Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-10-24
SOWING THE SEED
For Divorce Suits and General
Public Scandals.
AIoose State Of Morals 10 This City That
Is Crying Aloud to Heaven tor ksf-
ofmation-cases ia Point

its own standard OF cleanliness ana Oh spN.
ing the public the narrowing details Oh
such cases, the Wheeling press has been
exceedingly lenient with several scandals
that have from time to time assailed the
pnblic nostrils and set wagsing the aaR
bred tongues of city gossips. unless
through the courts or through the ooio
taking Of the Law in the hands OF injury
these scandals, have become Legitimate
public property, the press has nrm'
" refused to touch them. aud wniie
many morbid fancy has thus
been disappointed, friends have been
made among those classes, by whom
such publications are frowned down. There
are times, however, when it becomes the
strict and unavoidable duty OF apuohc
journal to exhibit to the public gaze, as
warning, the rottenness OF the Social Ia
brio; and to
PLUNGE THE sea LPEL
deep into the social ulcer for the puolic
good. The REGISTER is reluctantly I'M
pelled to believe that time has nearly ar
rived. The fear of exposure, and the con-
seouent publicity are wholesome checks to
moral wrong doing and the press is neglect
ing an important mission when 1t fails 10
fearlessly exert its great influence to this
end. Many q recreant husband Is kept 70
the line of duty by dread OF notoriety.
and the fear Of the shame and discovery has
reclaimed many an erring wife. Ii the
- L. I'D mi
ings in Wheeling their number would per-
hans decrease. As it is, the air is fairly
infected with scandals of various kinds
until the very ear of heaven is assailed with
the cry for reformation. In no city OF
Wbeelipg's size in the Union would some
OF these cases have escaped print, and IN
no other city would they have become SUCH
general public open secrets, talked Oh ana
discussed on the very street corners WIN
ont a newspaper storm that would nave
cleared the atmosphere. .....-
DISCIPLINED By HIS WIFE.
Here is the whole of that portion OF the
city in which 1t occurred, and even more,
gossiping cheerfully Of case OF domestic
infelicity which is Of only recent origin.
The father of family was discovered by
his wife, summing himself in the smiles Of
a fair widow on the next street. He had q
pleasant home, with fond wife and pretty
daughters, but he must needs spend an &C.
casional evening, under q business plea,
with the fascinating widow. For time
his amour was undiscovered, but soon busy
eyes descrled him, about dusk, entering the
house and gossipping tongues soon bore
the tale to his wife, She did not sit calmly
and brood over the wrong. Not she. She
armed herself with good cowhide
and surprised her husband at the home OF
his inamorata. The former skipped hur-
riedly home and the latter was treated to
sound double whipping, and IL is doubtful
whether she writhed under the lash OF the
whip more than under the scoring OF the
tongue of the injured wife. In this case,
prompt home treatment probably effected
a cure and saved noisome divorce suit.
INSULT TO INJURY.
But in another case the divorce court OF
the city will soon be the theatre OF inter
esting events. A very few years ago, a
young couple from the middle walks Of
life were married and launched on
the matrimonial sea with all
the favoring gales that kind
friends and good wishes could send. A
happy life did not follow and to-day they
are separated and divorce suit ready for
filing. A month ago the husband was forced
to the conclusion that his wife was not as
true, in his absence from the city, as Pene.
lope. and he suddenly verified his doubts.
Returning Unexpectedly from trip he en-.
tered her room and found his place usurped
by another. There were no tears and
pleading and no scene of violence. The
wife ceolly demanded what he was going
TO do about it, and when told
divorce should end marriage which
had never been blessed by the
smiles of heaven. she said that suited her
she said she had married without love- only
to please her mother end had found her
husband utterly unable to support her in
the style she demanded. He might have
worked until his arms wore out and his hair
whitened and could never have satisfied her.
And while her husband stood, stunned,
listening to the words that burned like fire
into his soul, and then turned away, the
other man Joined the wife in the laugh
that he heard ringing in his ears as he de.
scended the stairs.
ONLY ONE OF MANY.
There, in another part Of the city, is a
young girl, only one Of the many, intro.
duced at the age of 16, to the cares and
trials OF unwedded maternity. She was OF
q good family, and the disgrace must not
stain the family escutcheon, and she is re-
moved until the affair blows over. She re-
turns and no one is the wiser save few of
her friends who may fall into the same
seeing her exemption from
exposure. The author OF her ruin-well,
the man Is seldom thought OF in such q
case. He says be will marry her and save
her; but he goes into executive session with
himself, concludes he has doubts OF his
single agency and decides to emigrate,
which he does.
These are but few of the isolated cases
and are only examples OF the many. Go
upon Market street any Saturday evening
and look at the scene spread out before
you. Young girls go by in droves, talking
and laughing carelessly. unattended, save
by the young men they pick up as they 70.
This is the evil the police are now trying so
and commercially to root out.
But the work is laborions and slow. The
these hopeless girls, deter Others from like
doing, but let their parents look to it. Let
them ask themselves
WHAT is NY GIRL DOING
this evening? and then see that they can
answer themselves the ques-
ton. But in many cases they will not fail to
find her, at O'Clock, promenading on
Market street. At much later hour they
may find her at a restaurant, in company
in which she would not appear duriug the
daylight hours. And where has she been
in the interim.
The moral atmosphere of the city of
Wheeling needs thorough cleaning up. A
grave responsibility rests somewhere and
should be redeemed. 1t is not to urge any
special remedy that these lines sre penned,
but rather in the hope of lessening such
scandals by the very sight and knowledge
of them. Every day the papers contain
similar accounts that are nearly always
very brief, for the reason that they are
unfit to appear In the public prints.
The ordinary reader glances 1t the
and, mayhap, shudders
and thanks heaven that no such blot has
ever fallen upon any one Of his kith and
kin, and then dismisses q subject which
makes the blood of every true man run
cold. But distasteful things have TO be
and this matter IL Of 20 crave q
nature that it cannot be dismissed. twill
not be claimed here that ofenses Of the