San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-05-27

from prctense at shame, but her eyes
glittering cOldly through the mask, be-
| traying to all who look at her how she
| secretly revelS in her new code of law
leSsness coupled with greed. For she
| Will always be avaricious, and the worst
| OF il is, that her nature being proSaic,
there will be no redeeming grace to cast
| a glamor about her. France is unvirtu-
Gus enough, God knows, yet there is a
| Sunshinny smile on her lips that cheers
| the heart Italy is also unyirtuouS, vet
| her voice is full Of bird-like melody, and
| her face is dream of perfect poetry!
| But England unvirtuOuS will be like a
| cautiously calculating, somewhat Shrew-
| ish matron, possessed of unnatural and
unbecoming friSkineSS, without either
| laugh, or song, or smile, her one god,
Gold, and her one commandment, the
suggested eleventh, Thou shalt not be
| found out.'
/ slept that night on deck. The
captain offered me the use of his little
cabin. and was, in his kind-hearted man
| ner, truly distressed at my persistent re-
fusal to occupy it.
st is bad TO sleep in the moonlight.
Signor," he said, anXiously. ut makes
men mad, they say"
l smiled. Had madness been my des-
tiny. should have gone mad last night,
l thought!
Have no fear!' / answered him gent
ly. THE moonlight is joy to met
has no impression on my mind save that
of peace. l shall rest well here, my
friend-do not trouble yourself about
me J."
10 hnS tat aH nd hnn al rn Mt " laf
to return in the space of two or three
minutes with thick rug of sheep skin.
He insisted so earnestly Oh my accepting
this covering as protection from the
night air, that, to please him, l yielded
to his entreaties and lay down, wrapped
in its warm folds. The good-natured
fellow then wished me "Buon ripoSo,
Signor!" and descended to his own rest.
ing-place, humming a gay tune as he
went. From my recumbent posture on
the deck stared upwards at the myriad
stars that twinkled softly in the warm
violet Skies-Stared long and tixedly till
it seemed to me that our ship had also
become a star, and was sailing through
space with its glittering companions.
What inhabitants peopled these fair
planets, wondered? Mere men and
"OElcD WHO lINeu anu lONtu tnu lieu u
one another as bravely as we do? or su.
periOr beings TO whom the least false
hood is unknown? Was there one
world among them where no women
were born? Vague fancies-odd theories.
fitted through my brain. lived over
again the agony of my Imprisonment in
the vault; again forced myself to con-
template the scene | had witnessed be-
tween my wife and her lover-again l
meditated on every small detail requisite
to the fulflment of the terrible ven
geance / had designed. l have often
wondered how, in countries where d.
vorce was allowed, a wronged husband
can satisfy himself with so meager a
compensation for his injuries as the
mere getting rid OF the woman who has
deceived him. 1t is no punishment to
hcr-it is what she wishes. There is not
even any very special disgrace in 1t &C.
cOrding to the present standard of social
observances. Were public whipping the
recognized penalty for the crime of
married woman's intidelity there would
be fewer of the like scandals-the d.
vorce might follow the scOurging. A
daintily brought up feminine creature
would think twice, nay, fifty times, be-
fore she would run the risk of allowing
her delicate body to be dashed by whips
welded by the merciless hands of a
couple of her own seX-Such prospect
of degradation, pain, shame and out
ragged vanity would be more effectual to
kill the brute in her than all the impos-
ing ceremonials of courts of law and
special iuries. Think of it, kings
lords and commons Whipping at the
carts tail was once a legal punishment
if you would stop the growing immoral
ity and reckless vice of women you had
best revive it again-only apply it to
rich as well as to poor, for it is most
probable that the gay duchesses and
countesses of your lands will need its
sharp services more frequently than the
work wives of your labouring men.
Luxury, idleneSs, and love of dress are
hot-beds for sin,-loOk for it therefore,
not so much in the novels of the starving
and naked as in the rOse-tinted, musk
scented bOudoirS of the aristocracy-
look for it, as your brave physicians
would search out the seeds of a pestl-
lince that threatens to dep0pulate
great city, and trample it out If you can
and will,-if you desire to keep the
name of your countries glorious in the
eyes of future history. Spare not the
rod because my lady" fOrsoOth! with
her rich hair falling around her in beau
teOuS diShevelment and her eyes bathed
in tears, implOres your mercy-for by
every reason of her wealth and station
she deserves less pity than the painted
outcaSt who knows not where to turn
for bread. A high post demands high
duty! But talk wildly. Whipping is
done away with, for women at least-we
give well-ored shudder of disgust at
| the thought of it. When do we shud-
| der with equal disgust at our own social
enOrmities? Seldom or never. Mean