Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1912-02-01
In Colonial Days Duet<ing Stools Were
Common In Maryland. In Virginia
the Penalty Was Often inflicted. and
Georgia Sinned as Late as 1919.

parliament, calls names, chaSeS 0gnl'
taries to cover whenever they show
themselves in public and knocks OF
policemen's helmets she is called suf-
fragette and sometimes imprisoned.
But even the most ''obstnately oppro-
brious and virulent woman" to quote
the stately Addison, may be confident
that she will escape the punishment
melted out to her sister of old What
ever happens, she wont be sentenced
to 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 We 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 sim
pie yet spectacular manner.
She was bound securely to q 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 ducking.
which lasted until justice was salts
fed or reform was promised. the popu-
lace OF course gathering in large mum
bers to assis, at the function
In England the practice was so gen
eral that each town had its ducking
pond conveniently located where petty
offenders of various kinds were disci-
pined. The pond for the western part
OF London was what is now a portion
of Trafalgar square. Chartng Cross
Many of the old ducking stools are
still in existence as curiOsties In the
days of their activity they were kept
in the church porches. where they
doubtless pointed moral as to the
naughty spirit which goeth before a
fall
The first colonists brought the insti-
tuition to this country although it new
er hourished in New England In fact,
there are no authentic records Of the
actual use of the ducking stool in
these colonies. although number of
women were sentenced 10 be so pun
lshed They had, however other meth
DDS OF treatment for ladies OF Shrew-
1sh disposition, one ut these belng
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 conhu
ence of the OHIO and Monongahela riv-
ers In Virginia the penalty was often
employed. and in 1884 a Thomas Hart.
~ of that colony wrote, it is said, to
Governor Endicott OF Massachusetts
giving detailed account Of ducking
administered to zone Retsey wife OF
John Tucker. who by violence of her
tongue had made his home and We
neighborhood uncomfortable. After
describing the machine be adds: I'VE
rope was slackened by We officer. and
We woman was allowed to go down
under We water for We space Of half
minute Betsey had a stout stomach
and would not yield until she had al
lowed herself to be ducked Eve severall
times" After she promised to ''sin no
more" Betsey was united and allowed
to walk home in her wetted clothes
a hopefully penitent woman
The ducking stool prevailed longer
In America than In England In the
old country it does not seem to nave
been used later than 1909. but in Geor
gia women were ducked for scolding
as late as 1919. 1t is interesting 10
note that in 1924 woman in Phila.
delphia was sentenced to be ducked
but the decree was not carried out, al
1t was deemed obsolete and contrary
to the spirit Of the times A writer
on colonial customs states that one OF
the last indictments for ducking in
this country was that Of Mrs. Anne,
Royal in Washington, a lobbyist. who
became SO abusive to congressman
that she was indicted as a common
scOld before Judge William Cranch
and was sentenced by him to be duck.
ed in the Potomac. She was. howey
or, not subjected 70 the duckins indig.
nifty but was released with q tine."--
Bellman. 5j.ss Is
When our hatred is too bitter Ii
B places us below those Nh HON We hate
II & Rnch fnrl on ii Ii