New-York tribune., 1874-08-25

TIE ACTUAL DEPENDENCE OF MANY MARRIED WO-
MEN-MRs. TILT0N PECULIARLY INCAPABLE OF
sEIF-AssER1 ioN-THE PUBLICATION OF HER LEI
Henry Blackwell in The WomGas Journal
The only compensation which society can
derive from the shocking scandal which has aicted us
dars ne pI d Se pscpa h v the
all parties this unhappy controversy, without whch
the scandal could taken place. was the subec-
ton or we might say the sulJugation. of an un-
happy wife despotic will OF an unlrlnclpeu nus
trnnbe TO consider the degree OF actual de-
pendence which is the lot OF many married wo-
men who not the owners OF independent property
BY law OF nature which inspires the male robin
10 carry 1ood TO ms mate wliie sG - seo'i 80 % % %
the husband and father is lmpeIed 10 PloNde susie
nance his wife and children. This is not an act OF
generosity on his part, but simply the fnhment OF
duty. In the nature of things woman cannot at lne
saule time money and give birth and nourlshment
TO children In justice to herself ana 10 0ners sue
eqsa eTs g"t Of 70 ss aS fs
give the husband right 20 dOmineer, nor does 1t
impose upou the wife the obligation to obey.
1t is simply a division OF labor lhdlcated by
Nature in marriage partnership, whereby the wife
becomes the out proprietor of the proceeds of her hus
bands labor, ana the husband becomes the JONI pro
prieor of the home and acquires equal interest III
the children. But wheh IN the case OF MIS- I1t0n,
3comes tbe wife of a husband VINO is also without prop
erty and devotes herself 10 her domestic duties andthe
H o me % most ncapabe of separate and independents
selfasserton Aud when, as III the present case she Is
also tmid confding, morodly sensitive and conseen-
tous living wholly i'll her affections and emotions
her power personal expression and action, OUTSIDE OF
her family is reduced to minimum Alas Tor sueh
woman If in the critical emergencies OF lie her husband
fails her; If instead OF protector he becomes hcf ac
cueer: If instead of her inspiration he becomes her
TEMPER II stead Of awakening PRIDE and JOY lie de-
grades and crushes her 1t were better for such Wo
man If she had never been born. she should not be
harshly Judged lightly condemned When she mas
been bulied, wheeded and coerced into condition OF
temporary lnnacy, and III TINS cohditIon mas com
promised herself and others, almost without being
aware of what she was doing. ,-
Fortunately for the world and to the honor OF human
nature, said that this very eiplessness becomes III
most cases its own protection Egery true man. & Dya by
appeal of who for his sake has placed herself
in so defenseless position Key in I'M, case as ID gSey
other seIf-help cannot be safely lald aside. 10 be
weak is to be mserable!' Many men abuse the trust
Very few men fully respond to it, the old English com
mon law, with all its barbarity toward woman dld at
least recognize this fact. Tue alleged letters OF Mrs
Tlton, eliminating Mr. Beechet WlltIen as tney were,
the dctation OF her husband wonl be regarded ny
the common law his letters not hers No such en-
evidence against Mr.. Beeeher or against her And her
subsequent explicit retracton free from the presence
and cOlDpulsion of her husband, would not only be
earded as sufficient, but would throw upon Mr.. TltJn
very grave suspicious For what be said III defense
SELF who will publish her own conn ientla disclosures
to ruiu What can be said OF man who VIII spread
wIfe's coniugal afectoni The English language has
no words adequate to express the enormty OF
suSn n Wife 1Gs s TfGin ereu weS RnG
the man who publishes his wife's love
srstitous outrage is not limited to Mr. Tilton 1t at
taches also to the lawyer who authorized the puoca
have long since decided that letters the property OF
the writer and OF the recipient l the present case
they peculiarly such because they Wepe !he con-
fdental expressions Of an Intimacy into which the
world has fo right to nrude SO far as law, aud Gus
tom and public sentiment give support and succor
to married women situated like Mrs Tilton, they
should clearly do so. But instead OF this, the
and labor belong to the husband and regards
the husband as her superior and the sole head of
the family Custom makes him the guardian Of her
honor and the custodian Of her person in aud to
a degree different from her interest In him. Public
sentiment does not sufficiently encourage wife in
asserting her own womanly individuality, not even
when her interests and those OF her family de-
that she should do so One lesson therefore, OF
this sad affair." Is the danger OF making woman cling
ing vine aud helpless dependent. We must educate
onr TO think and act under all circumstances
as responsible moral agents. accountable not to their
but TO their own highest conceptions OF duty
to society aud TO God.