Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1869-08-19

yond it's relations as mef0 contract to b
absolved at pleasure; and with Amazonian
battle-axes raised upon the sacred institu-
ton Of the family, planted by God him
self! go
Aud, Mr.. President, if we turn to that
better revelation of God in Christ, whose
characteristics we are taught are imaged
in the woman, we shall find no war
rant for the claim that woman's place is
in the kingdom Of force and viii. Such
was not the kingdom of Him in whose
image she was made. Christ was lowly,
obedient. patient in tribulation, submis-
sive even unto death-and the death of
the malefactor- through suffering he
might save a world and thus did he win q
brighter crown of glory in this humble
sphere-humble as the world miscalls it
than he could have won in welding the
thunder Of Jehovah's power. Even in the
public preaching of the gospel, Christ
plainly indicated that he regarded it as
the appropriate duty of men. The fore
runner who heralded His coming was a
man. He chose men for his twelve
disciples. His command: Go ye, and
preach the gospel, was addressed to men
and not to women The seventy whom
he commissioned to go two by two into
every city to preach the gospel were men.
Why Because the work was to be adj
ministrative and aggressive. 1t was to be
work within the peculiar sphere Of the
man. They were not to be stopped by the
mouths of lions The cross, the stake, the
dungeon were not to intimidate them.
Plainly this was not the field into which
to call woman. She was not physically
constituted to face world lying in
wickedness, either on the high places of
the field or in the forum. But the offices
she may and does fill in the Savior's work
are far superior to all these. She does
more in her peculiar sphere to advance
His kingdom in the earth than it is per-
mitted to man to do. In imitation of
Christ's example she ministers to others
and not to herself; she goes about in the
humble places Of the world, among the
poor and lo~ly, doing good. And, in
this way Christ was enabled to draw all
men unto him, SO in this way only can
women draw all men unto her. And
having fulfilled, thus, her divinely or
dained mission, she will at last reign
with Christ, not in the poor kingdoms Of
this world, but in the world above.
And, Mr.. President, assert that the
voice of nature utters the voice Of revela-
ton. In the kingdom of force the woman
by nature is not the equal of man. On
the other hand in the kingdom Of the af-
fections the man is not the equal of the
woman. The strength of the man Is ex-
hibited through the function of govern
ment. The strength of the woman i,
manifested in the offices of love and
obedience. In nature as in Scripture, the
one sex compliments the other, each the
half of perfect whole, with all the per-
fumes and fragrances Of the garden and
the home in the woman's half of the
sphere And all the battle-axes and i'm
plemcnts Of war and punishment in the
half filled by man There is lao place on
earth for woman until the man with his
lusty arms has cleft down the forest and
turned tho wilderness into garden and
a home for his gentle companion.
Is it not apparent, Mr.. President, that
thus. 10y the authority Of both revelation
and the voice of nature, the family Is the
HlttmH Mule Of all human government /.
Aud, sir, what then is the family Which
Of the twain i greater The altar, or
the gift upon the altar The civil gov
eminent Of the land, or Gods government
of the family and Of which all human
government is but the temporary staging
Now, sir, sitting down in this family,
where il the ultimate Authority by divine
appointment reposed The scripture
gives the answer. 1t is as plain and a.
binding as any one Of the ten command
ments II issues from the same supreme
ruler Of all things: Thy desire shall be
unto thy husband, and he shall rule over
thee" That j., in the ultimate decision
Of meter II dispute and disagreement
b tween lhrtn, the husbands authority l.
fiaal and .upr,luc. And this must be SO,
or there can be no family. But the family
was intended to be permanent, and I'M
changeable in the laws of its existence.
Its leading idea is unity. To this end the
man and woman are declared TO be one
flesh And their name is Adam-not
Adam and Eve, Lucy Stone to the con-
trary Notwithstanding. There is nothing
dual in its organization, except its sex
hood One in flesh and blood ,-one in off
spring however numerous; one in basket
and store one in death and entombment
From the cradle to the grave this unity
this completeness Of two in one-con-
tinues But though this family Is per-
m4nent in its unity, it is not permanent
in it, locality, nor subject 10 the same law
of condition. This il IA world Of change
Some families are in the high, and some
in the low places, III respect to this worlds
distinctions, and so there il great in
equality observable in the human con-
dition IA illustrated in different families
From hence come rivalries, jcalousies and
discoutent-, from hence come longings of
poorer families 10 become better con-
ditionod and between the richer ones rival
riea for the precedence. Hence restless
ness, change OF habitation, management
OF the expenditures, station in life, be-
come questions for final arbitrament. In
the settlement Of these questions who Is
to be the final arbitrator Who is to be
the ruler and head Who is to decide
the infinite questions affecting the com
monwealth Of the family which daily and
hourly arise Z Whose voice is to be
potent in this ultimate place, where all
divinely instituted government begins