THE MARRIED WOMEN’S UNION.

Evening Star, Issue 8279, 26 July 1890, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE MARRIED WOMEN’S UNION.

TO THK EDITOR. Sir, —From information I have received, as the police say, I am in a position to give particulars of the preliminary meeting of the Married Women’s Union. It is not so complete as it might be, as I received the information under rather disadvantageous circumstances for giving it my undivided attention. I was walking up and down the bedroom, in much too scanty attire to resist the inclemency of the night, soothing the dear baby. It was about midnight. Mrs Bounce was snuggled down in the bed, with only the tip of her nose visible, and the bed clothes somewhat interfering with her delivery. 1 may, therefore, have misunderstood a few of her remarks. I will condense the matter as much as possible, and give it in Mrs B.’s own words: Vea, we married women have formed a union—the M.W.U., you know. There was a good meeting. Wo didn’t advertise ; just passed the word on from mouth to mouth. Wo took care not to have any reporters present. We are not like you men. We do not want to see our* selves in print. We are going to have some improvements, I can tell you, or else “ strike ” and “ boycott ” are the words. In the first place, we are not going to put up with the arrangement, as in the old saying— A. man’s work is from tun to sun, But a woman’s work is never done.

We only mean to work the regulation eight hours. You men will have to assist in the house. Every Monday morning you will have to be up long before the lark to do the washing—(No lark that, thinks I.) On the Saturday afternoon you will have to clean up the house. We intend to try to do without servants, and if only the “ Lords of Creation,” forsooth ! can be forced to do their proper share of the work, everything will go smoothly. After once the eight hours’ work is performed all overtime is to be equally divided between the wife and the husband, “ Well, get up now and give baby a turn,” interjected I, but she took no notice of my remark. One lady suggested that an arrangement might be made that when the husband was unwilling to do his share of the work he might he allowed to pay his wife to do it out of his pocket money. This would not pass, as it might lead to petty frauds in money matters, and the men would not turn up all their cash. We intend that business men shall have their books examined by some person appointed by the M.W.U, at regular intervals, so that they can’t mislead their “sleeping partners” as to their affairs. Every man working for wages is to bring a certified note of the amount from his employer, and is to be allowed merely a nominal sum—say 2s fid per week, to waste upon himself, A strict “boycott ”isto be enforced on all husbands who break any of the M.W.U. rules.

Then as to increase in families. Only two boys and two girls are to be allowed in each family. At first it was proposed that the families were to be limited to a pigeon pair, but when Mrs Doctor Epsom had given her opinion that, considering the infantile mortality, this margin was hardly large enough to keep the world stocked, more especially when you come to take into consideration the selfish old bachelors and unfortunate old maids, the larger number was agreed upon. The husband is invariably to attend to the toilets of the boys, and the wife only to the girls. The husband will also make a practice of lighting the fire in the morning and cleaning al the boots. This is necessary, as the M.W.U, are determined to completely “boycott” the D.S.U., and the “slaveys” shall cease out of the land. Here Mrs B gave a snort, and subsided, and the dear infant, having by this time shrieked itself dumb, I crept into bed very much subdued myself, when Mrs B, with a start, muttered that she would bring before the M.W.U. the subject of husbands’ cold feet. During the night my dreams were of a very troubled nature, and I determined to relieve my mind by making this statement public. Unless I am unfortunately discovered and put under “boycott” by the M.W.U., I intend to give full particulars of the future meetings, and wonld in the meantime suggest the formation of a society for the protection of husbands.—l am, etc., N, O. Bounce. Dunedin, July 22.