Vol. 2, Issue 1 - July 1792

   

Volume 2, Issue 1 - July, 1792

    This issue of Ladies Magazine shows conflicting views on the way women are supposed to behave within a marriage. By including articles, short stories, and letters that talk about either the standards women are expected to fulfill or the equal rights that women share with their husbands, the editors represent varying ideas on the expectations of a wife.
     One article entitled "On Matrimonial Obedience" discusses how the author believes that the term 'obey' used solely by women within their wedding vows is "improper." The author and other women believe that there is a lack of limitations on the term about how far their obedience toward their husband should go. Instead, the term should be left out entirely and simply implied. There is no way to know whether or not a man will take the word 'obey' to the extreme. Instead, the author says,
     "The obedience between man and wife, I conceive, is, or ought to be mutual. It ought
       to be mutual for the sake of their interest, inasmuch as two free opinions conjoined,
      are much more likely to produce a wise decision, than one haughty and exclusive.
      And it ought to be mutual for the sake of their happiness ... Marriage ought never
      to be considered as a contract between a superior and an inferior" (66).
     The author continues on to talk about how it is important to have both husband and wife promise obedience before marriage, as it is not just. Although it may seem impossible, it is "daily practiced in some of the happiest, nay, in all the happy families in place" (66). This ideal greatly differs from the popular thought at the time. Women were expected to do whatever their husband said and were essentially considered property. Including this article on each spouse having the same rights would have been very controversial for the time.
     Another piece within the issue is called "Maxims for the Ladies." It shares a set of rules or conduct for women to follow in order to be a good lover. The author gives a description of the ideal woman by saying,
     "A great woman not imperious, a fair woman not vain, a woman of common talents
      not jealous, an accomplished woman who scorns to shine - are four wonders - just
     fit to be divided among the four quarters of the globe" (59).
     This article is very different from the previous one. Instead of saying that men and women should be treated the same within a marriage, it only talks about the standards a woman must uphold in order to be a good wife. Women were constantly told what they should do to be a better wife, whereas men rarely received opinions on what they could improve. By including this article, the editors are taking a step back from what they say in "On Matrimonial Obedience" and almost being hypocritical.
     This issue shows two separate ideas of a woman's role in marriage. One article talks of an equality between spouses while the other talks about a woman's duties. The different models for marriage that are appeal in this issue of Ladies Magazine gives insight into the contrasting opinions on what marriage pertained.

- Cate Eschmann