The Van Buren press., 1874-03-03
NO. "A.

|
rights. Men have resisted The idea Of
woman speaking aud voting. ] have
never troubled you with much OF this
subject here or in preaching, but you all
know am committed first, last, and all
the time to the movement that 10 to bring
woman 10 the level Of man, and she is
coming to the lie Of equality, not to
manhood bit 10 womaBbood. But every
body has been saying, I" what are you
gaining by itf You are putting your
cause back further and further NOW
this is one gain for that cause. This
thing never could have taken place II
there had not been taking places change
in the public mind in regard to women
taking part in public affairs. They would
not let Miss Smiley preach IN Presby.
terian church here in Brooklyn. What
are they going to do with these praying
women Brother Cuyler has been dis
cipined for letting Miss Smiley preach
| in his pulpit honor tim for iess'"g
her. but blame him for not standing up
more for ner rights afterwards But
look at this movement 1t springs up un-
questionably, and it is one oil the nrst
advances in the direction of reeogil
on Of the public reason and the public
conscience OF so much moral power as
belongs to woman, and is recognition
of her right to exercise that power IN
some other sphere than the household.
1t is true That the place for candle 10 q
caiia,,as;ss, ., ;s.e ..::ss:s Is !ar these
who sit around the table; but IL 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 gui some travelerg IL IS
true that woman's sphere is in the family,
if she has family; but suppose she has
no fam j., is sue TO he gun loaded ior-
ever and never fired off? (Laughier.J
If she is fall Of zeal AID enthusiasm, IS
she to stand still in everlasting waiting!
Has not she right to do something, TO
be something. If God has given her pow
es and impuiscY Well, the 0rst sphere
Of woman we adm l. freely to be the
household and when she in the house
hold feels that her domestic relations re-
quire her to be public, has she not n riglt
to step out aud become public! sup-
pose ia the neghborhood men are drink
ing and gambling-men ,hat don't care
about schools aud here arc forty or htty
mohers-have not these women light
to hold meetings and SOY that there shall
be schoolsi | tell you il Dante had
lived in our time no punishment that he
would have inyonted would have equalcd
that Of sensitive, loving, pure, proud,
high strung nature beguiled by the sem
blance Of love into wedlock, seeing her
idol turned Into clay, TO dirt, and being
obliged to cunsolt all her life vith .
miserable, glul,nous, libidinous, drunken
knayc, who has a right to her person, to
her society. To her couch, 10 her table,
and she lives in the presence Of some
hend and total hog, and that week in and
week out, and month in and month out.
| tell YOU there Is no other hell in any
mans Imagination equal 10 this. You
cannot conceive of suffering greater than
that. And have they no right to CON-
plain---to destroy the destroyer! Is it
right for ,ipers to run in and over and
not tread on them lf there ever was q
right IL is this This movement In the
West seems to have come up by inspira
ton. l am not crticis.ng it; ] am net
saying what channels it will run in, but
| do say there never was a reason for
anything such as there is for this, and it
is something to pray for and IL make,a
criticism it is not from want OF sympathy.
but from intensity Of sympathy. oh.
serve all through there has been an un-
accustomed feeling acting with en.husi.
asm-- acting fanatically, porhaps-and
believe in fanaticism that is q sweet and
noble fanaticism. aad not nalign one.
II is kind of faith that will seize tho
thing desired, but all these things tend to
be excessive and exhaust themselves. and
like a fire madc..o shavings intensely bril-
liant but soon burned out Nor is tia
great pity such forces could not be econ.
omized and made to last for long time.
Ny fear is that this may be like burning
over prairies--it will burn off the old
grass. will kill great many insects and
scorch great many SNAKES, and then die
out Mr. Bcccher continued by saying
that this movement differed from relig-
ous reviyals in not having ans organiza.
ton behind it like the church, and said
that it would be welifthe churches could
take It up and in some way connect it
with the great religious associations. As
to tie question Of the right of,he women
break up mans liquor business and the
dignity of the thing, Mr. Beechcr said
that on the FIRST point there Was no dcult
the wnmen had the right. aud ss IN ~.
| dignity, II man was in q burning build
ling, in escaping he would not be particu-
liar /, walk just as the dancing master
might teach, but he would g,t out as best
he might and so in the presence OF tbs
great movement |, was not wise to stand
on dignity But the evil was not going
to be caused in this way |, was too deep.
We arc fighting against the beast that 10
in us Every man had in him something
of the lion and something Of the swine,
and every generation had to fight this
battle; and this fight against intemper.
ance is to go on forever. The light
acains, it must be n life work, and every
influence must be brought to bear IN Or.
der to gain better knowledge of the
physiology Of intemperance, the nature
t'or alcoholic drinks. At present children
were brought up not to touch. TASTE or
handle; but suppose they were to le
thrown into temptation, 1t was better
that they should know how to drink than
that they should be totally ignorant and