Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-08
LUCY STONES NUPTIAL PROTEST.
should he an Equal and
Permanent Partnership.

From the Boston Advertiser.
Among the innumerable events OF note in
the wonderful career of Lucy Stone not the
least memorable was her marriage to Mr.
Blackwell and the protest against existing
marriage laws which was drawn I'D and
signed by them both. The ceremony was
performed by Col. Higginson of Cambridge,
then less widely known and spoken of as the
Rev. Thomas Wentworth Higginson.
The clergyman sent the protest to the wor-
cester Spy that the world of 1855 might
know the bold stand that had been taken.
Following is Mr.. Higginson's letter to the
Spy:
1T was my privilege to celebrate Nav day
by oiriciating at a wedding in a farm house
among the hills of West Brookfield. The
bridegroom was a man of tried worth. a
leader in the western anti-slavery move
ment, and the bride is one whose fair name
is known throughout the nation-one whose
rare Intellectual qualities are excelled by the
private beauty Of her heart and life L never
perform the marriage ceremony without a
renewed sense of the iniquity of our present
system OF laws in respect to marriage, a
system by which man and wife are one
and that one is the husband 1t was with
my nearly concurrence, therefore, that the
Following protest was read and signed as a
part of the nuptial ceremony, and send IL
to you that others may be induced to do
likewise"
Lucy Stone and II. B. Blackwell and sub
scribed to once more by the bereaved hus-
band:
While acknowledging our mutual affection
by publicly assuming the relationship Of
husband and wife, vet in justice to ourselves
and great principle We deem IL our duty
to declare that this act on our part implies
no sanction Of nor promise of voluntary
aHn di0rn tn nafa oF
marriage as refuse to recognize the wife as
an independent, rational being, while they
confer upon the husband an injurious and
unnatural superiority, investing him with
exercise, and which no man should possess
We protest especially against the laws
which give to the husband:
]. The custody Of the wife's person.
2 The exclusive control and guardianship
of their children.
g. The sole ownership of her personal and
use of her real estate, unless previously set
tied upon her or placed in the hands of trus-
tees, as in the case OF minors, idiots and
lunatics.
A. The absolute right to the product Of her
industry.
S. Also against laws which give to the
widower so much larger and more perma-
nent an interest in the property Of his de-
ceased wife than they give 10 the widow in
that Of her deceased husband.
6. Finally, against the whole system by
suspended during the marriage" so that in
most states she neither has a legal part in
the choice Of her residence, nor can she
make a WILL nor sue or be sued in her own
name. nor inherit property.
We believe that personal independence and
equal human rights can never be forfeited.
except for crime; that marriage should be
an equal and permanent partnership, and so
recognized by law; that until II is so rec
ognized married partners should provide
against the radical injustice Of present
laws by every means in their power.
We believe that where domestic difficulties
arise no appeal should be made to legal
tribunals under existing laws, but that all
difficulties should be submitted to the equi-
table adjustment Of arbitrators mutually
chosen.
Thus, reverencing law, We enter our pro-
test against rules and customs which are
unworthy OF the name, since they violate
justice, the essence OF law.
HENRY b. BLACKWELL,
LUCY STONE.
"Of course" said Mr.. Blackwell that
protest was worded to apply to laws that
have been repealed. replaced, or greatly
modified. We drew it up together. Col
Higginson-the Rev. Mr.. Hi2sinson he was
called then-sent ii to the Spy, and IL later
appeared in the Boston papers and was
widely copied and derided. Newspapers
deal with the equality cause much different
ly now from the way they did then