The sun., 1880-07-04

To THE EDITOR OF THE SUN-.Sir: short
time since there appeared in the columns Of
THE Sun an article under the above heading
in which the question is pertinently asked: rs
the Church losing its hold on the women 2"
While the writer does not himself directly I'D
NIT that such Is the case. he quotes from good
authority that among the most intelligent
women in England unbelief is spreading rap
idly year by year; that the educated country
women OF Harriet Martineau and Frances
Power Cobbe are not poring over the Bible and
prayerbook as their mothers and grandmothers
did. but that they are reading Darwin. Spencer.
Huxley. and Tyndall. The writer then que
ries: =" Is this true to any appreriable extent of
the educated women OF the United States ?"
To this quest ion az well as the former one no
direct answer is given hut while It is declared
that this was not the case even so recently as
Margaret Fullers time no attempt is made to
conceal the fact that it may be true Mt the pres
ent. and the writer points unerringy to the
agencies which have been ut work TO produce
the change. He not only calls attention TO the
number of girls schools established during the
last half century, hn, cites the notable improve
mcnt In their quality and reiers TO the fact that
colleges which have hitherto been sacred to
msn have at leugth opened their doors to
women. After rerounting the nuiuberess use
ful occupations which engage the activities Of
the educated young woman OF the present. he
says: she has her h"ud full and her hands
full. Certainly the Church does not MI the
same me place nee IN her th"ush!s or n her life that
When we recall the restrictions which from
III" time of its establishment To the present. tina
Church has imposed on women. and when we
cons lder the faci that women are inst beginning
to slaks their thirst for knowledge. it is not
per haps. remark kahr that the more Intelligent
Of them should he less constant in the contnm-
platon OF the "beatitudrs." or that they should
even cease for tlnIeto dream over the crstHslcs
attendant on n life after death. Neither is II
surprising that the educated women of the
present age should evnce a pretrrrnrr for the
natural sciences, rather than for vague nh-trH"-
II nE
yicariOus aton"m"nts ani possibly they may
he forgiven. especially by thos" outside the
Church. II higher mathematics should prove
more interesting to them than the Intricate the
illogical problem of three Gods in one.
1t IL quite evident that the strength Of the
Church is steadily, il Not rapidly, declning.
That tho recent y isallrctlOn which is So clearly
manifest is chiefly confined to women ia shown
by the fact that majority OF men have long
since ceased 10 exercise caro- about. or interest
H. the Church bnt that yof them give To 1t
their support simply because they are pleased
with the effect which its influence produces on
women. There may be- no apprrriablc change
In the size OF the weekly congIrgations in our
dogmas are received, and the lack OF zanl
which characterlzes uubiic worship, are evil
dent sources Of alarm to the clergy.
Al regulnr session OF Baptist minister's in
Chicago, not long siLre the sO-rallrd paper of the
day was entitled; Womnn-Onr H9po and De-
pendence in the Present l;eliEous Emergency"
The author OF this paper neglected 10 state
the exact nature Of tho aid which would be ac-
crltahe iron! women and we are left in doubt
as to whether they nrs to increase their zral in
the manufacture of ice cream ana tAiIy for
church surIais ar whether they are expected to
exercise greater energy III celebrating designs
Tor clerical slippers. The snmu paper declared
that succor OF the Church is woman duty. be-
cause she brought sin into the world"
The fact has been well understood. and by
none better than by the clergy. that the SUCCESS
of the Church depends on wnnan's allegiance
To it, Hence To prepare the feminine mind for
the reception Of It's traditions and doctrines has
constituted an important part Of tho policy oi
the Church. To relieve women from all strain
on their mental faculties. To cultivate the emo
tons at the expense of tho reason. and to
gracousy withhold from thun participation in
All matters pertaining TO the government Of the
Church. are precautions which have heon wise
ly considrred necessary to tho propagation Of
orthodox dorrnrs.
The higher education is gradually revealing
TO women their actual religious status. nnd
they are at length making tho important dis
cOvery that II is to tho unsrientinc doctrines Of
the Church concerning their nferlorty and
natural depravlty that they are indebted for
their inferior position. and that hitherto tho
Church and tho clergy have been the insur-
mountnhle obstacles to their advancement Is
1t remarkable that tho Church ID losing ts hold
on tho women? ELIZA BURT GAMBLE
EAST SAGINAW, Mich.