The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1881-05-12
Woman's Position In ENGLAND.

Woman's Position in England.
The English husband conside rs him.
SELF the rulsr of the house and all that is
therein. He believes in the Scripture,
injunction, wives, obey your hus-.
ba4ds. IA does not favotany Of the
ideas Of feminine independents which
prevail pa certain extent in america.
I hsveAsafd of his saying TO- Msspglssi
"Don' think you can run away from
me. Try it on, and you'll find thsalaw
on my side, with a policeman to take
you home again; for you're my goods
and my chattel! What's mine may be
yours IN the Theoretical marriage serv-
ice but what WAS yours is now legally
Woman. in England is trained to ac-
knowledge this ownership and authori-
ty of her lord and master to an extent
little realized here. I heard once q
young lady expecting soon. to be mar
ried remark: But I do not think Mr..
would ever beat me-" Her man
ner seemed to imply that Mr.. -
might, in some tremendous emergency,
beat her. These were people of good
social position. Among the slower
classes wife mauling is too common
for very serious consideration, and
when the victim of these masculine priv
ileges makes her appearance in the Po-
lice Court, banged to a. black and blue
Jelly: and appeals for protection to the
Magistrate, his Honor generally advises
her to ego home and try'' to live
peaceably with her connubial brute.
1t surprises the, American women in
London to observe how Englshmen,
and well-dressed Englishmen, too. will,
in q crowd coming out of the theater,
walk straight over woman unless she
gets out of the way. There is with
them no variableness nor shadow of
turning. Some years since when. in
London l met Mrs. 'Crabtree, Lotta's
mother. who is by birth an English.
woman, l heard from her lips a STIR
ring philippe on the lack of respect and
Difference in England toward women.
The lady had lived so long in America
that the customs of her native land had
all the surprise, if not the charm, of
novelty for her. Walking one night in
4 London fog at the West End, lost
my way. just ahead of me was q man,
and just ahead of him walked two young
women. I inquired my way of the man,
and he, being ignorant, in his turn in
quired OF the young women. But first,
in order to- attract their attention. he
prodded one in the back with the end
of his umbrella. venture to say that
the veriest rowdy in New York would
not have taken, under the circum-
stances. such a liberty with any woman
in the street. The style of this
mans address to the prodded girl
was in. keeping with the prod.
Said he: "Girl, tell us the way
to- street." The girl promptly
told him, and seemed to regard the
prod as a matter of no moment. ANY
Irish servant girl with six months ex.
perience in New York would on such
treatment have set her brother, the
policeman, or her cousin. the Alder
man, after the prodder with club. But
in America we know how to educate
women to demand and enforce TO,
themselves proper respect. The young
Englishman also needs going over in
this matter. Poor fellow, it is not his
fault. Up to the age of eighteen OF
twenty the rigid social law brings him
in little contact with the other sex, OF
rather with the better portion of the
other sex. He is sent to school and
herds with boys. What respectable
female association he may have is of 8
restricted character. Compared with
the American young man of the same
age, he is apt both in his estimate and
treatment Of femininity to be exceeding
verdant. unfledged and awkward. He
affords the best of subjects for victim.
He is no match for clever girl .espe
cially clever American girl. He mis-.
takes her openness and candor, and
then cannot understand why he is re.
buffed. His corner flirtations, if We
choose to term them such, have been
principally with women of lower class,
and he cannot understand why free.
dom and self-reliance does not mean
license. When he goes into society il
may be to find manageable girls flung
by the dozen at him, If he be desira
bic party. This repels him. What hi
wants is the individual young woman
by herself, and not with the eterna
mother-in-law watching and waiting al
her back. Of course he must marry
sooner or later, and money and family
prove bonds of cementation. Thu
proper thing to do in this matter is t.
internationalize marriage between En-
gland and America. The present large
and increasing surplus of American
girls should be sent to- England under
protection of their country's flag
There they would work havoc will
many desirable young Englishmen
Then the English girls should b
brought over and marry Americans
The English girls would give thu
American refinement and polish; tn,
American girls, would give the English
husbands live idea of the respect due
to woman's individuality. The genera
ton developed in England from such .
union would be very potent in upset
ting their Gogs and Magogs of custom
caste and precedent, which prevail fol
no earthly reason save that they hav,
prevailed. Yes; that's what must b,
done.-Prentice Mu!ord, in San Fran
cisco Chronicle.