The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1886-01-21

arts-poetfy, and painting, the love Of
the beautiful-they became more and
more revengeful and licentious In
their nature and practices. And you
find Il the same old story Of corrupt
morals, base sensuality aud revolving
practices that portray the state Of
morals In ali modern unchTistian ma
tons to-day. What q contrast does
such q moral condition present 20 q
people who follow. imperfectly
though II be. the requirements Of the
DeealOgue or the sermOn on the
Mount.
In all the sOeial institutions and
humanities of life, the same contrast
exists. Caste and oppression are char
acteristic OF p8ganism: equality, Of
christianity. Without deiaining you
upon this head 70 give historical proofs
of which there are so many-we as
sumo that enough has been said 20
establish our first proposition, that
the general drift Of Bible teaching Is
towards the establishment Of the
common liberty-the personal inalien-
able right Of all men 10 life, liberty
and the pursuit OF happiness.
| Our second proposition il that the
general trend Of Bible teaching makes
no distinction between man and wO-
man In all these matters. IL clearly
establishes its own declaration that
woman was made 10 be mans help
meet his cO-equal associate, his
equal sharer, as bone Of his bone, and
flesh Of his flesh. and mind Of his
mind, and soul Of has soul, in all the
affairs Of organized society, from the
/ simplest basis Institution Of the fami-
| ~ up to the most complicated organ
ism Of governmental church and
state alike. She was to be his equal
sbarer. The general tone OF the BIZ
bic unmistakabiy Is that God intend
ed that man and woman should 90,
hand In hand sharing In common
and mutual helpfulness all the joys
and sOrrOws Of life, all its duties
/ and responsibilities, hand in hand
/ from that paradise from which they
I fell, together until they reached to-
/ gether that far nOhler paradise than
/ the one from which they fell The
proof IL the same as In the first prOpO-
/ sitiOn by contrasting the condition OF
/ woman in natlOas under Bible iuiiu-
/ ence with her condition in nations
| ignorant Of the Bible Ia the Eastern
nations of antiquity woman was kept
/ IN a state of ahject ignorance and
/ slavery. In Greece she occupied an
| inferior sphere-was not even regard
ed a. a fellow human being, but rath-
eF a. n domestic animal, in no way
related 10 man ~ partaking Of his
spiritual nature, not destined % the
same immortal life with him among
the gods and heroes upon Olympus
THIS Is seen in all their conceptions OF
woman left In their grandest writings
even Of classic Greek. Take an in
stance from their greatest poet, the /
Trial Of Orestes," the son Of Again.
emnOu and Clytemnestra. Clytem-
nestra murdered AgamemnOn, whose
death was avenged by Orestes. For !
this act of numbering his own moth |
er, Orestes was fabled 20 have been
prosecuted before the Greek gods by |
the Furies, those female divinities |
whose duty IL was % punish those,
and those only who had slain their |
relatives, their relation. In his de-
fence the poet makes Orestes plead |
that they, the Furies, cannot touch /
him. because a child Is relation to /
his father but not to It's mOther-a /
mother Is no relation 70 a man even Il |
he be her child. This view |
which seems 90 Us 80 unnatural, so |
iuhuman. was nevertheless supported |
10y Apollo and Minerva in that |
great trial, aud being adopted by a
majority Of the judges, led to the ae-
quital Of Orestes.
But unquestiOuably in ancient |
Rome the condition Of woman Was /
more exalted than in any other land |
where the Day Spring from on high |
has not visited her. Aud yet while /
the law OF Rome allowed her greater /
liberty aud consideration than she /
elsewhere enjoyed in pagan lands |
still was she even there without the |
restraints Of morality aud purity /
which alone can keep her from degre- i
datiOn, and the degradation Of Roman /
women was notorious. They exerted /
no happy influence for good either
upon public, private or social life Il
The Senate were compelled % pass /
severe laws to suppress female licen- /
tiousness in the very highest ranks |
Of society. What could the lower |
classes have been The historian. |
Gibbou ,testifles that IL was two things /
chiefly that caused the fall Of Rome:-
slavery and unchastity. They under
mined, hOney-eombed with corrup- /
ton and Slapped the very life out Of
the nation.
Aud what l. w0man's condition |
now in pagan land. In this Rine-
tenth century Of the Christian |
era? Hated and despised from her |
birth--her birth itself esteemed q /
calamity. While the birth Of q son /
causes JOY, the birth Of a daughter /
causes shame, grief and sorrow. In /
some countries woman IL not even al |
NnuHuA the HurrNr
agent 20 keenly sensible b her own /
depreciation that she aequiesees in the |
murder Of her female offspring with |
out education married without her /
consent or choice often sold by her /
parents; despised by her husband, |
and banished from his table and at /
his death, II she survive all his 81 |
treatment and cruelty, doomed either /
t0 the funeral pile or % a living con- /
tempt that renders life itself bur |
den. / said-withOut education. /
Those Of you who heard Miss Hart |
well, q returned missionary from |
Siam. speak In one Of our churches /
last summer, will recall an illustra- /
ton Of this she gave. The ordinary /
street dress OF the boys and girls 4 /
the same. The BOYS are taught to |
read, the girls are not. II l. thought |
that they are incapable % learning.
Often, a missionary meeting q little |
girl and asking her II she can read. |
she replies. why, no! I'm a girl"
with q tone that implies, you've mis- |
taken me for a boy because we dress |
alike, but when you know I'm a girl, |
that IL sufficient 70 account for my not |
being able 20 read.
How different from al this h the /
ease Of woman under Bible influence.
IL elevates her h her proper place Of |
equality with man just 50 fast and 30 /
far ~ its influences prevails. Hers IL |
il 70 reign in the heart Of her husband /
and children. She IL the queen Of /
home. Hers the supremacy IN all |
that interesting domain, where love |
and tenderness and refinement Of |
thought and feeling preside; hers Is /
the sphere Of purity, prudence, dill |
gence 10 domestic station and = holy |
and devOut life. Hers Is that silent, |
nu0bserved, unObstrusiye influence /
by which she aecnmplishes Tar more /
for her race than many whose names |
occupy q large space on the page 81 |
history. There u not an opponent 81 !
Woman's suffrage. even the bitterest /
on supposed Bible ground. that will |
NOS admit All ! have here said a. 10 !
the place that the general tone and |
spirit Of the Bible gives % woman.
I have designedly put it IN such Ian
HNmH Ill Iii