Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-06-06
CHRIST AND WOMAN.
BAccAlAUREATe ADDRESS BYRtV. j.
o. M0FfAT,
of the Second Presbyterian Church, TO
Inc Graduating Class Of 81 Of
the wheeling Female College.

Yesterday, oeSinning Win tho poeee'"
reate sermon, which was preached by
Rev. james ID. Moffat, OF the Second
Church. Most of the other
churches OF the city cOurteously closed
their doors for this occasion and conse-
uuently, though the weather was quite
inclement. the handsome Second Church
held large and cultured congregation
THE CLASS OF 81
occupied the forward pews, surrounded
by their college mates, and listened at
,en,iyely and interestedly to the dis
course directed to them, particularly.
Rev. Moffatt was assisted by Rev. I.
F. Clancy, Rev. C. P. Masden and Rev.
]. L. Lands, Of Philadelphia, who read
the scriptures and offered the prayers.
THE CHOIR
was comp posed OF Mrs. ]. F. Merriman
and Misses Addie Coen and Hattie Dali
zell and Messrs. w. b. Day, w. b.
Howell ant Frank Orr, with Prof.
Weber at the organ. The music was
exceptionally good, especially the vol.
untary and hymn 333,sung to the grand
and familiar air OF Nearer, My God, to
Thee"
CHRIST AND WOMAN.
| take my text, began Mr.. Mofat,
from the eth verse of the 18th chapter oil
St. John: sand upon this came his
disciples, and marvelled that he talked
with the woman"
| shall read my text slso from the Re-
yised New Testament: "And they mar
yelled that he was speaking with a wo-
man."
The changes are two; one merely YER
oil "was speaking" for talked, making
no change in the meaning; but the
other is more important. Instead OF
the definite article "the" before
woman in the authorized version
wa have the indefinite article "a" in
the revision. The change was proper,
for there is no definite article IN the
Greek; and what excited the surprise OF
the disciples was not that Jesus was
talking with that particular woman, Tor
they did not know her character, per-
haps did not know she was a Samarl-
tan, but that Jesus should think 1t
worth while to engage in earnest con-
yersation with any woman. They mar
yelled that He was speaking with
uOaan." This may have been due to
their oriental notions OF propriety,
which forbade men tospeak to woman.
In the Talmud there is this restriction:
among others relating to the conduct OF
Rabbis: mo one is to speak with a
woman, even il she be his wife, in the
public street." at was forbidden"
saws DR.. Geikie, "to greet woman or
take any notice of her. But the sur
prise of the disciples arose partly from
the fact that though woman stood
higher in position and respect among
the Jews in other Eastern nations, yet,
in the time OF Christ, she was treated as
wholly inferior to man. 1t was consid'
cred foolish and a waste OF time to give
her any instruction even In religion.
Rabbi Eleayer is quoted as saying "Let
the words of the law be burned rather
than committed to women" and the
Talmud declares, "He who instructs his
daughter in the law instrucis her IN
folly"
That the disciples of Jesus were at
the first influenced by the prevailing
opinions and treatment OF woman and
shared to some extent the feeling that
she was not entitled to much consider
alton is evinced not only by their mar
yelling that Jesus should converse with
one, but by their requesting their Mas
ter to send away unblessed the Syro-
Phpnician INC thtr who cried so pitious-
ly after Him, Have mercy on me, o
Lord, thou son of Dayid, my daughter
ia grievously vexed with devil" And
Jesus was not rejecting His own senti-
ments, but those He knew to be enter.
tainei by His disciples. when He said to
her, at is not meet TO take the child
ren's bread and cast to dogs"
We have here, then, in the first place,
in the surprise OF the disciples, an,illus-
tration of woman's inferiority in mans
esteem. 1t is a faint illustration, but is
rendered more distinct by the quotations
from early Jewish writings; and the
picture becomes still more decided when
we remember that under Jewish insti-
tutions woman's condition had been
greatly improved. Among the hea-
thens, from the beginning until to-day,
her condition has been inconceivably
lower and more degraded. Through the
introduction of sin iato this world wo.
man has inherited not only the miseries
which belong to the race, but those spe-
cial forms OF suffering and d:shonor
which have sprung from her ever being
kept in subsection to the rest OF the SIM
full race. She has been sinner dependant
on and subject TO another sinner, whose
sinfulness has too often manifested its
most hateful character when she was the
victim OF il
When God told the first woman that
as a consequence Of sin her desire
should be to her husband and he should
rule over her, she doubtless had no con-
ception what these words could mean.
Perhaps when alone she some lines said
to herself, to be ruled by him who loves
me and whom love can surely be no
great evil, nor can l foresee how our
daughters shall ever know sorrow from
subsection to our sons But in the light
OF history We can see depth Of horrible
meaning in these smoothly sounding
words that was mercifully con-
cealed from her mind. IL meant
that under the brutalizing tend
ency OF sin woman should become =
not the loving companion OF q loving
husband-but the degraded slave of a
cruel tyrant. BY her subsection to him
she has been compelled TO take the
place for which his stronger frame and
more muscular system fitted him. AS
a toiler in the field and tent, man has
depended on her labor for his iood, and
yet ung q eiu lyia oppressed her until,
In untold millions oil instances, she has
been his only beast Of burden. She
has been sedulously kept in ignorance
and allowed no other opportunities for
the development of her mental facul-
ties than those afforded by her en-
forced servitude. She has been Sc
cluded from society and lived
stranger to the joys and benefits
of the social life-not even permitted to
eat with her husband. She has been
degraded, dishonored, corrupted and
dispised. She has been debarred from
obtaining as high a place in her lords
respect and affection as that accorded to
his horse or his dog. "Hated and dis.
pissed" says one. "from her birth, and
her birth itself esteemed a calamity; in
Ill Il