St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1909-05-22

GaluAlMy. 9O1Aa u = NASAaS says
the Knoxville gann.) Sentinel, who
murder for chivalrous reasons are
brave enough to carry their chivalry
into the courtroom BY sealing their
lips. Some Of them act deliberately,
and not IN passion. It is strange
that these do not reflect chat love Of
ones own life Is 81 even stronger
motive than honor, and do not search
for other ways Of protecting the far
name 81 their friend
Another strong argument that
should appeal to . jury Of laynen is
The fact that ii d great many Of the
cases where the unWritten law is
pleaded, che woman in the case,
whose honor is sought TO be pro-
~
tected, often deserves q worse fate
than the companion Of her Iaisons.
When a mans wife goes wrong it is
not usually the despoiler Of her vir-
tue that is responsible. Most often
is it the case, that The woman, weary
Of her husbands attentions, seeks
and encourages the ~earresses Of
strange men who cannot always be-
too severely blamed for yielding
where there IS not only no opposition,
but where there is often the most
tempting encouragement.
a woman correspondent ii the
New York American, Of April Ill,
1909, presents some unusual views
from the standpoint Of her knowL'
edge Of the weakness Of her own sex
that should be widely cireulatnd.
It is the custom. says the writer,
to assume that woman is innocent
and unsophisticated as Eve before
The fall, and that when the serpent
enters into the domestic Eden he
wriggles il unlimited By her, and
proceeds to use al the arts and
Establishments of the wording TO
tempt her into sbraying down the
primrose path with him. Il IS always
Marguerite and Faust as the story Is
told On the witness stand IN che muir
der case. # this were true, indeed.
might the unWritten law become the
written law, and the blood Of The
homeSWreeker be upon his own head.
But the name of Che married woman
who goes wrong is not Marguerite.
It IS sappho. II Is Faustine. it IS
Lais, it Is Magdalen. Il is absurd,
on the very face Of it, to claim that
q woman like Claudia Hams, for IN
stance-and she IS just ! type Of the
kind Of women men kill for-Was en-
ticed by Annis into being false to her
husband, and that be was responsible
wholly for the breaking lip Of Cap
tain Hams home. She was d mar
ried woman wish three children. She
lived in the midst Of a gay and
sophisticated society and she was
perfectly aware Of the significance Of
everything she did. AS a matter Of
cold, hard fact, ID n~inety-nine cases
out Of a hundred, when al outraged
husband cries out that some villain
he's robbed him Of bis wife, she hasn't
been stolen at all. She has given
herself away and if the husband Is
determined to kill the real offender
against his honor and bis home be
must slay the woman. It may be
taken as al axiom that the only
wives who are ever led astray are
those who are perpetually on the
lookout for 3 tempser. Only those
married ladies are made love TO who
give men 4 tip that they are moi
syerse TO listening and only those
are involved ID dubious situations,
who sidestep from tie straight and
narrow path. Married women are
perfectly aware Of the danger Of
playing with FIRE, and i they start
the confagration that burns Up their
honor and good repute no one can
excuse them By saying that they did
not know what they were about. In
this country, at least, every honest
wife is safe and every faithless wife
meets her lover halfway. Hence,
che absurdity Of custom that takes
the mans life and let's bis alder and
abettor go free
CIVILIZATION.
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