National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-10-16
TIE NIGHTS OF WOMAN.
Has Man Assumed Her High Preroga-
tive

i've
EDITOR NATIONAL REPUBLICAN; The
reputation your journal sustains for fearless
advocacy OF the great issues OF the day in.
duees me to pen few thoughts suggested
| by your statement that at has always been
considered the inalienable right Of the
British worklngman to beat his wife as oo-
casion requires, because II a man can't beat
his own wife in the name Of the prophet
whose wife can he be ltYu
The old common law OF Britain gives not
only the "Britlsh workingmanr but the
British aiistocfat the right to "whip his wife
with rod not larger than his thumb; to shut
her up IN room and administer whatever
moderate chastisement he may deem neces-
sary to insure obedience TO his wishes aud
for her healthful AID moral development"
This legal privilege was carried into prac-
tlce IN this country, and within the nine
teenth century, by q conventonally ire
spectacle man." who shut his wife up three
days to prevent her attending woman's
rights convention, carrying food to her that
she might not starve. Certainly this wife
had much time to reflect on the clause
I'VE hold these truths to be selfeyldent,
that all men are created equal, that they
are endowed by their Creator with certain
inaliennble rights that among these are
NE liberty, and the pursuit OF happiness
The only extenuation for the manly course
pursued by the husband 10 question Is his
possible belief that the clause cited applies
only to finale citizens" and why not9 When
the laws Of our land class woman with the
drunken, improvidont, and those who want
understanding, "no letters Of admlnistra-
ton shall be granted to a person convicted
OF Infamous crime, nor to any one adjudged
incompetent by the surrogate TO execute
duties Of such trust by reason OF drunken
ness, imprOvidence, or want OF understand
Ing, nor any married woman" IL may not
be very flattering to the woman who makes
an agreement on equal terms with the man
OF her choice to know that thereafter she is
TO be classed legally, II not socially, with
the drunken and "those who want under
standing" albeit, there is a higher au-
thority than the courts Of law for the sub.
1ugation OF woman. "Let your women keep
silence In the churches, and II they will
learn anything let them ask their husbands
at homes" alas, not making any provision
Ior the husbandless and homeless. st.
raul In one instance says he reasoned as
FOOL" II this be true then his life of
'single blessednessn evidenced much wis.,
dom on his part.
Mr.. Editor, allow me TO take the SPACE In
your columns, for the benefit OF those who
are without hope for woman, to refer to the
sermon delivered in Brooklyn, N. Y, Oct.
iO,at the tabernacle, by its esteemed pastor
DR.. Talmage, and published In your issue
OF Oct. IL, headed ga Calling Su6jugation.
1t is not 80 much to review the discourse
or to draw attention to the similarity of the
"subjugationn Of woman to that of the
lsraelites Ia the hands Of the Philstines, so
wildly portrayed by the distinguished d.
vine, as to note the advance since the advent
OF the Saint" to whom allusion has been
made In the ranks Of his advocates and be-
linvnrg. In II
iuded to these words appear: "Let us quit
this grand farce OF trying to save the world
by few clergymen and let all hands lay
hold OF the work. Give us In all your
churches two or three aroused and qualified
men and women to help" Then follows
stronger appeal for woman's help. "Long,
loud, bitter, will be the curse that scorches
our grave, II holding within the church to-
day enough men and women to save the
city, we act the coward or the drone. |
wish l could put enough moral explosives
under the conventlonalitles and majestic
stupidities Of the day to blow them to
atoms, and then with $4,000 men and
women from all the churches, knowing
nothing but Christ and a desire to bring all
the world to Him, we might move upon the
enemy's works. For little while Heaven
would not have trumpets enough to cele-
brate the victors." Most certainly not II
women are not to have divine justice done
them at last aud are not to "keep silencen
In Heaven as they are enjoined to by the
teachings OF Scripture "in the churches
The renowned poet who declared "all the
worlds stage and the men an ] women
merely players" should have left the
"women" out. as since the days Of Adam
and Eve woman has been kept behind the
curtain In the great drama OF life. 1t is
true our first mother has the credit OF being
the principal actor on the stage OF Eden.
Adam, according to the account, was a
mere cipher, making the plea in self-de.
Tense. 1.-THE woman whom thou gavest to
be with me, she gave me of the tree and
did eat.n And what vast results came to
pass in consequence Of eating the forbidden
'tapple." Upon this act depended the
stupcndous doctrines of "original SIM"
"total dcpravity," and endless misery"
These grave subjects have for ages stag
gered the worlds belief. The moral to be
pointed is that in the first act on the stage
OF life woman held the balance of power,
since which time this has been mans high
prerogative. Neither the logic Of Andover
nor the eloquence OF the "City Of Churches"
combined, ween, can make apparent or
consistent the trinity of mysterious doc
trines alluded to, and which may be alto
gether too solemn and deep for the subject
matter of simply q tea.table letter.
CERES.