The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1885-01-23

<s.s T.<e~ Cssesrnia< th< Question 20
Wif<iy Oh~dI>ne~-
A vor-r woman Of eighteen who mar
ned man a forty the other day In =
Newark church crooked her finger dur
Ing the ceremony % that the groom
contrary 10 his former experiences on
x,ch occasions was unable 10 get the |
ring beyond the second joint Upon
being asked during the reception that
followed IS 10 the cause II the hitch in |
she proceedings ~ the altar. the youne
l.dv explained that she made mental
r<eryauon IN repeating the promise 10
love. honor and obey. and had also kept
the ring from going lower down because
she had heari that 4 4 was stopped n
the SECOND joint the wife would be able
10 rule the husband. while Il 4 went TO
the hand the husband would be SUI
preme-
The superstition about erooking the
FINGER i not very prevalent. and the
ring almost always goes clear down;
hut there d reason To believe that the
mea,al reservation In the promise If
obedience i common enough In fact.
the notion that the modern woman
..oheys'r her husband in any such
sense a l. meant by the words o. the
marriage service j. mere myth that
has cosse down with the marriage
formula The same equalixing spirit
thai has 20 modified w0mans statutes
a 20 abolish the old notion that man
and his wife are legally one person. and
- enable her TO hold and manage her
own prDperty almost a. independently
A. the husband can manage his. has
nearly wiped out thu idea Of obedience
from the ordinary estimate II the holy
estate OF mafrim0ny. Practically speak
inr. the woman ruleS fully A. often A.
the man more arbitrarily sometimes
more absolutely in some eases than .
man ever would think Of dong
Time was when for = refractory dis
position q man might lawfully correct
his wife nv vigorous application Of the
birch. The punishment must in NIL
caSes be reasonable. aud Il was held
that he must not Hog her with stick
thicker than hi thumb. but she could
b. reduced 10 submission by the man II
the hou~e. II frequent whipping would
do Il. not only without danger Of pun
i~hmenf 10 the man. but with the posi-
tive approval u his nesghbors and prob
ably also of All his wife's friends. II
domestic discipline in those DAYS proved
insufficient to control her tongue for
II was for oifen-es Of speech rather than
deed that the wife was commonly cor
rscted she was taken before the Mag
i=trafe and tried for a common scFSd.
and II convicted was set upon the public
ducking-<f0ol by the constable and
souSei in hor~e pond or some conyen-
senf river
II i perhaps to be regretted that no
statistics are or can he kept showing
the extent and usual consequences OF
quarrrls between married people. and
il would b. interesting 70 know If such
information was affainabie whether.
on the average. matrimonial unions
were happier and more peaceful when
the husband had the legal right and
practical power TO compel obedience
from the wife than they are now when
he has orly . shadowy and sentimental
sort II obeiiener- il he has any AZ al
thar i supposed to b. inculcatcd BY thu
language used in the wedding ceremony.
There i = sort Of w0maniy obedience
that amounts 10 devotion II comes
only from women who are capable 81
great love. and from them only winer
if'happens that they are joined to mer
Who are fortunate enough % command
Their u--rosf respect n well n alice
ticn. III al the men In q large cit,
were 70 BE- called together and asked 4
raise their right hands If they believes
themselves masters Of their own home
through love. Il i to b. feared tina
n ~ -
mp.
In point II fact women are muc
more fond Of control AZ home than me-
arc. and much more likely 70 exercis
IT, Il j. common 10 hear woman boas
how she manages" her husband. an
very often--perhsps II may b. said ger
orally her management i most Jud
cious- In many things woman m
more tact than . man. and she i likel
enough to have that superiority Z
Judgment which fairly entities her
Obedience.
II would Get red a = SORT ~ harmlc'
sham 70 give up the entire notion Of
married womanrs subordinate positio
by which he owes 10 her husband som
sort Of Obedience which he does not ou
20 her In this age and country u
thing itself dos not exist A child
supposed to obey H. parents and eli
zrn to obey the laws: but nobody ~
poses that, in any like manner. . Wi
Obeys her husband or i bound to obs
him The Newark girl was right in h
view of the case. though she took = M
very efficaciotrS method IL avoiding II
danger. There i no sense in putin
into woman's mouth a promise 0f ob
ssience which she never intends - lee
--Dsfr0I Post