The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-03-03

gentle rains, and so at other times we have
mighty outbreaks and storms and disturb
ances. Both of them are admirable. 1t
would not be enough perhaps, to have mild
and gentle influences all the time; there
are things that these do not reach and it
certainly would not be desirable to have
kind of professional amount O. storm
ar md you when you desire TO purify
the atmosphere; and so the ordinary mode
In nature Is what may be called the quiet.
even, and gentle mode, and occasionally
the more impetuous and tempestuous one.
Inere seems something like that in the
course OF human society. Beyond all ques-
tlon the steadfast, constant, even, and mod
erote action of men, is that appointed to be
the ordinary, and there can be just as little
question that at times communities wake
up and mount into higher development of
ieehng-lnto movements that are upon a
much grander scale; and that things are ac-
compnshed In that way that are not accom-
plished in any other. We have a remarkable
instance of this going on now in the west in
tpls extraordinary movement that is taking
place to suppress the drinking establish
ments. do not know that the history of
the race has ever shown parallel
In ihsra the past to this movement, if
there Is anything IN the world that
needed doing it was the taking down of that
class of men that have perfect liberty to de-
soiate the community by ungodly' traffic.
LII there Is any one evil that cries aloud in
more fury and with more voice to heaven
Tor suppression than dram drinking and
selhng OF drinks know not what it is.
Consider that there may be other things
that are worse, but they are not so continu-
Gus and universal. This m-driuking,
while 1t is peculiarly deleterious to the in.
diyidual, it is the scourge of the household;
1t is the murrain plague of the family, and
IL comes with especial weight. on woman.
as being least able to defend herself. and
suffering tad
Now, then, this evil, which has de-
fed legislation, when we have preached
against it in vain, have legislated against
IL In vain, at last in the providence of God
there has arisen, no one can tell where or
how, as the wind bloweth where it listeth.
there has arisen a moral cyclone. a perfect
tempest OF influence against it. There is
good many things, / think, predisposing
In the first place, it is one of the fruits of
the agitating for
woMAN's RIGHTS.
Men have resisted the idea of woman
speaking and voting. I have never troubled
you with much of this subject, here or in
preaching, but you all know 1 am commit
ed, first, last: and all the time, to the move
ment that is To bring woman to the level of
man, and she is coming tC the line of equali-
ty; not to manhood. but to wonanhood.
But everybody has been saving, "What
are you gaining by il? You are putting
your cause back further and further.'' Now
this is one gain for that cause. This thing
never could have taken place if there had
not been taking place change in the public
mind in regard to women taking part in pub
lie affairs. They would not let Miss Smiley
preach in a Presbyterian church here in
Brooklyn. What are they going to do with
these women? Brother Cuyler has been
disciplined for letting Miss Smiley preach in
Il l. LITE H.
1 blame him for not standing up more tor
her rights afterwards. But look at this
movement; it springs up unquestionably,
and it is one of the first advances in the di-
rection of recognition of the public reason
and the public conscience of so much moral
recognition of her rights to exercise that
power in some other sphere than
the household. 1t is true that the
place fora candle is a candlestick, andthe first
light is for those who sit around the table: but
if there is a window open. so that you can let
the light shine out, is there any reason why
the candle should not shine out into the
road and guide some weary traveller? 1t is
true that woman's spere is in the family, i
she has family; but suppose she has nc
family, is she to be gun loaded forever and
never fired off? (Laughter.) If she is full
of zeal and enthusiasm, is she to stand still
in everlasting waiting? Has not she right
to do something, to be something, if Goo
has given her power and impulse? Well
| the first sphere of woman we admit freely t.
be the HOUSEHOLD, and when she in the
household feels that her very domesti,
relations require her to be public
has she not right to step on
neighborhood men are drinking and gamb
ling-men that don't care about schools
and here are forty or fifty mothers-hav'
not these women a right to hold meeting
and say that there shall be schools? L tel
you if Dante had lived in our time no pun
ishment that he would have invented would
have equalled that of a sensitive, loving
pure, proud, high strung nature beguilet
by the semblance of love into wedlock, see
ing her idol turned into clay, to dirt, AM
being obliged to consort all her life with a
i MISERABLE. GLUrroNoUs, LIBIDINoUs,
drunken knsve, who has right to her per
son. to her society, to her couch, to he
table, and she lives in the presence of som
!! fiend and total hog, and that week in an
week out, and month in and month out.
tell you there is no other hell in an
mans imagination equal to this. Yo
cannot conceive of suffering greater tina
} that. And have they no right to complai
, to destroy the destroyer? Is it right fo
: yipers to run in and over and not tread o
4 q
3 This movement in the west seems to hav
r come up by inspiration. / am not CRITICS
: ing it; / am not saying what channels
9 will run in, but l do say there never was
t reason for anything such as there is fc
this, and it is something to pray for, and
make a criticism it is NOT from want {
sympathy, but from intensity of sympathy
observe all through there has been an VI
A accustomed feeling acting with enthusiasm
acting fanatically, perhaps-and beliey
n fanaticism that is sweet and noble fanat
:, icism, and not a malign one.
, is a kind of faith that will seize I'll
thing desired, but all these things tend
q be excessive and exhaust themselves, an
r like a fire made of shavings intensely bri
!. liant but soon burned out. Nor is it a gres
. pity such forces could not be economical an
r mado to last for long time. My fear
: that this may be like burning over prairi'
: it will burn off the old grass, will kill
l. great many insects and scorch great man
(, snakes, and then die out. Mr. Beecher col