Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-02-18
HEIRESSES In ENGLAND
Have Now Ualimfted Control Over
Their Fortunes as wives,
widows or Maids-what Oscar wiIde's
Mother II as TO Say Abont Ii.

Lady Wilde, in London Queen, says that
| the year 1888 is an important and remark
able epoch in the history of womsp, for one
who is married after this date has now as
absolute control over her income as If she
were single. She can buy and sell in the
| funds and receive the bank dividends with
out the consent of her husband being re-
quired. All rents and interests can be paid
to her sole receipt, and she can dispose OF her
| property by deed, contract or will in any
manner she may think proper without her
husbands knowledge or permission being
| necessary.
The whole cumbersome and involved ar
rangemens of settlements and trustees need
no longer exist, nor will there be auy neces-
sity for that peculiarly humiliating form of
| provision for wife's personal expenses
| called "pin money" These legal barriers
were only required to protect a woman
against the chances Of utter spoiation and
pauperlsm at time when marriage de-
prlved her OF all legal rights over property;
but henceiorth she holds it in her own hands
Tree oil all bondage, and untrammelled by
/, any legal disability whatsoever.
woman may, OF course afler marriage
resign all her rights, aud make over all her
property TO her husband. if be deserves il I;
and many women in he full confidence and
hrst enthusissm of love, will probably do so.
o.-af,,ii. L snoy snouiu oe
,be biab.s, 5sso 81 So y "ouiu De iuio'io ~
ha. IS, &C. ,n iol a woman 10 resign Oh
.ii rL;eu nee wiz, the rights ana advantSges
which her sex has obtained at last from the
Legislature, after the bondage OF centuries,
and struggle for freedom carried on
braveiy and nobly BY succession of brave
hearted women for the last fifty years.
There will also be plenty of opportunity
Tor the exercise OF generous impulses with
~ Io oiuuins hs!seh uo"n py long
r;shts IN $3.50 ner personal
nenJ on ths ohara,o 81 IN mISn mouio oe,
# hi. conJnct - ssn.,h VI 81 ,he nusoau', ana
dence. a woman viii oylv u e,oaS Is ,eo J cUun,
sacrifice personal Interest for Love-. 80 ~
without the intervention of LAWYERS and
deeds.
Sometimes. in moderate bouseboIds e5o
year was considered snf;r;sn, for ,v,,,,,,.
dress and other rrnenses. tben or.dnaIi- ,Le
fifty vouJd fall m tbirtv or tvsntv ~ al
ly, perh ans end in notbing the 6nshsnd Sa.
claring that women had po need of money.
let everything necessary be ordered. and he
would pay the bills.
Then came the scru,;nv of the b;II.
season of much torture and an ordeal of tor
ror to the wife: and. meanwhile she had IN
endure the deprivation of much that mste,
life charming and pleasant. No one can
feel dignihed, free and happy without the
control of certain amount of money for Ire
graces, the elegant adornnaea,r,- and, above
all, for the charities of life.
The hard-drawn line of simply paving the
milliner's bills closed a thousand avenues to
gentle joys and pleasures in a woman's daily
lie, unless, indeed, she descended to ecoax-
ing" and subterfuge TO obtain pocket money.
or submitted 10 minute inquisition as to The
objects for which it was required, as il abe
were child or menial.
All this happened under the old system:
il was, in fact, the law Of married life. But
now everything is changed, and a wife can
henceforth claim and hold ber independent
position with the dignity of conscious free
dom that knows no need of coaxing or sub
terfuge, and no impulse of action in married
life save those of perfect love aud generous
confidence. If a woman has a fortune of her
own, $4,000 a year, let her reserve $1,000 and
give the rest to the general fund, and this
without the Intervention of any legal inslru.
ment, but purely of her own free will. for
circumstances might arise which would re.
quire her TO resume control of the entire in
come.
But with the knowledge of her newly &C.
quired rights, a woman should also learn her
new responsibilities. She can now be sued
for debt her pronarfv NAV ha ,olJ a. -,