San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1885-08-27
The Sexes in Civilization.

W0nQerful love, ~ ~.
The Sexes In Civilization.
The above is the title Of the first
address delivered by Mrs. Beauchamp
at the Hill on w. O. T. U. day
Tuesday last. We find it a well-con-
sidered effort. Our space will not
permit its insertion entire, but we
will give some extracts. After de-
failing at some length the achieve
ments of man in science and art, she
proceeds:
But has woman fulfilled her mis-
sions Has the world, throughout all
the ages, been growing womanly-
does It wear her impressf Let the
character of our civilization answer.
This civilization, the grandest ION
which the sun ever shone, is largely
Materialistic. We have a utilitarian
age. The world is moved by steam,
and run by machinery. The indus
trial arts, the product of mans activ-
ity, dominate everything else. The
Realists are making the power on the
education Of the day - Positivism is
invading our churches, and becoming
the religion Of the learned. It would
overturn our faith in the intangible
and unseen the only true founda-
ton of religion and morality. Nor
has the world grown womanly in pur-
ity. Man has conquered the earth
but can he conquer himselff His
passions run riot, and fill the world
with woe. His cities, 80 fair to the
eye, are full of corruption, dead mems
bones. They have gambling bells,
palaces of gin built over gurgling
pools of human blood--and these are
watered by the widows tears, and
resonant with the groans of defraud-
cd orphanhood.
It is true, his methods Of commu.
nication are wonderful. His tele-
grams outstrip the wind = indeed
they are swifter than the fight OF
Time itself. A message sent from
seaboard to seaboard will reach its
destination an hour before it startedI
But his methods of communication
are superior to the communications
themselves. Though his ingenuity is
wonderful, yet it is sad to reflect that
he has exerted his highest skill in de-
vising engines of destruction, as his
firearms, batteries, torpedoes, IRON
clads and explosives will testify.
Statistics give us a startling pic
ture of the state of morality. We
spend as much for strong drink as we
do for breadstuffs, eight times as
much as we do for education, seven
teen times as much rs we do for re
ligion, and one hundred -and-ifty
times as much rs we do to send the
good gospel to our heathen neigh
bors. Our gigantic preparations for
war are another proof Of the state OF
public morality. Says Bowditch, 1T
requires the services OF million-and-
a-half of men, at q cost OF thousand
millions of dollars, for the so-called
Christian nations Of the world to
maintain their armies and navies on
a peace footing" This is the best re-
suit Of a civilization carried on ~
men alonefor eighteen hundred years.
Must the human race forever go on
in this brutal, blundering way, or can
not some better way be foundf We
would dwell with emphasis on the
Question, "Cannot q better way be
found7" Our social system is in an
unbalanced and tottering condition.
Idealism gives place to Realism
Spirituality TO Materialism-and force
has outstripped morality. In what
vay and by what means can we re-
store the equilibrinmi
Woman's work and influence are
the missing factors in our civilization.
To bring in these forces were TO re.
store order 10 chaos, and beauty and
symmetry 10 deformity. These forces
have existed all along. a. an under
current in the mighty rushing stream
of events, but they have never been
brought into prominence. and made .
chartered, recognized, controlling
power in the earth
Mans work came first To him
was given The wrestling tbews 70 en-
able him 10 grapple with the maltiis.
r;ous forms Of . vild and untAned
Efa The fact that mans work came
fr.t explains the seeming disparity
that exists between the ssxes Work
eails out the latent powers of mind
and body. and brings With Il h,stur-
;tv Of TIE beng. 1his i Why nEn
csu1s 10 The estate of psrfects1 nan
hood before wouan cane - The e.
tnts of perfected von1nbood
Thoarh wons1 hss nctryst bes1
cIoebsd Nth fhs I'm fa@itsas q