The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1871-07-13

wv IIsN WOMAsN.
ri Woman the Equui ManeA
Grave MISTAKE
From the Baccalanreatc Serm0pYof Presk
dent Raymond, Of Yassar CoIlbge Iqne,
S or all the mistakes committed W.
those who, IN this agc, are advocating
the cause Of women, md striving "a
enlarge her opportunities of develop
mont and action think the g~ravcstis
that OF challenging an issue on the
broad declaration that woman is the
equal or man. Not that I doubt that,
in some respects, tho declaration il
EN- inently true, but because believe
that, in others. it is eminent, false,
and by its ambiguity adapted to bttray
the Notwithstanding into false and.
hurtful positions--positions which.
alarm all honest and intelligent con-
seryatism, give ribald opposition
abundant material for its warefare OF
abrse, confuse the public Judgment,
and set back indefinitely the progress OF
a true reform. II is ono Of the blum
ders OF that distinguished Englishman
who has volunteered to champion your
cause--Mr. John Stuart Mill-who,
with a genius for speculation, second
hardly to that Of any living man, is
singular!y deficient in practical sagaci
ty, and has never, in all his life, con
Quoted a practical issue to a success
full result; it was characteristic and
fatal blunder of his to have chosen for
attack just that point ofhis advcrsary's
case at which it is most impregnablc-
the principle that in certain respects
woman is, must be, ought to be, sub
ordinate to man.
AS it is easy to show that woman is,
in some respects, mans inferior, and
as that logically invalidates the claim
OF absolute equality, an easy victory is
given into the hands of all opponents.
But, worse titan this, the desire and de.
termination to be equal with men in
spires, in many the cndeavor to be like
men, and has mislcd many to suppose
that, to be true to the rights Of woman,
they must cultivate mannishness in
themselves and othcrs-must become
manish in their taste, their talents, theil
speech and manners, and wen in theil
dress. A fatal hluEder, indeed. to dis
prove the unquestionable inferiority o!
woman in certain respects, by sacrif-
cling her ipdisputable claim to superb
ority in others; to blot out those dis.
tipctive traits which are the glory OF
womanhood, and to which even bad
meAhave yielded an instructive and ire.
pressible homage; to outrage the mos
sacred sensibilities Of good meE and
wise women, and array a changeless
ordnance Of nature against the cause il
processes to promote. The truth on
this subject is alike obvious and impor-
tant that the woman is radically and
eternally different fro m the man; dill
ferent in organization-physical, men
tai, and moral-dif1erent in function,
different in the modes and conditions
Of development. With the basis OF
common humanity, in the points in
which they differ they still are totally
unlike-unlike, not in degree, but in
kind, in essential nature-so unlike
that the chasm which separates them
can never be bridged over, or by any
amount of artificial training be made
appreciably less.
And as the woman is different fro m
the man, so is she relative to him. This
is true on the other SHE also. They
are bound together by mutual relation
ship so intimate and vital that the ex-
istence of neither is absolutely com
plete except with reference to the
other. But there is this difference,
that the relation of woman is, charac-
teristically that OF subordination and
dependence. This does not imply
inferiority Of character, of capacity, OF
value in the sight of God or man and
it has been the glory ofwoman to have
accepted the position of formal infe-
riority assigned her by the Creator,
with ali it's responsibilities, its trials,
its possible outward lmmiliations and
sufferings, in the proud consciousness
that it is not incompatible with an cs-
s%ential superiority that 1t does not
prevent her from occupying, ifslle will,
an inward elevation of character, from
which she may look down with plying
and helpful love on him she calls her
lord. Jesus said, Eye know that the
princes Of the Gentiles exercise domin,
ion over them, they that are great ex-
ercise authority upon them. But it
shall not be so among you: but whose
ever will be great among you, let hin
be your minister: and whosoever will
be chief among you, let him be your
servant, even as the Son of Man came,
not to be ministered unto but to minis.
ter, and to give his life a ransom for
many" Surely, woman need not hes.
ita. :. to estimate her status by q critic
rion of dignity sustained by such au-
thority. She need not shrink from a
position which was sought by the Son
of God, and in whose trials and griefs
she will have his sympathy and com
p%anionship.
A correspondent of the Lebanon
Tenn. " Herald, writing from New
Middleton, gives an account of q most