Page 72 - Cape Breton's Magazine CENTRE for Documentary Field Studies: Yvonne McInnes Sturgess, in Waipu

ISSUE : Issue 74

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1999/6/1

r'- i Donald McDonald. 1808-1874. Passenger on the Highland Lass. Married Margaret McKenzie. doubt that his attitude towards sexual morality might have been too se? vere . I don't know about that. I have no proof of that, but that would be standard for the times. And when somebody said to me, "Well, what about Jk "' the poor girls that had mBltll'' M' to go up to the front of l|flH|HHb'''b'' the church if they were 'H|''HBk 'Hjllk pz'esrnant and weren' t ''''''''Hj''HHj married, and sit there "''''''??"'M'' • across from the pulpit?" And I said, "Well, how much better than when they were whipped at the front door?" This was standard practice. This was a time of nar? row-minded moralizing, and if that was in you, you were wicked and they would whip it out of you. Girls were chained. I mean, you don't have to go looking in the High? lands for somebody in the pulpit admonish? ing somebody for their sins. It was common practice. Whether it was male7dominated, or theology-dominated, or just guilt, I .don't know. But com? pared to being ad? monished from the pulpit, or ostracized because you were preg? nant , an? other an? swer to that is that I know of no un- wedded mother who had to put a child in? to an or? phanage in Waipu. But I know of plenty of families Licensed Family Restaurant Enjoy home-cooked meals, including Seafood, on our screened-in Patio overlool

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