The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1879-05-16
Reading fortne ladies.


sing Hey, the Merriwether!
The COURIER last week, referred to
Mrs. Minor Merriwether, distinguished
southern lady, who is announced to lee
ture in Hickman. This worthy lady has
been attending Woman's Suffrage con-
vention in st. Louis, and created sensa-
ton by bouncing upon no thern school
marin, who was criticising the south as il
liberal. The southern people owe Mrs
Merriwether a high compliment for their
defense, and we regret not being able to
reproduce her remarks on this particular
point. The following is the report of the
St, Louis Republican, of portions CT her ad-
dress:
Mrs. Z. A. Merriwether. Of Memphis,
was next introduced, and for an hour she
entertain ed the audience with an address
that was full of pith and caustic. She said
she was brought up in the conservative
South. which the North believes 50 far
below it in point of civilization, and
though she was young in public service
she was an old thinker. The greater part
of her life had been spent in rocking the
cradle but while doing that she thought
a great deal, and determined when her
children grew old enough TO admit of il
she would make an effort to do something
toward elevating her sex. few years
ago, when it was proposed TO infranchise
women in England, one member objected
on the ground that the ballot would un-
sex woman aud deprive them of the ma
ternal affection which was one of their
loveliest characteristics. The idea that
the maternal feelings, she said, were
dependent ON or to be affected by men
made laws was simply preposterous.
Another had objected because every wo-
man in England would be transformed
by the ballot into the terrible abomina-
ton of "a strong minded woman She
here produced pictorial sketch of the
unmarried strong minded woman, vine
gar-visage, scrGwny, and totally void of
physical development, except altitudinal-
ly. She also produced q picture of the
ideal big -bonnetted, red faced, obese,
brawny, married strong minded woman,
with her puny husband under one arm.
Both the caricatUres were good and pro-
yoked much merriment. The speaker
said that the people who seemed so much
TO fear the strong minded females never
seemed TO consider the possibility of
strong minded man marrying q strong
minded woman, but always assigned to her
sucha looking fellow rs that. She told how
her husband who stands very high as
lawyer in Memphis was spoken of for May
or and was eulogizei in the presencs Of
lady there. What Do YOU mean the
husband of that Merriwether?' said she.
Yes, was the answer why, she re
marked, IL thought her husband must be
fool
The speaker next scored John Bright
for his recorded declaration in Parlia-
ment that women could always trust 10
the justice and generosity OF man in the
matter Of legislation, and cited barharous
English laws asa refutatiou of that as
sertion. The Bible she held, declared
woman equality with man, as in Gene
sis IL was declared that 10 man, male aud
female was C. mmitted the government of
the earth, and in May other portions the
same idea Of equality was conveyed.
Treating the story of Eve and the apple
from legal nd-poiut the speaker
showed that there was no scriptuTal
proof hat Eve ever beard of the iujunct-
ion of eating the fruit. The Bible stated
that Adam vas created before Eve, and
that he was told not TO touch the apple,
bui there was no hint that Adam ever
told Eve about this, yet 20 her is charged
all the trouble that ever grew out OF il.
Woman was man 5 equal, she said; Un-
Ill man began the business of war, and
according as they became savages and
warriors, they usurped the position OF
masters over women.
Quoting Coke's declaration that Eng
lish law was the perfection u reason,
hat it commands what Is necessary and
forbids what Is wrong, the lady pointed
20 the frightful cruelies OF the heresy
and witchcraft laws, and the euOrmIties
of the clergy law, which she character
lied as beautiful in its idiocy, and SUI
blime in its stupidity, Yet Coke did not
have the fairness to condemn the law
which warranted, first the burning Of A
poor woman for heresy, and then the
burning of her child for hereto. whose
premature birth occurred At iLc stake as
a result of her torture. Blackstone was
alike cowardly in his treatment of Eng
lish law, and could see no harm in the
law which allowed the burning Of pris-
oner for heresy, even though he did not
know that he had been guilty of viola
tiou Of Law, on account of its ambiguity.
Speaking of witchcraft law, Blackstone
said it existed % the terror Of ancient
This animosity TO ancient fe-
males exists to this very day in England.
IL is man ifcsted in uumanly filings at
mothers -iu-l law, which had their origin
in England, and were imported here
through English novelists. An English
man considers his wife his slave, his
property his chattel- As the southern
planter hated any man befrIending his
slave, so an Englishman hates any one
who manifests a sympathizing interests
in the woman whom he Expresses, and
that person inevitably IS her mother.
Hence, while we hear always Of man
complaining Of his wifes mother, we
never hear the. wife complaining of her
husbands mother. This unmanliness
toward mothers-in-law would constitute
good ground for divorce II women were
1errfu1ufpre