The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1867-08-09
[ooPIED By REQUEST FROM THE TOPEKA RECORD. ]
THE BIBLE ON FEMALE SUFFRAGE

tain what power it may possess. and what
functions II may exercise. To illustrate:
Suppose a man invents aud constructs .
machine. This principle would lead Us
to inquire of the inventor what was the
origipal desigr OF the machine and what the
strength of The material used 10 its con
struction. II the inventor perfectly 10
derstood his work We should arrive at an
intelligent and satisfactory conclusion.
Let US apply the same principle to wo
man. Let US go back ard inquire of Him
who made her what design he had in her
| creation. If the Creator designed aud
formed woman to have an equal share 10
| government with man, he must have in
Dictated it in her constitution. Turning
to Gen ii: IS, we read: "And the Lord
God said, it is not good that the man
should be alone: l will make him a help
meet for him" The word translated
''help" in this connection is derived from
a Hebrew verb meaning TO help. to SuccOr
to aid. to assist. The Hebrew lexicon an
loco lays, "the help of any one is the help
! afforded to him" The Lord God here
creates and gives to man hel p or an as
sistant meet or suitable for him. One
who helps or assists does not direct or
govern. The Hebrew word and its cog
mates all imply that woman was constitu
ted as a help, or as an assistant to man.
And man began to exercise his governing
functions from the beginning. even before
| the fall. For after the creation of beast
and fowl We read, Gen. ii: 10, "And the
! Lord God brought them unto Ad0n1,
! (not to Eve, for she was not created yeti
and whatsoever Adam called every living
creature, that was the name thereof"
| Thus We find that man was created first,
and endowed with governing functions
which the Creator Immediately called into
use, and that woman was created as
help or an assistant to him. This state
of things could not have been the result
OF any curse, as it was prior to eating the
forbidden fruit.
Passing on to the fall we find this con
ditiOn of things rather confirmed aud 10
tenSIied than otherwise. A heavy curse
was laid upon Adam on account of trans
gTessIon, but not word is said about bis
governing functions being taken away
But unto the woman ne said, among 9th
er things, "Thy desire shall be to thy
husband, and he shall rule over thee -
The Hebrew wcid translated "rule" il
this connection is the ordinary word 10
that language used to express the idea Of
ruling. or having dominion Over And
this seems to be the idea of the apostle
when he says in Tim. ii: 11-14: "Lsr
the woman learn in silence with all sub
lection. But suffer not a woman to
teach, nor to usurp authority over the
man, but 10 be in silence. For Adam was
| first formed, then Eve. And Adam was
not deceived, but the woman being de
ceived was in the transgression. This
We shall ihd by investigation is the uni
form testimony Of the Old Testament
| Scriptures.
| And when we come to the New Tesla
ment We find the same relation continued
expounded and enforced. In Eph. Y: 22
-25 Paul enters more fully into the rela
ton of husband and wife: wives, sub
nit yourselves unto your own husbands,
as unto the Lord. For the husband is the
head of the wife, even as Christ is the
| head of the church: and he is the Savior
of the body. Therefore, az the church
is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be
to their own husbands in every thing "
The word ''head" in the Scriptures lie
often used in the sense of master, ruler.
ehicf. AS every Christian acknowledges
Christ as Ruler or Master, so 10 some
such but lower sense woman is subordi
nate to man, and should recognize him
as the head in matters o. government.
This passage is almost duplicated in Cor.
xi: 3 seq, where the ape stle goes on to
say, "But would have you know that
the head of every man is Christ; and the
head of the woman is the man. =
For the man is not of the
woman: but the woman of the man;
ue.lher was the man created for the wo-
man. but the woman for the MAJ" 9th
or passages of the same general drift may
be found in Col. iii: 18: wives, submit
yourselves unto your own husbands as Is
fit in the Lori" Peter, who was not ''a
crusiy old bachelor" like Paul, saws also:
Likewise, ye wives, be in subsection to
! your own husbands. Even as Sa-
rah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord;
whose daughters ye are. as Icing as ye dc
well, and are not afraid with any amaze
ment. Pet. iii: /, seq. 1.-The aged wo
men, likewise, that they be in behavior
as becometh holiness; not false accusers
not given to much wine, teachers of gooc
things. That they may teach the young
women TO be sober, to love their husbands
to love their children. To be discreet
chaste, keepers at home, good, obedien
to their own husbands, that the word o
God be not blssphemed +" Titus ii: 3-5
aged women and "young women
here would probably include all exceP
those of doubtful age.
These passages have been construct
10 accordance with the strictest rules o
Interpretation recognized the world over
AID there IS a wonderful harmony O
this point among biblical scholars. TAX
sg. passage from Barnes Notes on Eph
, v; 90. He says:
''The duty of the submission of the wifi
to the husband is every where eojoined j
the scriptures. While Christianity de
signed to elevate the character of The wife
and to make her ft companion for 3
intelligent and Pious husband, it did nc
intend to destroy all subordination an
authority. Man, by the fact that he wa
first ere ated; that the woman was take
from him; that he is better qualified f
ruling than she is, is evidently dssigue
n to be at the head of the little commuuii
that constitutes q family. In manv oil