The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1911-07-14
DUCkINC A SCOLD
4 Custom Quite Popular at One
Time In This Country.
WOMEN ALWAYS THE VICTIMS.

Colonial Days DucIsins Stools Were
Rpmmos In Maryland, In Virginia
tIb Penalty Was Often inflicted, and
Georgia sinned 40 Late as 1919.
Nowadays IL o woman forms the
habits Of talking 100 loud and too long
or insists upon saying unpleasant
things in wrong places and at wrong
seasons there are several things which
may happen to her. If she is a person
Of some social standing her husband
may get a divorce. or If she belongs
In one Of the lower strata he may
leave her without that little formality.
IL she makes life too unbearable for
the neighbors she may possibly be ar
rested and fined. If she lives in Eng
land and interrupts the proceedings Of
parliament. calls names. chases digni-
taries to cover whenever they show
themselves In public and knocks on
policemen's helmets she Ii called suf-
fragette and sometimes imprisoned.
But even the most 'obstinately oppro-
brious and virulent woman" to quote
the stately. Addison. may be confident
that She win escape the punishment
melted out to her sister Of old. What
ever happens. she won't be sentenced
70 the ducking stool In many ways
modern Life is tame and lacking In
dramatic incident for self assertive
lady, and even the English suffragettes
complain that they are not taken Sc
riously enough.
No such claim could have been made
In the past, say between the fifteenth
and eighteenth centuries. when far
more rigid views prevailed on the sub
ject Of feminine self repression. In
those days magistrates were unani-
nous In the conviction that ''meekness
Is W chojsest ointment for woman"
and it was held crime to speak dis
cornfully" Of those In authority. civil
or ecclesiastical A woman must not
even indulge In too great freedom Of
speech In the privacy of her own home
and neighborhood Sometimes she did,
and then she was attended to in a sim
pie yet spectacular manner.
She was bound securely to a stout
chair firmly fixed to the end Of long
beam, arranged to work up and down
on the principle Of the seesaw. on
the edge OF river or pond. On the
bank at the other end man worked
the contrivance by means Of strong
chain, and she was given ducdng.
which lasted until justice was salts
fed or reform was promised. the popu-
lace Of course gathering in large num-
bers to assist at the function.
In England the practice was so gem
eral that each town had its ducking
pond conveniently located where petty
offenders of various kinds were disci-
plined The pond for the western part
Of London was what is now a portion
Of Trafalgar square, Charing Cross.
Many Of the old ducking stools are
still In existence as curiosities. In the
days OF their activity they were kept
in the church porches, where they
doubtless pointed a moral as to the
naughty spirit which goeth before a
fall.
The ilrst colonists brought the insti-
tution to this country. although it new
er dourished In New England. In fact,
there are no authentic records of the
actual use Of the duching stool In
these colonies, although a number OF
women were sentenced to be so pun
ished. They had. however, other meth
DDS of treatment for ladies OF shrew-
ISL disposition, one Of these being
the wearing Of a cleft stick upon the
<tongue.
In the central and southern colonies
The custom was quite popular. In the
seventeenth century ducking stools
were In every county In Maryland, and
In 1775 one was placed at the confiu-
ence Of the Ohio and Monongahela riv-
ers. In Virginia the penalty was often
employed. and In 1884 Thomas Hart
" Of that colony wrote, it Is said. to
Governor Nndicott Of Massachusetts,.
giving asdetailed account of ducling
administered to lone Betsey, wife Of
John Tucker. who by violence Of her
tongue had made his home and ye
neighborhood uncomfortable" After
describing the machine he adds: I'VE
rope was slackened by ye officer, ana
We woman was allowed to go down
under ye water for ye space Of half q
minute. Betsey had a stout stomach
and would not yield until she had al
lowed herself to be ducked I'VE several
times" After she promised to ''sin no
more'' Betsey was united and allowed
TO walk home In her wetted clothes.
hopefully penitent woman"
The ducking stool prevailed longer
In America than In England. In the
old country 1t does not seem to have
been used later than 1909. but In Geor-
gia women were ducked for scolding