Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1907-08-15
MOlly's Declaration
of Independence
BY r. II. LANCASTER.

Copyright. by Daily Story Pub. Col
Il had sense enough to take care Of
myself before 1 was married." Molly
said. hotly, to the wall opposite. 1T
is high time 1 made my declaration
Of independence" And then she
paused.
Like many young people Of the pres
emit generation, Molly Madison had
never though much about the Declar-
alton OF Independence. She had read
1t perfunctorily at school and her
teacher had perfunctorily pointed out
It's noble sentiments-especially the
All men are created free and equal"
This last had been impressed upon
Molly's mind because one Of the boys
had seized the first opportunity to
assure her that that might be noble
but 1t wasn't true, and Molly had
cleverly caught him up with nothing
can be noble that isn't true" The
boy had appeared posed, and Molly
had, In consequence, always rsmem-
bered about the free and equal part
Of the declaration.
Now, after many years, she and the
boy had differed again about that
clause Of equality and freedom. Had
Offered not in words, but In the spirit
The boy lived to the belief that a
man should be master In his house
and admitted Of no equal In the sphere
q his home. Molly lived to the belief
that she was the boys equal in many
respects. That. at least, she had a
right to say 30 sometimes. Molly and
the boy had been married just a year,
and Molly was beginning to find that
matrimony may be a bitter thing in
that it presupposes the humiliation OF
obedience
i had sense enough to take care OF
myself before / was married." she re-
peated. hotly, to the wall And why
should he presume to give me orders
like ! was q nine-pin or q nonenity.
don't want you to go out to-day ! sup
pose he thinks that II he wanted me to
stay in bed all day / ought to be meek
ly content to stay there. But I'll show
him. I'll go from one end of this town
to the other. He might just as well
learn right now that do not intend
to be q martyr to every within that
enters his head. I'll celebrate my
Fourth of July with a declaration of
independence. I'll write one. I'll draw
It up in legal style and leave it for him
to read. That will be fine" And
Molly almost forgot her indignation
IN the enthusiasm for her scheme. She
hustled through the morning work,
got together pen and ink and legal
cap paper and began to write,
BE 1t enacted" she wrote, and hest
tated. That would make it an enact
mept-and Jack would laugh at me
for mixing things. l must be sure to
begin right. How does the real decla-
ration begin?" It took Molly a good
while to find an old school history
and look up the declaration in the
appendix, but the result rewarded her
and with joyous, ''Oh, yesl That's
incl" she took a fresh sheet and be-
gan.
when In the course of human
events, It becomes necessary for a
wife to loosen the bonds her husband
has sought to bind about her and to
assume among the people of the earth
the equal station TO which the laws of
nature and Of natures God entities
her, decent respect for her husband
requires that she should tell him of
the causes which have impelled her to
take this STEP" Molly read over her
beginning and sighed with content.
That's beautiful" she said. Now
70 set forth the causes. No, waitl
We hold these truths to be self-eYi-
dent. that women and men are created
equal, that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain inalienahle
rights; that among these are life. lib
erty and the pursuit Of happiness"
Molly undersigned the "hberty" and
consulted the original document. The
consultation lasted through a puzzling
period, but finally Molly seized her
pen and wrote with fsrvor;
Common sense will admonish the
wife not to upset the domestic peace
for light and transient causes. But
when long train OF abuses and usur.
pations, pursuing invariably the same
object, evinces a design to reduce her
under absolute dsspotism, it is her
right. 1t is her duty. to throw OF such
tyranny and to provide new guards for
her" Molly stopped and struggled
for the word she wanted. Individual
ity,' that's It,. New guards for her in
fufd hoa