West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1885-02-06
"LovE. HONOR AND OBEY"
some faots CONCERNING the Question &C
Wifciy Obedience.


wifcly Obedience.
Ayoung woman Of eighteen who mar.
ried man of forty the other day in a
Newark church crooked her finger dur
ing the ceremony SO that the groom
contrary TO his former experiences on
such occasions was unable to Get the
ring beyond the second Joint. Upon
being asked during the reception that
followed as To the cause of tho hitch in
the proceedings at the altar. the vounp
lady explained that She made a mental
reservation in repeating the promise to
love, honor and obey, and had also kept
the ring from going lower down bccau, o
she had heard that If it was stopurd ot
the second Joint the wife would he ablo
to rule the husband. while if il went 10
the hand tho husband would bo su.
prcmc.
The superstition about crooking tho
hnger Is not very prevalent, and tho
Tlng almost always goes clear down:
but there is reason TO believe that n a
mental reservation in the promise of
obedience - common enough In fact.
the notion uat the moucrn woman
"oboys' her husband i'm any such
sense as Is meant 10y the words of the
marriage service Is mere myth that
has come down with the morri,oo
formula The same equahzinp epirit
that has so modified womau's statutes
as to abolish the old notion that man
and his wife are legally one person. and
to enable her TO hold aud manage her
own property almost as independently
aS the husband can manage his. has
nearly wiped out the idea OF Obedience
from the ordinary estimate of the holy
estata OF matrimony. Practically speak
lng, the woman rule, fully rs often ~
the inan more arbitrarily sometimes -
moro absolutely i'm some cases than n
man ever would think OF doing.
me was when for refractory dis.
position u man might lawfully correct
his wife by vigorous application of the
birch. The punishment must i'm nil
cases be reasonable, and il was held
that he must not log her with a sticl,
thicker than his thumb; but she could
be reduced TO submission by the man of
the house, II frequent whippings would
DO 1t, not only without danger of pun
lshinent TO the man, hut with the posi-
tive approval of his ucighbors and prob
ably also of all his wife's friends If
domestic discipline in those DAYS proved
insufficient TO control her tongue for
II was for oitcuscs of speech rather than
dced that the wife was commonly cor.
I'cted she was taken before the MAJ.
ldtratc and tried for common scOld
ana II convicted was set upon the public
ducking-stOOl by the constable and
soused in horse pond or some convcn-
lent river.
1t Is perhaps TO be regretted that no
statistics are or can be kept showing
me extent and usual consequences of
Huarrcls between married people, and
II would be interesting TO know if such
information was attanable whether.
on The average, matrimonial unions
were happier and more peaceful when
the husband had the legal right and
pracucal power TO compel obedience
from the wife than they are now when
ne has only shadOwy and sentimental
sort OF obedience if he has anyat all
that is supposed TO be inculcalcd bv the
language used in the wedding ceremony.
There is sort Of womanly obedience
That amounts TO devotion. IL Gomez
only from women who are capable of
great love, and from them only when
~ happens that they are Joined 10 men
VINO are fortunate cnOzgh tp command
iheir utmost respect rs wcll rs aiTcc-
tion. If all the men i'm large city
were to DO called together and kcd To-
raise their right hands if they believed
themselves masters Of their own homes
through love il is 10 be feared that
not more than half the arms would 0o
up.
In point of fact women are much
more fond OF control AZ home than men
are. and mucl more likely TO exercise
d. D. Is common 10 hear a woman boast
how She manages, her husband. and
very often pcrhap, DO may be said gcn-
orally her management il most ud.-
cious. In many things woman has
more tact than man, and she is likely
enough TO have that superiority Of
Judgment which fairly entities hor TO
Ubcd cnce
IL would get red Of sort Of harnIcs.
sham tO give mp the entire notion Of
married womau's subordinate position
by which she owes 90 her husband some
SORT OF obedience which he docs N ot owe
to her In this age and country the
thing itself does not exist A child is
supposed % obey It's parents, and citi-
zen TO obey the laws; but nobody sun
po,cs that, in any like manner. n wife
obcys her husband or is bound 10 obey
him. The Newark girl was right in her
view Of the case, though she took "a not
very eliicacious method Of AVOIDING the
danger There IS no sense i'm putfng
into woman's mouth promise Of obc,
dience which she never intends TO keep.
-DctrOH POST