The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1891-01-15
IN WOMAN'S BEHALF.
THEN AND Now =
How the Condition Of Woman has Inn
proved In u Hundred Years.

for exultant. cheerful. heavenward-ris-
ing thankfulness. il is the modern wom-
IN. Never in all the worlds history
has she been 80 free from burdens. SO
exalted in privileges as to-day. This
Nineteenth Century is the era of her
coronation. To-day she stands queen
Of herself and of the world. In the pal
miest days Of the good old times" the
only woman who was allowed any priv
tleges or culture was the courtesan. The
wife's home was prison. and her hands
alone were of value. Whether or not
she had any brains, she was not per-
mitted H. discover and this has held
substantially true the world over, until
the last hundred wears. and the most
convincing proof Of this is the character
Of the books OF the best society. You
would not dare to read aloud in mixed
society any book of the last century.
Books were not made for women. and
so whether they were decent or not was
small consideration.
Even the old preachers indulged in
coarseness Of language that would not
now be permitted in political ha-
rangue. Some Of Martin Luther's SER
mons could not be read in modern
school. Swearing in the drawing-room
and in the best society" was no un-
common thing ninety years ago. Even
the ladies' themselves not rarely in
dulged in it. Dean Ramsey tells an
anecdote that will illustrate how it was
regarded. a sister was speaking Of her
brother as much addicted to the habit,
and she said: Our John swears awfu'.
and we try to correct him for it: but. !"
she added. apologetically, mae doubt
it is a great sct-off to conversation. !"
The ''double-intendre' and indelicate
illusions. such as now no respecta bic
company would endure, were then
quite common in mixed society. Eighty
years ago eminent lawyers would use
language in the courtroom. in the
presence of ladies. for which they would
now be arrested by the sheriff. Then
women We're punished by being public
~ whipped on the bare back. Prison
ers in pillories were pelted with eggs.
and jecred and taunted by the bystand-
ers. The whipping post. the stocks.
cropping and branding were common.
1t was no very rare sight to see man
and his wife. from the first society. sit
ting on the gallows for an hour, with
ropes round their necks. And those
who favor the harsher forms of punish
ment might profitably take notice of
the fact that milder counsels. fewer
crimes and the general elevation of
society are invariably accompaniments
of each other.
To BE- poor and insane then was worse
than torture or death. The poor were
''sold'' at public auction. their board
| and keeping knocked down to the low
est bidder. who was left to treat them
very much as he pleased. Alms-houses
We're almost unknown. The insane wife
of prosperous man was sometimes
| fastened III a room in the house. and
kept there for years. her screams max
ing hideous the public road on which
he lived The common school girl of
to-day is better off. in all that makes
life desirable than was any queen Of 200
| years ago. More comfort. more purity.
more intelligence. more refinement.
things worth having-these mark the
advance of our social life. Never were
houses SO good, never was furniture SO
convenient and abundant. never was
dress SO comfortable and healthful. new
er manners SO simple and sensible. new
er the means of all enjoyment and de-
velopment SO common and SO univer-
sally accessible as to-day. And yet. in
spite of these facts. there are large num-
bers of people perpetually bemoaning
our dcgeneracy and signing over the
departure of the coed old times of
our early American life.
The reason Of the present distressing
state Of affairs heard explained not
long ago. One man thought it was be-
cause the good old doctrines were
nowadays not preached at all. and the
other was equally sure that it was be-
cause they were preached all the time.
Never was a 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
Of the future rcdden with more glori-
GUS promise Of the coming day. In
those good old times men lived under
the horrid shadows of frightful super
stitions. 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 mouth of hell.
that is gone. Science has explained
earthquakes and volcanoes. and now
devils fight no longer in the bowels OF
the earth. 4Etna and Vesuvius are nc
longer vent-holes Of the pit. Astronomy
has shattered the follies Of astrology
and people have found out that the star.
are minding their own business instead
of meddling with theirs: and eclipses
no longer moon swallowing monsters
are only very natural and we'll bel havea
| shadows.
Since psychology is studied. we know
that witchcraft is folly. and insanity i.
only disease to be treat and cured
Thus science-lilxe a mother going up
stairs to bed with her frightened boy
has been with her candle into all ths
old dark corners that used to make u:
creep and cringe and shiver with terror
Croakers always have had special fac
ulty for seeing breakers ahead ant
smooth water behind. But the sober
facts of history justify the Statement
that never was the ship of human hope
in stancher trim. and never was fairer
broader sea ahead. What then? Why
this: In spite of present ills, and diff
culties. and eorruptions, and discour
Ggements learn to see things as the,
are. How many curse has this ser
vile. nnrcasnning worship of the pas
fastened upon us! As if an evil tha
has stood a thousand years was not "a
abominable as one sprung up to-day
We ought. indeed. in church. societ,
and State. to reverence the past as fa
ther of the present. But not SO blindl,
as to keep errors and fallacious system
simply because our ancestors endure,
them Minot J. Savage, in Arena.
Nor all society girls eat the bread o
idleness. Miss Mildred Conway, onl,
daughter of that favorite author. Mon
cure d: Conway, assists her father il