The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1891-01-14
IN WOMAN'S BEHALF.
"THEN AND NOW"

1Or eXultant, cheer1ui, heavenWard-rlS-
ing thankfulness, it il the modern wom-
an. Never in all the worlds history
has she been so 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
ileges or culture was the courtesan. The
wife's home was a prison, and her hands
she had any brains, she was not per-
mitted to discover, and this has held
substantially true the world over, until
the last hundred years. and the most
convincing proof of this is the character
of the books of the best society. You
society any book Of the last century.
Books were not made for women, and
so whether they were decent or not was
a small consideration.
Even the old preachers INDUCED in
coarecness of language that would not
now be permitted in a 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 I'M
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. sister was speaking Of her
brother as much addicted to the habit,
and she said: "Our John swears awful,
and we try to correct him for it; but"
she added, apologetically, mae doubt
The ''double-intendre" and indicate
illusions, such as now no respectable
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 were punished by being public
ly whipped on the bare back. Prison
ers in pillories were pelted with eggs,
and jeered and tainted 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 accompaniment
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
were almost unknown. The insane wife
of prosperous man was sometimes
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 refnement
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
err manners so simple and sensible, new
err 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 mum.
bers of people perpetually bemoaning
our degeneracy and signing over the
departure of the good old times" OF
our early American life.
The reason of the present distressing
state of affairs I heard explained no,
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 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 redden with a more glori
GUS promise of the coming day. Ir
those good old times men lived under
the horrid shadows of frightful super
stitions Now it is to modern scienc,
only that we owe our emancipation
from the yoke of this awful tyranny
Scientific explorers have been over thu
earth, and finding no mouth of hell
that is gone. Science has explained
earthquakes and volcanoes, and nov
devils fight no longer in the bowels o
the earth. Etna and Vesuvius are n,
longer vent-holes of the pit. Astronom,
has shattered the follies of astrology
and people have found out that the star
are minding their own business instea'
of meddling with theirs; and eclipses
no longer moon swallowing monsters
are only very natural and well-behave
shadows.
Since psychology is studied, we know
that witchcraft is folly, and insanity
only disease to be treat and cured
Thus science-like mother going uI
stairs to bed with her frightened boy
has been with her candle into all tn
old dark corners that used to make u
creep and cringe and shiver with terror
Crackers always have had a special fac
ulty for seeing breakers ahead" an
smooth water behind. But the sobe
facts Of history justify the statemer
that never was the ship of human hop
in stancher trim, and never was fairel