Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1870-12-30
Bishop Simpson and the Woman Quos-
ton.

From Harpers Monthly.
At late meeting Of the Woman.
Foreign Missionary Society of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, Bish,
op Simpson made an admirable and
interesting speech. The Bishop is
a man of clear perception and OF
moral independence, and it was
pleasant to see how swectly and
temperatcly he expressed views with
which many of his hearers might
not sympathize, but which were
very decided and mature upon his
part. Like every clergyman, his
experience has shown him the pc
culiar difficulties of the position of
women in our social system; and
not by any fault but from the force
of tradition, and through thought
lessncss, they arc apt to fall into the
position OF drudges or Of dolls.
There has been, as was natural, 4
deep protest in the minds of the
best men and women, and the move
ment for an enlarged female educa-
ton, which began in England more
than half Il century ago was the first
striking sign Of it. Sydney Smith,
one of the most conservative of men,
warmly advocated the reform, care
fully stating the limits which he i'm
posed upon it. 81 stand in doubt
Of anything that comes up sudden
ly," says Bishop Simpson; ''but
God has been inclining the hearts
Of the community to educate their
daughters; so the common schools
have been opened, and the doors of
colleges have been opened, to admit
young women, and they ale going
to compete with their brothers; and
God is evidently intending that wo-
men shall do more than they have
done in the past"
Yet the hostility to the better cd
ucation Of women was as bitter, and
supported by the same arguments,
as that which every demand of wo-
men for an equal opportunity always
encounters. Napoleon's phrase, La
cu17iere ouccyt 0u.c t0ic2tts-or, the
tools to those who can use them-is
the motto Of the progress of thought
and civilization. That a human be-
ing shall not be forbidden to do
whatever innocent thing God,
by taste or talent, or evident fitness
calls him to do, is proposition
which will hardly be disputed. But
an application of the principle to
practice in certain directions is al
ways stoutly resisted. Dean Swift
gravely states the reasons why wo-
men should not be taught. His
words are full Of mockery, but they
are substantially the arguments
which were seriously urged and
controvcrtcd by Sydney Smith. But
how the excellent Canon would have
suddenly turned off a period of pol
ished contempt at the Methodist
dissenters, whom he never spared,
if he had heard Bishop Simpson
saying, Certainly, Mr.. Smith, l
agree with you, and upon your own
grounds, and thcrefore"-in the
words of his speech the other even
ing-''for more than score of
years l have believed the opinions
| express. / did not think the full
reformation Of society would come
until woman received the ballot"
The Bishop, however, carefully
excuses himself from all response
bility for other opinions of some
who believe with him. He thinks
that woman steps out of her sphere
when she contends for the over
throw of institutions that give sta
bility to society: 81 have no sym
pathy with woman when she says
that the Bible is unnecessary, or
when desiring to loosen the mar
riagc tie"
The speech is very interesting
and significant as showing how
widely and surely the conviction
which the Bishop expresses is ex-
tending. The follics of many Of the
advocates of every reform are dep
rccatcd more sincerely by its
friends than by any one else; and
not the least of the practical per-
plexities Of every movement is the
disposition to insist upon individu-
al vagaries as the essential elements
of the faith. There were a great
many thirty years ago who serious
ly thought that the Anti-Slavery
movement was only a desperate at
tempt Of few long-haired, long
collared eccentrics to make them
selves notorious. And certainly
there is nothing more exquisitely
comical than many of the incidents
of those days. But those who,
somewhat earlier, in England, tho't
that Puritanism was only canting
through the nose, were quite as Ii
diculous as any Zcal-in-the-land-
Busy. Will the good sense of the
next century smile in the same way
at those of to-day who think that
the Bishop wastes his sympathy up
on few weak, restless women,
craving notoriety?
John in Oregon.
In the Oregon Legislature, Mr.