The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1873-06-07
WOMAN AND TEMPERANCE.
BY JOHN A. CALHOUN,

/
+ in that misty beginning that in all earl
states precedes the historical era, it is sal,
that Athens made war upon the island o
Crete. A long and bloody contest followed
but in the end the Athenian aggressor
were beaten and compelled to sue for peace
This was granted on condition that 81!
each of the young men and women o
Athens should be annually given up to thu
Cretan king to be disposed of as he nigh
see fit. Upon that island existed terrible
labyrinth from the intricacies of which nc
stranger had ever been able to extricat,
himself, and i'll that labyrinth lived a terri
BILE monster that devoured all who came
within his reach. Into this horrid maze il
was the habit of Minos, the cruel Cretan
king, to conduct the hapless Athenian vic
tins and leave them to become food for the
Minotaur, but with the hooking assurance
that he, who unarmed would Stay the
monster and lead his companions back to
the open air, should save his and his COM
panions' lives and free Athens from the
fearful tribute. Year after year weeping
Athens saw the fated twelve depart on
their hopeless voyage, but still no way was
found to save the exaction Of the victims
for the Minotaur's feast.
At last on the day the victims were to be
drawn stranger appeared in Athens, who
volunteered to go to Crete and try to free
the city from its penalty. He had already
distinguished himself by Staying the giants
who had made the Corinthian Isthmus a
terror, and now the best wishes of Athens
were with him in his seemingly hopeless
undertaking. Crete was reached and the
doomed twelve were consigned to dun
geon to await their doom on the morrow.
During the night the daughter of the king
descended into the prison, counsolled the
brave Theseus to he of good cheer and
ended by placing in his hand trusty dag
ger and ball of silken thread. The fatal
morning came, the victims were led blind
ed into the depth of the labyrinth, but
Theseus kept his blade clasped to his
heart, while the silken thread slowly I'M
wound as the guide back to life and light.
The Minotaur was met and slain, and
guided by Ariadne's thread the redeemed
Athenians presented themselves to the as
tonished king and demanded the release Of
the penalty. This was granted and These
us and his companions returned to Athens
accompanied by his saviour; Ariadne.
The legendary curtain falls upon These
us, upon the throne of United Attica and
Ariadne, deserted, pining on a lonely
island. So much for the legend-it would
be of interest to ask how much connection
there may have been between the stories
of Theseus and the Minotaur, Samson and
his lion or St. George and his dragon; but
this is a question most interesting to the
student of comparative mythology, we
wish to use it as an introduction to our
subject, and an illustration of it.
Like Athens of old we too are tributary
to a monster who is yearly demanding his
victims, not by the dozen but by the
thousand. Should some Minos demand
such tribute from us we would resist it
to the utmost, but we are Offering our
young men and women by thousands as
sacrifice to our Minotaur and giving up
hopes of life, wealth and friends to supple
ment his repast. Tie Cretan Minotaur
claimed victim from but few families
ours scarce leaves a house where there is
not at least one dead or worse than dead.
Where can we look for Ariadnes thread
and dagger and the hero who is to use
them for our relief? The first we find in
woman's sver-increasing influence, the
second in the temperance reform. We
believe that woman's influence in the
Church, State and social life, is to be to
the temperance movement what Ariadne's
silken thread was to the Athenians' hero.
Woman, rightly or wrongly, has to bear
the charge of having brought evil into the
world, but judged in the light of history
she cannot fairly be charged with having
kept it there. While history presents US
Brinvilliers and Mary de Medici; the
worlds representative women have been a
Mary Magdalene and a Phoebe, Joan
d Arc and maid Sarragossa. The world
has rung with the triumphs of arms-of
warriors who have written their names in
blood, until, were it not for woman's in
1luence, history from Adam to Bismarck
would be but a record of blood and crime.
She, almost always the victim, has seldom
been the aggressor. If she has sometimes
been found at the head of armies, she has
ever fought in the interest of truth and
right.
On few subject has the world shown less
reason than in regard to the place and work
of women. Jealous heathenism has been
out done by Mohammedanism in its seclu-
sion of woman from all social life. In the
Jealous secluSiou of the seraglio is to be
read, one secret of the dead conservatism
of the eastern world Woman shut up in
harems, kept in ignorance and idleIess, has
made her children like her. AS result
the crimes of one generation have become
worse in succeeding ones. The idea of
women AS anything more than the slaves
or playthings of men never gained foot
hold in the eastern world, and as conse-
quence, Asia has had Rip Van Wrinkle
sleep of centuries. Make mother ignor-
ant, idle, worthless, by law, social and
civil and you make her children like her
Turkey, India, China prove the PROPOSE
ton. Christian lands have not been so far
from following in the steps of more cor
rupt faiths. 1t has been much easier to
remember that Paul forbade women to
speak in Church, than that he commended
the women who were his fellow laborers to
the best regards of the Church to which
he wrote. To-day Nc one with any claim
to intelligence will contest the fact that
nations have risen in the scale of social
life and national power in exact proportion
to the position of their women. England
is good instance in proofs of this. Com
pare the England of to-day with that of
Stephen or John. Then petty feuds, the
vill.inage or slavery of the lower classes,
the constant bloodshed, with robbers upon
l. IL, r. i