WIFE BEATING IN ENGLAND.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 4524, 28 November 1884, Page 4

WIFE BEATING IN ENGLAND.

Wife-beating is moro common in England ' than in any other country, and what makes it still moro di-gracoful is tho fact that the laws do not appear to tako any cognisance of this brutal pastime. It prevails in the lower classes, and is not entirely unknowu in; tho higher. In the great middle class, which consists of the best part of the British population, woman-beating is, however, rarely heard of. The standing of people among civilised nations is not unreasonably, gauged 'according to the respect paid to women, and on this basis the low English are the least civilised and most brutal of any in the world. It is a taint upon England as a nation that its laws are defective in tho punishment of the assaulterof a woman, and that the law holds pro- ' perty higher than tho lifo and honour of women. The journals publish daily the most revolting cases of assaults on women, and the comments made upon the ridiculously inadequate punishment of the brutes go to show that the dispensers of the law (not of justice) really seem to consider that women are an entirely inferior creation, not entitled to tho protection against tho brutality of their lords and masters which .is extended to horses, donkeys, cats and. dogs. Here are a few specimen cases: For the! brutal assault of a rough upon a women a > fine of 5s was recently imposed. /At,. 1 Greenwich a husband bit off one-tliirdl of his wife's ear, and the fellow was bound in the sum of £5 to keep the,., peace. A woman was tried immediately after,before the same Judge, charged- with ■'. being drunk and disorderly. She was sentenced to a month's hard labour. Another; instance is that of a man who went' horned drunk, and because his wife—who had been . nursing a sick child all day—had been out for a walk, he struck her. When asked why . he assaulted his wife, he replied, " It's a habit I've got." The Judge let him o£f_ without any punishment whatever, upon the specious ground that if the fellow wa^, punished his family would have to suffer. s j If it had been a case of watch-stealing, the . learned Judge would not exhibit the samo consideration for the man's family, but would have given tho thief several years abroad if the watch had been stolen from ■■'-.', some rich person, and a couple of months* '.' gaol if taken from a common individual, i

At London Police Court the other day, a • woman was brought up for begging with a baby in her arms. The child had a bandage ; over its forehead, and it was incessantlyscreaming. No wonder ! Whon tho bani dage was undone it was found that three 1 live black beotles had been placed- between Ay i the bandage and tho flesh for the purpose of :■■ ■irritating tho poor Httlo fellow and making | him cry. ..-- , "Do you really bolieve Blaino. would steal!'! was asked of an independent Republican, "Steal, sir I" was tho blurted response. " Steal t Why, I would not trust , him in the middle of the Desert of Sahara with the anchor of the Great Eastern." You Can be Happy If you will stop all yon* doctoring yourself and families with expensive doctors or cure-alls that do only harm,.and use Nature's simple remedies for all your ail- . ments, you will be well and happy and save ■great expense. The greatest remedy for thla, the great, wise, and good will toll you, is HoiV Bittters. See.