The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1874-10-23
NUMBER o.
An Untensble Position.

\ divine of Bay City, Mich, tries to
draw the following moral from the
Beecher-TiltOn scandal:
"There is another point which de-
serves special notice. Mr.. Beecher, as
well as his aceuser, has been for twenty
five years RefoTmer. He is the man
who took up the matter of giving the
ballot to women twenty-five years ago,
and preached it and lectured upon it.
1t is certainly significant that two origi-
nal advocates of this measure should
stand before the public in the attitude
they do to-day. Whatever may come
of the trial in progress, it is a fact that
this scandal is the logical outgrowth of
the peculiar ideas of these parties in re-
gard to women, and Of the peculiar as
sociations into which they have been
led in consequence. And should we be
so unfortunate as to see the ballot in the
hands of women, my belief is, that the
occasions of such scandal would be null
tiplied indefinitely"
Most unfortunately for the theory of
this divine, Mrs. Tilton, the woman
concerned in this scandal, is not, and
never has been, so far as we can learn,
a Woman Suffragist or Woman's Rights
woman, but was rather shocked at all
such ideas. 1t is true, an effort has
been made to cast reflections on Miss
Anthony and Mrs. Stanton, two of the
leaders of the Woman Suffrage Move
ment, but no fair-minded person who
knows the ladies in question, for mo-
meut believes they have a shadow of
foundation. The great mass of Woman
Suffragists do not endorse or tolerate
any looseness in marital relations. II q
few have crept nnder their banner who
would like to hoist the black flag of So
cial license and anarchy, it is only what
every cause has to contend with-the
black sheep of the flock-even the
church is not free from this difficulty,
as we have evidence almost every day.
Our good brother should be careful
'thOse who live in glass houses should
not throw stones" aud the house in
which ministers live is exceedingly
crystalline just now.
For the sake of both men and women,
we dislike to admit that a clergyman
cannot safely call upon his lady parish
toner's without one or both having a
'body guard" but no candid person
will deny that the peculiar assOcia-
/ tiOns' into which the divine sis led in
consequence" of his profession, are far
more perilous to his tender emotions
than if he met them in a political eau
Gus or at the polls with ballots in theiI
| hands. We might retort on our pro.
phetic brother that, "If ministers are tC
be allowed to preach fiue-spun, senti
mental sermons, and to call on thei
lady parishiouers when their husband
are away from home, the occasions O
such scandal will be multiplied indefin
itely." If the scandal involving Mr.
Beecher and Mrs. Tilton had grown ou
and at voting precincts, there would bt
some force and point to the argument o
this divine. 1t is evident that il grew
out of their association as pastor AN,
parishioueT, herefOTe-if our clprict
brother is correct in his premises
either the ministry or pastoral call
ought to be abolished. But the trutl
is, no state of human society can be all
snlutely perfect. There Will be no lacl
of stumbling-blOckS and rocks of Ofleus
to imperil the steps Of the weak and th
vicious i'm any path of life that may b.
marked out, but stopping the car u
Progress will not save the victims
When one is crushed, it matters not I,
him whether it is by the more moderI
vehicle or the car of Juggernaut, an,
the former may bring "the creates
good to the greatest number" with a,
little or less sacrifice of the minority.
Then there is no end to the social sin!
outside of the church, and without the
remOtest connection with the Woman
Suffrage Movement; and the victims ar,
usually those gentle, clinging natures
who have been Taught that men posses.
all the wisdom and mental strength ol
the human family, and that they mus
look up to them and rely upon theil
Judgment. If all men were pure anC
honorable, women might dare to bt
poetic parasites; but as it is, the soOne
they learn to exercise their own judg
ment, and to dispassiOnately "weigt
measures and men" for themselves, tn,
better it will be for all concerned
EldrlUiUc Transcript.