Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1882-09-30
For the Standard.
WOman's Rights.

ZION, 'Sh0uld woman be allowed TO
preach" it sets us thinking on this
question, the quite popular question of
the day. The position which woman
should occupy in the great world about
us, and her relation to politics and the
professions, are questions which are
freely discussed; and it seems woman
is gradually and surely gaining ground.
From the degradation and misery of
absolute slavery and complete nonenti-
ty as a thinking, free-willing, free-act-
ing being, in ancient times and in hea-
then lands of to-day, she has gradually
assembled until now she stands in our
own United States side by side with the
lords of creation. She has reached, in
our country and time, the highest point
of culture and influence ever attained
in her history. And to-day she stands,
in certain way, the mightiest power
in our land.
Now, my dear feminine aspirant,
don't disfgure that rosy lip with sneers
when talk of woman's. sphere. 1t is
SO ordered by Divine wisdom and be.
nefcence that everything in nature has
its circumscribed and limited sphere of
action, and it cannot perform any part
in another without usurping power that
does not belong to it and neglecting the
duties of its own department; and al
though the object of the universe and
of the human family especially may
be the attainment of one grand and
glorious end, everything created has its
specific part to perform in the accom-
plishment of this end. The angels
have their sphere of action and they
cannot 60 beyond it and continue to be
angels. God himself must occupy His
particular sphere, or He would cease to
be God. He is head or ruler of the
universal government. He could not
relinquiSh that position and occupy the
sphere of subject in this government.
If He did, the moment He vacated
the throne He would cease to be God.
And this law immutable-this princi-
pie fixed above the power Of God him.
self, may be traced through all nature,
animate and inanimate. If we turn
to the brute creation, behold, they have
their sphere which they must occupy.
They cannot occupy another. There
may be degrees of excellence in Ger.
tain sphere, but no occupant of one
sphere can rise to so great degree of
excellence as to be eligible to another
sphere. A monkey may get to be very
shrewd, and, indeed, he might reach a
higher degree of culture than any other
monkey eyer did, yet no one would
ever dream of calling HIM anything
but a monkey. He is hopelessly a
monkey. Just so with woman. Nc
amount of culture and experience
would develop woman into man.
Now it may be remarked that man.
kind generally have the same sphere Of
action, and this to certain extent may
be regarded as true, yet the very fac
of the two sexes, and the different char
acteristics of the two, demonstrates
plainly that each possesses absolute in
diyiduality in relation to Gods plans
and hence his or her specific sphere o
action.
Now, the foregoing may be taken a
the general statement of the question
Given, then, the fact of the differen
spheres of each, to find that sphere
We must draw our conclusions from
; the different characteristics of each a
basis, and let it be remembered tina
! the general or common characteristic
of each, as class, alone can come int,
this discussion. Isolated cases canno
l be considered on either side, but onl
the conservative man and the conseva
tive woman-the true man, the tru
woman. No one looking at them fror
this standpoint can fail to see that Their
is vast difference in their makeup
: First, physically man, with iro
D frame, toughened sinews, sharp angles
: hard features, stands forth fitted t
weather the blast, endure hardships
L every form, and come out conquerol
u Woman, with delicately moulded frame
= soft tissues, beautifully rounded form
T. and modest features, glides out to wal
e der over fower-carpeted fields, undt
= sunny skies which no tempests darke
and no lii htnings cleave. Exactly o.
posite in constitution, they should mov