, 1877-02-05
RELIGIOUS.
Woman as an Element in
Mora1s-..Sermon by
Prot. Swing.
An Old-Fas1lioncl Love-Feast at
the First Methodist
Church.
The Old and New Oovenant---Bible-
Reading BY the Rev. Mr..
Erdmau,
The Chicago Miracle...How It
Appears Through Outside
Spectacles.

Tic influences which produce morals must b,o
many, and for the most part subtle. The anal
ogy of nature should 1cad us to suspect thi,,
lot, almost without exception, nature prefers q
group Of causes to any oltc cause. Nature joyca
to work In the midst Of variety. She will not
produce plant by sunshine alone, nor BY
tho soil alone, nor by mir alone, nor by rail-,
alone. but she asks ait these and mauy
other Torkmeh to come together and toll tu-
gettcr to rear that plaht. Could tho work.
ahops Of nature be laid open to the human
eye, nc should find there engaged orcr the
construction OF otic ruse as tnnny forms o,
work and workncn Us It required to build st.,
Petcr's or the pyramids. Electricity would bo
there. Oxygen ansl hydrogen, and light, and
heat, md a tlaif-1ozcn oxoncs would be stand
ing around each atom that was to be set into
stem or leaf. What angel It Is tEnt puts tl,o
fragrance into the rose Is not known, hut Ger
tatnly 1t fs not the same messenger which care
rics perfume to the sandal tree, or to the old
fashioned pink. Wise men arc nuw tnauirnr
whether our pfnnts and our mortal bodies do
not demand other ltehts-that white light, and
whether NC have not for centuries been doing
only short work In Natures laboratory. It is
tn tho shape Of blue glass, and rcd glass, anil
airs, and atnmonfas. which laye not until this
eleventh hour been tnrtted Intu the big vineyard
to work.
modern l'erod, killing on tho children, from 10
years old and under, 1t IL injured by two cui,-
rcnttons Of physicians, What CAUSE Hes tlt!dcnE
But the lsablts Of natu1o nre auch that many
the salnc proyiden*c that vii, not make Il suso
bloom without calling ups group Of workmcn
to bring each *osue tool aud ingredient toward
Tic result. will not bear away n cilil1 without
bk~s,~- f%i. ~
cnt at tie taking down Of the encarnpnsrnt n
the little soul. Could VIC but walk through til,
grcnt ships OF earth, r:c should sec surl, t. eycrN
as ulti +Euc7s saw w:'cn, itnttclF Invisible. L,
Inorcd all through the uprising Carthage n.lf
saw the wilolc ttty glow with Tremendous AZ.
10 such t.s4ai world tho ra,..c. Of moral, ,nus.
be equally complex. Public virtue tncs ,us
there was Integrity and goalucsa before tl!s:
Bi!lc came, and there Is goodness wlrru It Is
unknown. sfany must be the workIncn VIII,
aEc rearing In the world this Immense ryla-
Ill., er rany tue agcnssss whci' arc masking
distuver slcin all and name item WAS as
difficult as to hnd an nuawer 70 nny ntlscr
great question Of the universe. Doubtless
sand springs, son,o Of mL!el have been marked
dawn IN tue Biographies Ut ma1,. i,nt the mast
ofwllch aro drtpptg fnr frnnt mans sight. Nor
als como from sotncthin. within mud something
without; but no man ca1s sneasurc tho outer Or
tue Inner forrc. The greatest outward element
Is God, hut there arc many shapes OF this tiAi,
and conflicting arc tie messengers that cntuu
frutn tiint to- US. The greatest inner causc Is
eonsttIencc.. but this cludcs. perfect analytI..
these are Influences which tsavc hcl,1l b,Itl.l UP
that quallty Ut human naturv called virtue ur
morality,
Marking what variety OF ngcnts there arr
toins to accomplish any assumed result, wo
may we'll ask: What part n the construction Ut
public virtue Is played by Womant The passaso
takcn from. ono Of tho oldest rccurts on earth,
a,'l adopted rs a text, shows that the .'sss man
tsod lsad Rlrcn to bc with hin. II there bu any
hero who doubt tic literal truth Of this story
about Adam and his com mrauon. the story will Vt
least teach thls lcsson that one Of the earliest i'm
prcssions which WIS subnlttctlto to writing wus tho
Impression that ali Eve could influence un Adam.
IN Fnrntlisc, or In n common country like old
AFao!0 or Egypt. Iicnre whatcycryew onu inay
take Of the story, tic lesson Ia thu san,e-that
cnec eyer siuto slc cs,no tito being.
There arc no scales by which this powcr can
be definitely determined, but Notwithstanding
this 1fscouTaEcmcit It seems our .luty to sly
voiyes iadccti power ior erIl T as wsli M u tor M
good. But Que part of this potency will b. moro
than theme enough for tho hour, md hence let
us all reflect over tho jn,wcr Tor gool intrusteu
to woman by tho God Ut nature.
Influence follows tho footsteps OF love.
llcilce, Emerson tays, In bis exquisite style,
that the lIttlu ehlld governs the house, fatder,
anl mother, md grandfathtr, all being only
~ IL III p,leats 81 ts "p puny 11a
strong In his weakness; his little arms n0fc IT.
res!.tb!o than tho soldiers, his lips touched
with q persuasion which Chatham md PeEirlca
ttons when ho fit. up Ills yolru on high
ss@oroa. ~ Now - Ills amen:a a
empire u mn tnfant comes from the hold Il has
aiy equations capable Of mathclnatlcal ruth
aid statement, one OF thoso equations would
b. that power equals lore, or power Il a. tho
loyablu quality In tbs ruler. An infant whrh all
King. in that story irom 0cnesis. Adam actcI
naturally enough, crcn 1t not wisely enough.
lie obeytd thu voice Of tllc c0InIaniou God haul
scnt to be with him. There Mcsc not Is y.l
snd atose ill., - u sishins w' @ Or @ the ii pootis.
heard voice ot tod, thcEu caue tue yolec Vt u
eloquent Iecpuac OF mutual alice
ttutl. Sle was nearer tlaIl uod.
When Wotnan thus came tnso tho world ~ Il
toyeblo Or admirable creature, slie Caulu curly
Ing the halance Ut power, bcvau+o morals 1o-
tow sentilnentin more than they follow philosophy.
Whom VIC lure WI obey, 10 It lutaut, OF paseut.
!lienes at onre. Tho Providence, therefore,
which sent woman into tho woFll tu Do cs-
teen,cd and admired, made lrr u b. q great
blgh-p1leste4s ut the altar Of goodness. There
h little doubt that had WuMsu not passed tuto
political anil social bondage in savage times
lna places, when tho brutal had dssplacea ths
human, that, had woman been freo al through
historic pertols, she would have dragged tho
world alons after her to 4 moral hclKht f4F
ahoye the condition Ut the pfeselt.
AL observation Eoes to show that tho plcpon-
dcruure VI womans choice |. for justlce and Ill
goodness 1t will not b denied tlat Shs las
loved religion und al torms of upti.htness uioru
ms 1hYr+ ffrU. IL
be expected that woman In bou44;e, III thu
uascul vi Eolomoa OF Of the Sultan, where for
hundreds uf years her lninu bas been compressed
md degraded, sha!l airl4 valuable MURAL
power; but away from such s!olat9na u ~
III surpassed her companion III the power su
perceive and do the right ss to God aud man.
But, wAyin9 this inquiry, ito fact that
xonan cauio Into the world to bo uui-
fessally losei aud respected aeel4s. u