Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-05-29
OUR CHURCHES YESTERDAY.
A Disoourss On the woman asssflor

A DisaoHgss On toe Waman Oasstloa.
We have besn favored with 3 manu-
script sermon on the woman question By
ths-pastor Of the Little Church, We
make some extracts which we present TO
our fair readers this morning.
Saint Paul says that women are not to
teach. Il is to be regretted that Saint
Paul has not left on record bis notions as
to what women ought tOdO. For a quar-
ter Of q century / have been looking IN
vain about this restless and ~blnndering
world to lind some criterion OF wOmsn's
duties. Stern necessity has long egO-so
long ago, indeed, Is the time when man
fell from original gracs-hLed thedutiesDf
man. Women do not cOme under his in
eZOTabie law. CapriciOus in her nature,
she is the constant victim Of caprics, both
within her and without; NJ more so
than at present. when we have q Chris
tianity In the world which teaches moth
ing as regards every day duties. The vast
majority Of q Cme are brought NJ
10 think that they have actually
no duties save those OF taking
care Of their dear persons. This is the
prevailing idea throughout the civilized
world. II we look around US IN any.
place on the earth where great evidences
Of activity and skill have been left, as in
"a A1 kAaA4HH We 1AAaAA 44A HA4u MAAaE4
have made no mark, Everything on
which the eve can resi- Is the work Of man.
From the digging out Of the foundation
to the Gaping of the ~COruics, the hand OF
man only is seen. The decoration and the
furniture is his work. The pavements on
our streets, the vehicles in which We rids,
the ships that carry our commerce., the
food we ea5-aU are his productions. All
the l~tsratureOf the earth worthy Of study
mans. Every new invention that has
benefited the race-man's. Every great
achievement that hOuOrs or e~levaEes hui
man uature-manis. Every discovery
that has advanced CivilizaIiOu-man's,
Women have not left their direct impress
on history. In LIES great battle man
does all the fighting. Yet it was not
designed by Heavsu that he should stand
alone. The woman was given as a help
meet for him. The great question now is,
are We training q young Women 80 as TO
make them 8 helpmseG for mau-help
which ia alone worthy Of him and sui5a-
bls to him-a help that shall meet his Just
wants, and moi merely pauC5r 70 his ca
PRECIOUS o6slres2 ! venture the assertion,
bold as 10 may appear, that our young
women are educated for any and every
other purpose rsJhef than that. Our edu-
cation starts out with the proposition that
women are to be the plsy5hings Of men,
and not their equal and worthy cOnsOrts
in life. It starts out with the sUpposit1on
that each Of them viii get husbands who
will need no manner Of help, no sort Of
support, no comfort. They are made to
be truly " tinking CimbRls and sounding
brass;" mere dolls, ornaments, articles
of UjrtUe, in the house, and not Of
utility. Andrew Johnson once said in
his own hOmsly style to the Queen Of Ha-
vail when she interviewed him at Niaga-
"a Falls:
"OUR WOMEN ARE III QUEENS"
I could not help thinking very often
since that there was q vast amount Of
covert sarcasm in the remark. We bring
our girls up to be queens Of fashion and
folly, and not to DO the wives of hard
working, honest, mstter-oGfsc men,
which most Of Us must be. Our lot is that
Of labor, for it is the price which heaven
has set upon every good thing. The pur-
suit acknowledge, Of wealth, Of an hon
Orabis fame, is labor. Woman was given
as a helpmest for US in that labor; to share
in our triumphs and enjoy with US what
ever Of success might cr-Wn our efforts.
This is her vocation, and when she fails to
fill it there must necessarily arise a So
cisl disturbance c~0sxtensive with that
failure. Is the woman Of TODAY brought
up with the view of becoming lit for this
missiOn2 fear not. Look into any OF
the details, or take 8 general view over
the whole ground, which is within the
reach Of your observation, and say,
you men of thought and toll, if the fe-
male humanity Of to-day is not falsely
directed. Are you not everywhere daz-
Zled by glt5terlng show and very little
solid merit. Do you not see women every
~ where engaged in q CrsZsd pursuit Of
ephemsral pleasure in the Shape OF dress,
foolish and useless accomplishment and
exciting frlvOlitIasa Look iu.OG concert
hall, q ball room or a thes5er, and you s3e
them in thousands flashing with gew-
gsws and paint, but so into the hospital,
the orphan asylum, or the Sunday school.
and you ind. i5 is true, a noble and de-
voted few. They are as the ears Of wheat
that are LEFT standing after the
reaper. Go TO their private homes
you viii ind the same idea
predominant, They are COngregstsd in
the parlOr-usv5r in the nursery nor the
kitchen. No modern woman respects the
dignity OflabOr. They look upon it truly
as a curse. Ia this, where is the woman
that is a helpmesl for mau7 Their minds
have been diverted from the true psth,
dissipsJed and left an q state Of chaos IS
regards their duties; hence that energy
aud activity that was meant to be .
blessing takes the shape of "WOman's
rights" an unnatural struggle TO get into
the place Of the man, to take hold Of
l4AIao ayE WA-tA anl AaLA- ~ Lla AuUE4a 10
assume responsibilities under which she
would break down, while she is all
the time ueglsc5ing those things that
are her natural and proper care.
The social disturbances is already bs-
coming alarming. It Is manifested in
the vast number Of divorces that annually
take place in this country. Il is manifest
ed in the frs~a-iOvsism and st~r0ng-miuded
teachings which begin to prevsil in GER
tain quarters. II is manifested in the
great increase of women population over
that Of men, which results in 3 great
measure from his Ovsr-work and unsssis--
ed labor. In England there are at present
eight hundred thOnssnd more wOmsn than
men. In many parts Of the United States
the same phenomenon is observed. These
anomalous conditions must result in a so
Cial revolution, which may not be a happy
one. It appears TO me we are launching
boldly out on q stormy sea and leaving
the beaten paths. We are following the
uncertain light that science throws upon
social life, and J~urningour backs upon the
wise teachings Of the fathers. I ask all
who listen TO me to think seriously upon
these things. Remember what hath been
said Of old. "NiJh dssols5iOn is the whole
world made desolste because men win
not think in their hgerts.n