Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1891-09-12
BETTER OFF NOW THAN NEVER.
vast Changes for the Better for Women
since tho "Good Old Times"

since tho "Good Old Times"
II any creature on earth has reason
for exultant, fearful. heavenward-ri
ing thankfulness IL Is the modern
wOman. Never In all the worlds
history has she been so free from
burdens. SO exalted in privileges as TO-
day. contends writer in the arena.
This nineteenth century Is the era Of
her coronation. Today she stands
queen of herself aud OF the world. In
the palmiest days OF the good old
times" the only woman who was al
lowed any privileges OF culture was
the courtesan. The wife's home was n
prison, aud her hands alone were Of
value.
Whether or not she had any brains
she was not permitted TO discover, and
this has held substantially true the
world over until within the last hun
dred years; and the most convincing
proof Of this Is the character of tho
books of the best society. You would
not dare TO read alond in mixed society
any book OF the last century. Books
were not made for women, and SO
whether they were decent or not was n
small consideration. Even the old
preachers INDUCED in coarseness OF
language that would not now be per-
nittcd in a political harangue. Some
of Martin Luther's sermons could nos
be read in modern school.
Swearing in the drawing-room and
in the "best society" was no nncom-
mon thing ninety years ago. Even
the ladies themselves not rarely in.
dulgcd in it. Dean Ramsey tells an
anccdote that we'll illustrates how il
was regarded. A sister was speaking
of her brother us much addicted to the
habit, and she said: Our John swears
awful, and we try to correct him for
it; but" sine added, apologetically,
mae doubt it is great set-oif TO con-
versation." The double entender"
aud ndelicate illusions. such as now
no respectable company would endure.
were then quite common Ia mixed
society.
Eighty years ago eminent lawyers
would use language in the court room.
in the presence Of ladies, for which
they would now bc arrested by the
Sheriff. Then women were punished
by being publicly whipped on the bare
back. Prisoners in pillorie5 were
pelted with eggs and jeered and tannt-
ed by the bystanders. The whipping
post, the stocks, cropping. and brand
lug were common. 1t was no very
rare sight to see man and his wife.
from the first society, sitting on the
gailows for au hcar with ropes round
their necks.
And those who favor the harsher
forms of punishment might proftably
take notice OF the fact that milder
councils, fewer crimes and the general
elevation of society are invariably ac-
compartments of each other. To be
poor aud insane then was worse than
torture or death.
The poor were ''sold" ut public auc-
ton, their board and keeping knocked
down 10 the lowest bidder. who was
left to treat them very much as he
pleased. Almshouscs were almost un-
known.
The common school girl OF today is
better off, IN all that makes life desir.
ublSi ihdu Ndo HuOOh VI -NN yN"
ago. More comfort, more purity,
more intelligence, more refinement,
more everything worth having-these
mark the advance of our social life.
Never were houses so good, never was
furniture so convenient aud abundant,
never was dress so comfortable aud
healthful, never manners so simple
and sensible. never the means Of all en-
joyment aud development so common
and so universally accessible as today.
And yet in spite of these facts there
are large numbers of people perpetual.
ly bemoaniug our degeneracy and
signing over the departure OF tho
good old times" of our early Ameri.
can life. The reason OF the present dis
. tressing state of affairs | heard ex.
planned not long ago. One man thought
it was because the good old doctrines
were not now preached at all, and thu
other was equally sure that II was be-
cause they were preached all the time.
Never was grander fallacy than this
whole idea.
Never was more ignorance Of the
past displayed than by those who talk
of the falling away Of modern times.
Never was the church so bright and
fair as now, and never did the sky oi
the future redden with n more glorious
promise OF the coming dav. In these
good old times" men lived under the
horrid shadows of frightful supersti-
tions. Now it is to modern science
only that we owe our emancipation
from the yoke of this awful tyranny.
Scientific explorers have been over
the earth; and finding no mouths oi
hell. that Is gone. Science has cx.
planned earthquakes aud volcanoes. and
now devils fight no longer in the
bowels OF the earth. Etua anil
Vesuvius nre no longer vent-holes oil
the pit. Astronomy has shattered the
follies Of astrology; and people have
found out that the stars are mindinS
their own business instead OF meddling
with theirs. and cclipses. no longer
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. are only
very natural and we'll behaved
shadows.