Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1883-08-01
Does the Masculine Sex Need Religion!

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Some people seem to think that religion
is matter for women and children and
the intellectual light weights of the
world to consider. Let US look at the
record of the masculine sex when unre
strained by attention to personal piety. Is
it som mething to be proud of? Nero was
grand example of religion let alone. That
dirty, low-lived dog, known in his life as
Tom Paine is conspicuous example of a
member Of the "masculine sex" who let
religion pass over into the hands of women
and children. Aaron Burr is another.
Boss Tweed, Jim Fisk ID. M. Bennett, John
Mcrrisy are specimens of what inattenion
to religion can do. 1t is not best for nom
religioniss to boast of the worlds ability
to get on without Bible Christianity till
they can show better success in raising
valuable men unaided by it.
1t is because the masculine sex" has
been willing to Leave the matters of reig-
ion to the "intelleetual light weights" that
there are so many rakes and roughs and
debauchees and scoundrels in the world.
"Intelligent and eminently respectable"
men have stood aloof from religion
because, forsootb, their great brains were
cramped by the "creeds'' and "dogmas"
of the church; because ''science" has got
ahead of religion and "the church to day is
a beggar greedy, persistent,
almost impudent." and so they have given
its small business into the hands of women
and children. What is the result? The
"masculine sex" furnish the pictures for
the rogues' gallery. This lordly aristoc-
racy also walk the halls of our peneton-
tiares, to the exclusion of the "women"
and "light weights" of society. The
"masculine sex' break open the banks,
steal state treasures and water railroad
stock and stuff ballot boxes and murder
the innocent. 1t is the representatives of
the "masculine sex" who carry on "Star
route' deviltry and do stock jobbing and
keep gambling dens and enter into polit-
ical intrigues and mix up in almost all the
low lived triokery and meanness there is
in the world. When the women" and
intellectual light weights" of the church
do any of these things it is the exception
and the world hears of it forthwith from
the "ntelligent and eminently respectable"
men of the world whose sense of honor is
so outraged they cannot keep silence!
declare, it is indeed a fact to be proud
of (if t is true) that the "mascuine sex"
leave religion to the women and ''intellect-
ua light weights and the record of this
sex rather looks as if these boasters really
nave fact as their basis.
Let us see. is religion such a feminine
matter that it is unworthy the attention of
strong menp What are the questions with
which it dealsp I will simply indicate a
few without extended discussion.
l. Soul life. No question penetrates
eeper than this, There is a consciousness
in man of a spiritual nature and of spiritual
wants. These are felt by the veriest
nfidel who walks as we'll as by all others.
The business of attention to this is felt TO
be the important business of this life. All
men, who are not dumb dogs utterly
devoid of feeling, feel that what pertains
to the interests of the soul is of more
importance than all things else. There is
fearful foreboding and looking far of
judgment" in all hearts. Eternal doctrines
are involved in the soul life. Men know
this. Where shall 1 spend eternity, with
angels or with demons, is question worth
the consideration of the masculine SEX
2. Bodily subjugation. Look at the
worlds trial with sensuality. To get the
flesh underfoot To keep the body under
is the work of life. The man who does not
do this is n failure always. Solomon and
Byron and Burns are illustrations in
point. The man who succeeds in bodily
subjugation is the success. This has been
the ideal of the best men of all time.
Thi, was Paul's best thought II keep
under my body" The systems of mon
astces of the early Christian centuries
were an endeavor in this direction. Mys-
ticism was strife with the body and an
effort to keep the spiritual uppermost.
Let proud man look to his own body for a
country to conquer. Here he will find
business worthy the boasted strength of
the masculine SEX" Mastery of self
mastery of the passions, appetites, flesh
his is life work worthy a mans effort.
There is no more masculine business than
this. And this is a question with which
religion deals. Without its restraining
and helping influences the strongest intel
lects and men of mightiest natural endow-
ment have failed to subdue themselves.
Charles Lamb, the genial humorist,
Oliver Goldsmith, the essayist and poet,
Salvador Rosa, one of the grandest painters
of the 18th century, all are examples of
what the masculine SEX can do toward
subduing the body without religious aid.
These and many others which might be
| named are questions worth the while of
others than women and children and
intellectual light weights"
lift is true that the majority of intelli
gent and we'll meaning people-do not and
can not believe what the churches
teach; if it is true that only the "medioc-
rites of the seminaries go to the pulpit"
and that "they minister chiefly to the
superstitions, the narrow and the morbid,
md the masculine sex is disappearing
from among their followers" it is never.
theless true that the truly great and
noble men of all the ages have been those
who gave attention to religion as person.
al application. You have but to think of
them to be convinced. What are the
Games that burn like suns in the heavensp