The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1874-04-04
THE WOMAN MOVEMENT.

III that city by Rev. DIR. Knox, of Elmira,
with a request to republish. We have not
space to give the whole sermon, but repub-
lish the most important parts, which will
be found Interesting as an able argument
from a Bible, as well as what is Familiarity
termed practical, point of view. The DR.. S
text was fourth Judges, eighth and ninth
verses
"And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt
go with me, then | will go, but if thou wilt
not go with me, then l will not go. And
she said, l will surely go with thee; not
withstanding the journey that thou takest
shall not be for thine honor; for the Lord
shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.
And Deborah arose, and went with Barak
to kadish."
THE STYLE OF THE ATTACK.
What is the method of their attack and
defense? Do they, for instance, Jael-like
propose to creep steathily to the place
where the enemy sleeps, as Sisera was
sleeping? For l suppose the enemy does
sleep after the last customer has gone and
the last carousal of the night has ended.
Does she, creeping thus upon the sleeper,
with her hand upon the hammer, propose
to smite nail into his temple, saying,
"Thou murderer of my sleep take that
penalty upon thy head in thy sleep?"
Does she make her way, under cover of the
night, to where the destroyer of her peace
keeps the tools of his trade and shed some
swifter poison into the decanter out of
which he deals his poison, that when he
comes in the morning his own first custo-
mer, he may be placed in condition not
favorable to administering death-potion
to second victim? Do our insurgent
female hosts initiate the wild amazons of
the French Revolution, and, with torches
and axes in their hands, head a mob for
the work of conflagration and destruction
society is Matched and distributed? Do
they even stir up the ministers of justice
to their long neglected dutyo THAT, |
think, will come as consequence Is
that what they propose dong9 Do they
in any way take the law into their own
hands? Oh, no; no We hear nothing
of such expedients. The story of their
strategic operations is comprised in this:
visit, first, to the throne of heavenly
grace, where they are no strangers and
never meet an ungracious reception. Then
strengthened with heavenly might in their
souls. visit to the retailers Of alcohol at
their saloons and shops, and this, not with
bitter anathemas heaped upon the authors
of their woe. They go bearing weapons
the gentlest even woman can employ
pathetic expostulation, wailing hymns and
pleading prayers. This is all.
OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED
Sometimes the conflict occurs within the
area where the business is carried on, or on
the sidewalk in front, or under tent
which is at hand. Well, even SO prose-
cuted, is not the crusade open to some OBJ
.jections? Is it comely sight for respecta-
BILE women? l should, at first thought,
say decidedly it was not. If l should see
a woman without bonnet or shawl, her hair
flying about her shoulders, running across
a public street, with frightened child in
her arms, | should not say it was comely
sight, though l grant my first impression
would likely enough undergo change on
being told that this uncomely sight was to
save the more uncomely one of the child in
her arms being crushed under the wheels
of a runaway team in the midst Of the
street where the brave woman had picked
it up. If | should see a company of women
running about their neighborhood, with
pals in their hands and the water stopping
over their dresses at every step, should
not say that was comely sight; though
my impression again might change when
told that the object was to save costly
mansion, elegant furniture, and, perhaps,
sick people from the flames, they with
their pals arriving just in time to do it,
and there being no time to wait for the fire
This sight of women in a
grog- shop truly is not a comely one; but
suppose it is wife that has gone there,
even though it be at the dead hour of
night, in search of her husband9 Perhaps
you have had no such scenes as that in
Williamsport; but it has occurred time and
again in Elmira. Suppose it is a sister
who has gone wandering through the sa-
looms of 4 town in search of her brother
That has been done over and over again in
Elmira. Suppose it is daughter, trem-
!, 81
ing the saloons at midnight for her father,
with the cry on her lips that how many
women have uttered, Husband, come
home Brother, come home . Father, come
home - Now, do say, that in that case,
the uncomeliness of the fathers, hus-
bands and brothers presence there at
midnight, drinking themselves drunk and
their families wretched, takes away from
the uncomeliness of the presence of the
wife, sister or daughter, and | believe you
will all say amen to that. Several voices,
amen, amen 1t may be uncomely
for women of our community-respecta
women as we know them to be-voluntar-
lily to be seen in front Of saloons in city
like this, or like mine; but it is a more
uncomely sight for the saloons themselves
to be seen where they are. Let any man
walk down Railway Avenue in the city of
Elmira, and say if it does not shame the
place to have such a row of groggeries
there, for the railway passengers who go
through the city to see and say, "Is this
the city of Elmira? We had heard of
Elmira as a beautiful city, worthy to be a
rival to Williamsport, and this is it ~
More uncomely than this sight of the wom-
ems occasional visits to the saloons is the
constant spectacle right within those sa-
looms at all hours of the night as well as
day. 1t is more uncomely sight that
those saloons have obliged these women
many of them-to look upon in their own
or their sisters houses, in the persons of
comely husbands and sons despoled of
their comeliness and converted into an
ugliness worse than the nature of british
beasts. | am ready, therefore, to say that
such zeal as this in women against the pro-
ducing cause of such woe, is not more