Ellsworth American., 1874-02-19
Misfellaneous. q
Sermon by Rev. James Freem n Clarke

On sunday morning Rev. DIR. Clarke
addressed large congregation upon
the subject of Nv oman on the school
Committee and Elsewhere" taking for
his text the tenth verse of the 2Gth
chapter Of Matthew.
Jesus sad: why trouble sc the
woman: for she hath wrought a good
work"
When the woman brought her ala
baster box of ointment to Jesus some
of the disciples thought she was where
she had no business TO be, and doing
what she had no business TO do. 1t was
something unusual ; She was going out
of her sphere. 1t was the business OF
the Apostles To bear witness to the
worth of Jesus !; a woman had no right
10 do 50, ut least not in public. Home
was her place. 1t was imnodest and
singular To come to public dinner
party and make this somewhat osten-
tatlous manifestation. Her duty. SO
these men decided for her, was to do
something else with her alabaster box
Inc proper thing was to sell it and de-
vote the proceeds quietly To tue poor
luen she would be IN no ones way ::
she would be taking no ones place 10
one would object to her giving all the
money to the poor she might desire !;
no one would envy her that duty. But
was 1t not perhaps Inconsistent with
jewish law 10 perform this public act
OF reverence to Jesus: Some of the
Scribes had declared it, or something
not unlike it, to be unconstitutional.
This wss religious act, and, accord
ing to the Jewish law, women had no
duties assigned to them in religion.
All such duties were confined to men {;
men only were bound to visit the tenn
pie or make offerings at festivals. Wo-
man could make no oifcring in her own
person, and this alabaster box of oint-
ment was evidently an offering. The
place assigned to woman under the law
was to be wife and mother. If the
disciples had been able to consult a
Jewish Rabbi, he no doubt would have
given them ''an opinion" opposed to
the ointment oblation. Until the law
was ascertained the woman ought not
to be allowed to take any step in the
matter. 1t was her place to go to the
Sanhedrim and get decision on the
legal question. Besides, the conse-
quences might be bad. If one woman
might bring ointment publicly another
might claim the right to vote in the
election Of officers, and then another
might preach. The ointment was an
entering wedge and ought to be firmly
resisted. Not that they were opposed
to women having all their rights. They
had high respect for woman in tbeil
place-in the sacred sphere of home
There they had all the power they need.
ed. They were angels in tue sick
room, in the kitchen and the wardrobe
But when they appeared in public the
fine feminine aroma was like to be in.
jured. So argued some of the disci
pies, with Judas at their head. But
Jesus put aside all this argument with
a simple piece of common sense
''Why trouble the woman? She hatt
wrought a good work on me-" A good
work-that was the justification of her
action. 1t was good thing to do-se
she might do it. If woman wishe.
or is willing to do anything useful
give her the opportunity. To do goot
things is always lawful. 4' IT'D
1t would seem as il the Lord had
made some men to be in the way of al
reform. He has put into their natur,
some subtle instinct of stupid blint
resistance to any thing they haye moi
been accustomed to. Ii an angel from