
some violence, but "did not like to in
terfere between man aud wife" Good
rich happened to be the victim insteac
of the victor, under his system, which
! was edidcntly the same, namely, tha