Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1888-01-14
TIE TABERNACLE SERMON.
"THE WOMEN WHO FIGHT THE BAT
TIES OF LIFE ALONE.''

is Able to he Her Own supervisor and
Achieve Her Own Destiny Story
or the Dove and tho vulturc.
BROOKLYN, Jan. S.-The Rev. 7. Dewitt
Talmagc, D. D., preached ut tho Tabernacle
this morning tho first Of II series of sermons
to the women of America, with practical
hints for men. The subject Of this discourse
was, ''Thc Women Who Fight the Battle Of
Life Alone and the text was from Proverbs
xiv, /: "Evcry wise woman buildcth her
house" DR.. TalniaSc said:
Woman, Il mere adjunct to mai, nm appen-
dix to the masculine volume, something
thrown in to make things even-that is the
hcrcsy entertained and implied byso men.
This is evident to them: Wonriu's insignifi-
ounce, us compared to man, is evident to
them, because Adam was fist created 49, r,,y
tha,, Ivn ZTho ulln III roll " 'so'o
or they would tnnl that tho porpoise ana the
bear and tie hawk were created before Adam,
SO that this argument drawn from priority
of creation might prove that the sheep and
the dog were greater than man. No! Woman
was IN independent creation, and was III
tended. if she chose, TO live alone, to walk
alone, act alone, think alone and fight her
battles ulone. Tho Bible says it is not good
for man to be alone, but never says IL is not
good for woman to be alone; and the simple
fact is that women who are hariIesScd for
life in the marriage relation would DO
thousandfold better Off if they were alone.
God makes 10 mistake, and the fact that
there is such large majority Of women in
,l.,l hot
tudcs of them should so alone.
Who arc these men who year after year
hang around hotels and engine houses and
theatre doors and come III and oat TO bother
busy clerks and merchants and mechanics,
doing nothing even when there is plenty to
dos They are men supported by their wives
and mothers. If tho statistics of any of our
cities could be taken on this subject you
would find that vast multitude of women
not only support themselves but masculines.
A great legion Of men amount to nothing,
and Il woman by marriage manacled to one
of these nonenticcs needs coincidence. a
woman standing outside the marriage rela-
ton is several hundred thousand times better
oil thnn "a woman badly married. Many
bride instead of wreath Of orange blossoms
might moro properly wear bunch of nettles
ard nishtshadc, and instead of the Wedding
March moro appropriate tune would be the
Dead March in Saul, and instead of Il BAN
quet of confectionery and ices there might
llo more appropriately spread table covered
with apples OF Sodom, which arc outside falr
and inside ashes.
Many an attractive woman Of good sound
sense in other things has married ono Of these
men 10 reform him. What was the rcsult7
Like when dove noticing that vulturo was
ra,,acious and cruel set about TO reform it
and said: ~ have n mild disposition, and
Ike peace, and was brought up i'll the quiet
of dove cote, aud will bring the vulture
to the same liking by marrying him." So
one day after tho vulturc had declared he
would give up his carnivorous habits and
cease longing for blood of ilocl, and herd, ut
an altar OF rock covered with moss and
lichen, the twain were married, O bald headed
eagle officiating, the vulturc saying: "With
eli nv do,.,ini of oas-th and slsy thee cll-
dow, and promise to love and cherish till
death do us part" But ono day tue dove in
her fight, saw the valturc busy ut n carcass
and cried: "Stop thatl did Jon not promise
mo that you would quit your carnivorous
and filthy habits if l married youf" Yes"
said tho vulturc, "but if you don't like my
way you can leave and with one angry
stroke OF bcak and another fierce clutch OF
claw the vulture left tho dove eycless and
winrlcss and lifclcss. And II flock Of robins
FIXING past cried to each other and said: "See
there! that comes from doves marrying
yulturc to reform him."
Man. n woman who has had tho hand of q
youn, incbriatc offered, but declined it, or
who vas asked to chain her life to man
selfish or of bad temper, and refused the
sheckl.s. viii bless God throughout oil
eternity That she escaped that earthly pande-
monium.
Besides all this, III orr country about
100000 men were sacrificed III our civil
war. aud that decreed million women to
ccl;bacy. Besides that, since the war, several
armies Of men us large rs the Federal and
Confederate armies put together have fallen
under malt liquors and distilled spirits so full
of poisoned ingredients that the work was
done more rapidly, and the victims fell while
vet young. And if $4,000 men are destroyed
every year by strong drink before marriage,
that makes in the stwenty-threc years since
the war l,I50G00 men slain, and DEGREES
LEO, 900 women TO cclibacy. Take then the
fact that so many women arc unhappy i'll
t!.ci. marriage, and the fact that the
slaughter of ,, 100000 mon by war and rum
combined decides that at least that number
Of women shall be unbalanced for life, my
tcxt'con!cs i'll with cheer and potency and
appropriateness that never saw in it before
when it says, 'Every wise woman. buildeth
La lDo ln,.
architect, lay out her own plan, be her own
supervisor, achieve her own destiny.
In addressing these women who will have
to fight the battle of life alone, congratulate
you on your happy escape. Rejoice forever
that You will not have to navigate the faults
of the other Sex, when you have faults
enough Of your own. Think of the bereave-
ments YOU avoid, of tho risk of unassinlilated
temper which you will not have to run, of
the cares YOU will never have to carry, and
of the opportunity Of outside usefulness from
which marital life would have partially de-
barred you and that you are free TO so and
come as one who hos the responsibilities of a
household can seldom be. God has not given
YOU hard lot as compared with Your sisters.
when Young women shall make up their
shin is not u necessity in order to Happiness,
and that there is strong probability that
thcy will have to fight tho battle of life
alone, they will be getting the timber ready
for their own fortune, and their saw and AK
anil plane sharpcncd for its construction,
since ';cvery wise woman buildeth her
house.
As no bog ought to be brought up without
learning some business at which he could
earn u livelihood, so no girl ought to be
brought up without learning the science OF
self support The difficulty is tha5 many
family goes sailing on the high tides of sue
cess. and the husband and father depends on
his own health and ncumcn for the welfare
of his household, but one day he gets his feet
wet, and il three days pneumonia has closed
his life, and tie daughters are turned out on
IL cold world to earn bread, and there is
nothing practical that they can do. The