McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1883-11-15
THE DEACoN's CREED.

-[Horatio NelsonlP lowers, in the Critic.
THE DEACoN's CREED.
Christian Union.
"Well, for my part" said the deacon,
ssI'm an old fogy; believe in Paul,
and in the whole of Paul; that woman
was created for man, not man for
woman; that man is the head of woman,
not woman the head of man thatwives
ought to submit to their husbands as
unto the Lord; and that the husband is
head of the wife, as Christ is head of the
church. don't want to take out st.
or undot an 81. 1 believeit all.''
"Well! well! WELT" said Mr.. Geer.
81 believe" continued the deacon,
"'thatone of the chief causes of unhappy
marriages and frequent divorces is the
unwomanly independence which mod
ern education has produced. 1 believe
they are the natural fruits of the viola
ton of Gods law of marriage. be-
lieve that those women who are perpet-
ually issuing manifestoes of independ-
ence, and protesting against the subjec-
ton of woman, and all that sort of
nonsense, make themselves and their
husbands poor fellows! the tone of
pity was as inimitable- as it was unaf-
fected) miserable, and are doing more
to undermine tn. family, which is the
foundation of the state, than all the
Mormon elders and priests and mission
aries put together
"Well! WeU! WELL" said Mr.. Geer.
1 vainly endeavor to indicate the eli
max of his astonishment by Topographic
cal signs.
81 believe that any two headed thing,
from a calf to nation, is monstrosi-
ty; and of all two-headed monstrosi-
ties the most monstrous monstrosityis
two-headed family. l believe it is wise
for the wife to submit to her husband;
I believe it is for her happiness, and for
his, and for that of the children, and
for that of the community. I believe
that the way for her to have her own
will is never, to demand it. believe
the way for her to conquer her husband
is never to have a conflict with him.
But don't put my belief on any such
low ground as that; I put it on the
ground that God made the husband the
head of the household, and told the wife
to submit; and that's the erd of it.''
1t is impossible tor me to portray the
smiling graciousness of the deacon's
manner, which gave these words a
sound quite different from that which
they will bear in cold print to the aver
age reader, uninterrupted by the dea-
cons delightful and uninterpretable eye
and tone and genial smile. But he was,
Enthusiastically, dead in earnest.
"But,' said, Mrs. Greer, when at
length the deacon came to pause IN
the recital of his creed, ssdon't you
think that a woman ought to have
a mind of her ownP"
''And," added Jennie, ssdon't you
think that your doctrine would make
men tyrants and women too abject?n
"Humph!" said the deacon, "Why, |
bless me! know, and so do you, a |
couple whose lives answer that ques-
ton. The man is as 'opinionated an old |
bear as ever walked on two legs. He is
as unbending rs a piece of cold steel;
and if anybody contradicts him he
bristles all over like hedgehog. His
wife has lived with him these twenty
odd years, and nobody ever doubted |
that she had mind of her own; or
thought that she was AFFECT; or ques-
toned her quiet, womanly dignity and
her independence. But for twenty
years she has never contradicted him;
never refused to d. what he wanted or
done what he didn't want; never offer
ed him advice unless he asked for it,
and never refused it when he did. And
that little woman can do anything with
her bear she likes; he'll dance any time
to any tune she plays. She never yet
has demanded wOman's right, in all
these years; and never hesitates to
make woman's request. And she gets
it, too" .Fel1 e1e
We all laughed for we all knew who
the deacon was describing, with some
of himself, but none of
his wife; and his wife softly put her
hand up and stroked the thin hair that
fringed his bald head. .r,te,,
'eThere is Mrs. Geer," continued the
deacon, 'swho says she never will con-
sent to her husbands smoking in the
house. If 1 were a wife my husband
should make every room, from the gar
ret TO the cellar, smell like a tobaccon-
,st's shop before I would try to stop
him, unless could stop him by re-
quest for loves sake"
$50 you don't think that husband
ought ever to submit to wifef" s; i'd
Mrs. Geer. inquiringly.