The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1859-05-07
Woman sinned Against and SHINING,


pin, Of New York. Those who know what
the best reading H. nowadays, rest the eye
very deliberately on every newspaper article
.,'sinal and reported, which has the caption
Of hIs Name, Courage truth and originality
Of perception, mark all he puts forth, by word
I or pen, ior the public. He has lately dcliy
cred q course Of sermons on ibe PHASES Of
Lie" from one of which Cropoued IN the
Evening fosD we wish 10 make an extract
or two, IL was on shameful Life" and die
oussed the fate Of "Womun slnred against
and SHINING, The test was Chdsts, "Ndhe,
do condemn hee5 Go and sinHo more, Ma,
Chapin said -
"E,epwhcrr and at all times Il has been
woman who stands in the foreground and
upon whom the maledIcti0n and cOndcmuh-
ton falls, II ls 90 her the hccuscrs puint,
not caring 60 ask whether thcy thrmscl, cs
..are clear ei oil guilt. Woman is the victim
alWays-sinned against and SHINING, Heap
penled in behalf Of these victims, Consider
q moment this armyo six thousand unior
tunale woman, ~ many Of them mere chill
drcn' and ihr majority accomplishing their
guilty career and dying on the yeB thrrsh-
old Of existence, Homes kumcW here they
have had, many of them homes Of punNi
hopes we're born with them, Co be- crushed in
their pcrdluouI hcagtgUrr broken hy their
/ shame. While they haNC WhiJlrd through
life in guilty rcyelry, hon0lcd heads have
grown gray and gone down IN sorrow Co the
grave,
/ We should pity fallen woman. Not mere
Is for herself personally should We be lined
above all pruiligltc scurn and Grudish con-
/ tempt in the treatment uf this subject, but
\ fnV bH ttt l..s. a. a.
/ perverted for the type Of pure womauhood
I that lies dsheNclled mud cast down under the
| light Of heaven and before God. The lilc OF
every one Of these victims, IL truthlully un-
/ folded would be q tcrrblrromancc Of reality.
Somo were born in vice. and their history r.
therefore the more terribly appalling. They
exhibit not ouly degraded Vumnnhuod, but
a degraded ehildhoodi they came pure into
the world, as the white suow-hake falls into
the mirc and pollution of the streets cradlcd
ln snrcophagus, swathed with the ccrcmfhts
( Of . moral death But many others have
fallen and il has been a fail as awful as IL il
were the fall OF star in the sphere, In the
earlier stages, whore sin SINNERS IN fashion
able show and etiquette, where the deaths
head wears gliltcring crown, there may be
an Illusion To cheat the sense Of shame; bot
as the victim descend with rapid steps to
baser converse aud roughcr realities the
handwriting comes out Ieurluly distinct
the fallen soul makes known the reflected
shape and shadow of Itself Aud at the close
of her gh0sily carcvr, as ON a bed of straw iu
some damp dark apartment ringing With
curses, the dying wreck of humanity and wo-
manhood lies, TO her ear the y dice of memory
of tar of Sabbath belIs. -burrre" ,ti" sf6a,Ud
eve appears = mothers look Of brokvn.hclrt-
cd woe; she hears fathers lament of ruined
hope and pride bot she has now only TO
lay aside the garment o! mortality, as she
orcc did the garment of innocence and truth
See how the iuiamy they serve serves
them
The silence and apathy existing in relation
to this evil. are not justified by notions of
dclicacv The social cancer i, not TO be cur.
cd by refusing To talk about IT, 1t is not 10
| be ignored We have no right to shrink
with sanctiu ouious drlicacy from the barcsi
mention of guilt There is prevailing in
4Iitirrcgcc, at least that cries out,-'Dout
disturb don't tui, ttrt It ret tai. sse
have nothing 20 do with it, Is it so p
/ Mr. Chaplin insists upon equal justice to
man and wom,n.
"'rhc refined woman rccoils with Nirtuovs
scorn from her fallen sister, hut often welcomes
! him by whom she fell W, are told that
Christ said to the woman's uccusers, lie that
is without sin among you let him cast the
s first stone :; but smitten by conscience, they
went out one 10y one. And who is not iu
some why allied to this great guilt? The
fact Of common weakness should al least
rMasJp.us rirrritui. 1t is no, JUS, that -aPoe
the woman alone should fall the blot OF
shame. The text is a great lesson OF charity
and mercy, and il is great lesson of justice
also. There is neither justice, honor nor
dchcacy in our modern custom, which scarce
ly frewns upRn the guilty man. while pouring
out all the walls of wrath upon the guilty
woman. 1t may or may not be true, as some
insist, that this foul cancer in society can
never be eradicatcd but VIC ought AT least
to insist upon ii that the shame shall be fair
ly divided, that@thG SHINING man shall be
branded as deeply as the SHINING woman.-
Suppose every guilty man bore the mark of
shame in his incc,in the market, or at church,
how long would the evil continue? But the
meanness of man has thrust the wrolc shame
upon woman"
Aud there is one passage which contains n
! most startling sermon to dreSsy aides.
1--WE are connected with this matter by our
opinions as to woman's sphere Unemployment.
Better wages are demanded for women.
Many sewing women have but one or two
E dollars a week. to keep off death and the
devil with. one poor roman made caps at
tpo cents apiece. Would her muniiiccnt
( employer be willing to show himself? lie
would probably need all the caps the poor
woman ever made TO hide his humble sense
Of merit. Many honorable and pure icOR'en
hare to do trih this matter When they
dress themselves in garments chcopy pur-
chased, they may have dressed up soul for
I the sacrifice, or sewed thread in shroud.
2 Could the veil be lifted, would they not see
- on their gay, white dresses, strange dark
spots and crimson patterns that they know
not of-spots of inextinguishable red that
n all the seas caunot wash awayp Mingled in
n the wreaths of flowers on their fair heads,
would they not see the grass that grows on
graves"
a .PHHoLoGICN. ANEcpOTE.-The College
4 Record, print publish by the students Of