Smyrna times., 1867-06-19
Feminine Influence,

One al the most important subjects on which
women have some, Rnd always want to have II
great deal of power is religion. Every thought
tul woman likes to be ut work on her husband 5
SOUL Young ladies enjoy the prospect before
they arc married, and no novel is so thoroughly
| popular among them rs one In which beauty is
| tho instrument in the hands of Providence for
the conversion of unbciot. And it is partially
because tho Empress Eugene is discharging
this high missionary duty that sho is the object
of particular admiration just at this moment.
When English women hear that she is very
active in favor of the Pope, and couple this
news with the fact that the EmpcrOr's soul is
uneasy, they sniff we may be forgiven the
cxpression-thc battle from nfar Their cdu. !.
cation in respect of theology and religious
opinion is very different from that OF men.
They have been brought up to believe strongly
and heartily what they have been told, and
they do not understand the half sccptical way
of regarding such things which is the result Of
larger views and more liberal education. 1t
appears to them terrible thing that the men
they care for should be heSltatlng and doubtful
about subjects where they themselves have
been trained only to believe ono view possible.
And they set to work in the true temper of
missionaries, with profound eagerness AMI
energy, and narrowncss of grasp. Many gcnu-
in1 prayers and tears nrc wOrthily spent i'll the
effort to tcthcr sOmo truant of husband
or O son to q family theological peg, and
to prevent him from rowing. And, up to
! a certain point, men continually give in. They
find it easier and more comfortable to lower
their arms and not always to be maintaining
barren controversy. They have not the
slightest wish to convince their aifcctiOnatG
feminine disputant, to take from her the sin
ccre and positive dogmas on which her happi-
ness is built, anil to substitute for these
phase of doubt and difficulty for which her
| past intellectual life has not fitted her. Ac-
cOrdingly, they indulge in n thousand little
hypocriccs Of a more or less harmless kind.
SO long as wOman's education continues to
differ from that Of men as widely Us it does III
England, this infleXibility on the part OF the
latter under the influence of the former is not
always amiSs. 1t Is better that the husband
should be yielding than that he should hold
aloct from all that interests and moves the wife,
Us is the case in countries where tho one sex
may be Seen protesting to believe nothing,
while the other as implicitly believes in every
thlng. 1t is, however, easy to conceive of
cases in which this feminine influence that
seems so innocent il in reality injurious 1t
may perhaps be the business of the husband
to take public part in the affairs OF his time
Conscience tells him that he should be sincere,
uncOmprOmlsing, logical, even to the point OF
dIsputlng conclusions which good and pious
people consider essential and important Or
he may DC religious preacher, or O religious
refOrmer of his day, bound, in virtue of his
character to maintain truth at the risk of
being made unpopular; or it may be, to prose-
cute inquiries and reforms at the risk of shock
ing weaker brethren. There arc many who
could tell us from their experience how terri
bly, at such time they have been pcrplcxcd
and hampored in their duty by the aToctionato
ignorance, the tears, and the picty Of women.
Protestant clcrgymcn i'll particular arc some
times taunted with their conservative tendcn-
cics, their Indifference to the new lights OF
science, or of history, and their Discrimination
to embark in pcrilOus voyages in quest OF truth.
; Part of their conservatism arises from the
fact that their practical business il generally tC
teach what they do know, rather than to in
quire into what they do not know. Part Of
it comes, as we suspect, from the fact thai
they are married. A wife is sort of thco
logical drug 1t serves no doubt TO kCeI
some Of us from rolling too rapidly down hill
: 1t impedes equally the progress of others oVcl
ordinary level ground.
2 Many years since, in California, old Judge
3 G. kept q little Cend full, as they called run
} mill out there, few miles above Marysville
5 and made frequent trips to San Francisco t.
= deposit his "hard earned" savings, and lay II
, a fresh stock. One night he sat up late, i'm
} bibed much, and assisted at little game o.
: draw" An hour after going to bed he awoke
: and, to his horror saw rObber staring at hin
through the window near the foot Of his berth
c The Judge lodged back rObbcr dodged back
The Judge pccpcd; the robbcr pcepcd. Thc
g Judge put his hand under the pillow, drew on
8 navy" and fired -throngh q i0oLing glass
the trade price of which was an even $25.
: In the days of the Patriarchs, woman
:. conduct was the index Of her heart. When
l. for example, tho father of Rcbekali asked he
g if she would 60 with the servant of Isaac, sh
h daughter of the ninotceth century, she woul
is answered, "Oh, pshawl go with him? Why
10 Mr.. Isaac must be sick Go with him? G
course | won'tr And thcn-she would hay
}. gone with hint