The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1869-03-10
WILL THE COMING WOMAN VOTE,

the question: Twill the coming man drink
wine?" "Will the coming man use tobacco
There is another not less momentous, and if we
mistake not much nearer at hand-"will the COM
ing woman vote?" The indications that this Will
soon be one of the ruling topics Of the hour, are
abundant and ominous. 1t begins to pervade the
newspapers. The monthly magazines and the
ponderous Quarterly Reviews both in Great Britain
and the United States, are waxing warm over 1t.
The Washington correspondent OF the Phltadel-
phia Presbyterian in noticing Woman's Rights
Convention recently held in Washington City,
makes both himself and his readers merry over
Mrs. Lucretia Mott Lucy Stone, Grace Green
wood, and Parker Pillsbury, names long stale WITH
the public as advanced thinkers, whC are In
favor of progress, and ''the rights Of the down
trodden." He tells US that these Growing hens
and "a number OF cluckiug ROSTERS were there
I'm full feather" But after the writer is through
with his fun, he feels obliged to wind up after
more sober fashion. He says:
"By the way, this question of woman rights is
one which its advocates are beginning to press
with infexible pertinacity. Theyare old, and ex
perienced, and most meddlesomef agtators. we
will have to meet it seriously before many years,
laugh as we may at it now Before we know It, II
will have gained foothold that will be hrm. For
the best part of the world is made up dwell, OF
all kinds of people, and you can tcount very much
upon them"
The proposal to extend the right of voting In Ger
tain cases, to women, made about year ago
in the British Parliament, and the world was sur
prised to find how large vote it received IN the
House of Commons This vote had for its leader
that distinguished radical and iufdel, John Stuart
Mills
And who are its advocates in this country DO
we exhaust the list with such names as those al
ready mentioned? By no means; the Greelys t,
the Beechers', Senator Pomeroy of Kansas, and
host of radicals some of them inhdels, others
protesting themselves Christians, are ready to DO
battle for this cause, and confidently declare their
expectation of its full triumph at no distant day
1t is not our purpose, at present. to weigh the
probabilities of their success nor discuss directly
the merits of the question itself We desire our
readers should note the fact that those now an
nouncing themselves as champions IN this coming
conflict, are the people who have turned the
world upside down" about abotionism. And 1t
is worthy of special remark how completely both
questions rest essentially upon the same tounda
ton. Let us examine this tor moment or two
The fall and ruin of our race was by dlsobedl-
ence. The plan for its recovery was system OF
influences by which the great duty of obedience
was to be nculcated. As a part of this the Mosaic
ritual was given to the Jews-extremely minute
directions concerning great variety of things,
which, while intended lat least in many respects, J
to typify the coming Redeemer were at the same
time intended to train them in the school of obed
ence.
Then, again. in the life of our Saviour we have
another illustration of the same thing. Viewed
in its highest relations, his life and death were
satisfaction to the law and an atonement for sin.
But even in this he taught us the necessity of
obedience Gods law must be obeyed-hence it
was necessary for him as our substitute to become
obedient unto death. That his whole life was a
perfect example of obedience to the will Of God, is
admitted by all,
But the divine expedient was net exhausted with
this all perfect example. The same idea runs
through all the four great relations of society.
These are
l. The relation OF husband and wife. where the
1se doctrine is that he wife should be obedient
sc Sher hnsbas8 ~ 49,
2. OF parent and child, where the child is to
obey the parent.
3. Of ruler and subject, where the subject is to
obey the ruler.
4. Of master and servant, where the servant is
to obey the master.
Now it is not claimed that each of these rests in
all respects upon the same basis-that they are
equally important. The relation of master and slave
is not one made obligatory upon society. 1t may
not be the BEST except under certain circumstances
All that we maintain on that point is that it is a
lawful relations permissible, and under certain
conditions right and best. Upon this, the old and
moderate ground, the position of our people in
their argument with opposers has always been i'm
pregnable The abolition doctrine is novelty in
the Christian Church, as Bishop Hopkins and
other writer's have so often demonstrated
But the precise point to which we call attention
here is that in regard to the matter of obedience
in all the four relations, the divine injunction to
obey is the same-and rests upon the same founda.
ton
The radical principle OF Abolitionism is opposed
to all this. 1t denies that one person can right
fully hold property in another-that is that he can
rightfuly control his time and labor. 'All men
are free and equal" we are told and that, it is
assumed settles the whole case. This dogma
overthrows slavery. But does it stop there? Not
at all. 1t equally overthrows the whole domestic
relation; the husband is no longer 1.-THE head of
the wife" her place in the household is changed
she becomes wrestler for equal rights, that is Of
equal authority, and the family becomes scene Of
strife Her right to vote follows of course. This
same perncious heresy will overthrow the authori-
ty of parents over their children, and undermine
that OF rulers over the ctizen-for what right has
one man to control the actlons-to claim the time
and service of another man? To admit that Uould
be the essence Of Slavery!
The coming woman, in the North, expects to
vote How can she help it? She has the inside
track of the man there completely in this race.
As the free North has committed itself COM
pletely to this Abolition dogma all the rest fol-
lows of course. There will soon be very lively
discussion in that part of the country when "a
mans foes shall be they of his own household, "
and the Lords of creation, there, will be busiy
occupied with what good old John Knox so em
pnatically called 1.-The moustrous regimen Of
women.
Rev. Dr. Smyth.-The communication from
the distinguished author of the Ecclesiastical Cat
echism, so excellent in its spirit and satisfactory
in its statements in defence of his book, will be
read with interest by all.