Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1883-02-01
RELIGION IN ITS RELATION TO WOMAN.

Approved 23d day of December, 1882.
RELIGION IN ITS RELATION TO WOMAN.
1t is custom with some when the subject
of religion is mentioned, to turn it aside with
the hippant remark, "Oh it's very good
thing for women - regulating it to the weaker
sex as something childish pretty fable; an
airy fancy dream.
Well, it is good thing for women, the best
of all things, religion in the heart.
And by religion | mean the love of God in
the soul, that system of faith which recognizes
the Supreme Head Is the centre Of the uni
verse.
This is their strength and glory their COM
fort and support in sorrow and desolation.
Men may do without it for lifetime busi-
ness cares may drown all other thoughts ;.con-
tact with the world deadens their sensibilities
the edge of grief or disappointment is soon
worn off.
But to woman, debarred by nature, habit or
custom, from the more active pursuits of life,
something more is necessary. Her suScepti-
bilities are more tender; her eyes see matters
in clearer light; her sympathy is keener her
capacity for suffering greater. Her nature is
ever seeking something higher and stronger
than herself. This is true of even the best
and the strongest of the sex, who differ from
the weak only in the intensity of this longing,
and the loftier character of that something
which they seek.
Can mere earthly affection, can fame, fash
ion or pleasure, satisfy this longing?
The first may for time but what remains
when the icy fingers of death have closed the
eyes of those we love, and stilled their heart
beats? There is nothing left then but mem
ory, and memory cannot satisfy the soul. AS
to the inadequacy of earthly honors, we have
only to look for proofs to the sad, sad wrecks
which drift along at the mercy of every tide
of opinion on the great sea of life.
"Only God can satisfy what God created" }"
and only when the soul turns to him who
made it, with the question, Lord, to whom
shall we 60 2" comes the all-sutlicient answer,
81 am the way, the truth, the life"
But aside from this, religion has given to
woman every blessing of liberty and indepen-
dence which she enjoys. 1t was the influence
of religion, not mere human legislation, that
raised her to the lofty position which she occu-
pies.
Of all the nations of the East, the Hebrews
alone recognized the religious life of their wo-
men as something of Importance. Until this
strange race appeared upon the stage of the
worlds history, woman was slave, occupying
a position of inferiority and degradation.
Gods own hand raised her to that place for
which she was destined, through his plan of
the redemption of the world. 1t was meet
that the women of nation appointed to be
the repository of the worlds history, the era
die of the worlds Redeemer, should be exalted
to loftier station than she had hitherto oc-
cupied; that the people whose story EMBODIED
the life of every nation, should preserve their
purity and strength in homes where mothers,
not slaves, told to their prattling babes the
story of the deliverance of Israel, or with the
glow of enthusiasm ringing in every word,
spoke of the Messiah to come. In the COM
mand, "Thy daughter thou shalt not give unto
his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto
thy son" we see that even in those early days
the influence of woman on the religious life of
nation was felt. The story begun under the
Mosaic dispensatiOn, was continued through
the lives of the women of the Old Testament
into the New. The faith which sprang into
life in the hearts of the little handful of de-
vout women who ministered unto Christ, is
the glorious heritage Of the women of to-day.
From the dawning of that day when Mary
mourned at the sepulchre, and turning at the
voice of the risen Saviour cried, 'Rabboni ~
the glorious gift has been transmitted, growing
and strengthening with each succeeding gener-
alton.
But as to the practical effects. 1t may be
argued that civilization, not religion, has given
woman the freedom which she enjoys to-day.
Where does religion end and civilization be-
gin The two are bound up together but as
to civilization alone producing these mighty
effects, would bid you look at Japan, China,
or any other eastern nation of the present day.
They have been nations for centuries; they
boast of achievements in art and science; OF
history that reaches back into the dim cycles
of the past What have they done for woman ?
Where does she stand to-day? If she has ad-
vanced anything since this century began, it
is because men and women from a more favor
ed land have gone with the gospel of Christ in
their hands, proclaiming that women have
souls for which Christ died. If they stand
any where higher, it is only in the shadow of
the circle of light in which their more favored
sisters move.
Is it wonderful, then, that religion should
appeal to the mind and heart of woman Nay,
is it not more wonderful that some bearing the
stamp of a lofty intellect on their brow, should
lift up unholy hands against the temple which
has been their refuge ? Is it not more sadly
strange that, disclaiming in bitter scorn, the
God who has so highly exalted them, they
should wander into a far country, away from
their Fathers house, and strive to feed their
starving souls on empty husks? While the
children of the kingdom have ''enough and to
SPARE" they perish with hunger" "dying with
the sorrowful words sounding from Heaven,
"They will not come unto me, that they might
have life. "-lGss Julia 4. Flisch, IN Southern
Presbyterian.
OBsERv vATION.-No line can be drawn be-
tween common knowledge of things and scien-
tific knowledge, not between common reason
ing and scientific reasoning. In strictness all
accurate knowledge is science, and all exact
reasoning is scientific reasoning. The method
of observation and experiment in which such
great results are obtained in science is identi-
cally the same as that which is employed by
every one every day of his life, but refined and
rendered precise. If a child acquires new
toy, he observes its characters and experiments
upon it's properties, and we are all constantly
making observations and experiments upon
one thing or another. But those who have
never tried to observe accurately, will be sur