Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-05-10


WOMAN AS A REFORMER.
What Her Influence Has Done, is Doing
and Can DO.
The Pagan view of woman before
Christianity came is well known. One
of the most distinguished of the Greek
historians said that woman's highest
merit was, not to be spoken about at
all, either for good or evil. She was
expected to live behind vail of 81
lence. When Phidias painted the
heavenly Aphrod te he represented her
as standing on the back of a tortoise
a slow and uneventful way to go
through the world. The Pagan ideals
of humanity were always of the mascu-
line type. The Greeks worshiped
beauty, but it was of the man-like
kind. They represented it in sculpture
more than in painting. because the
cold, hard marble was more in har-
mony with their ideas than the soft,
rich colors of the canvas. If they cele-
brated the fame of a heroine, she was
represented as an Amazon panoplied
for war, riding upon fiery steed. and
with strong arm hurting the DEATH
dealing spear into the dismayed ranks
of the enemy. In morals. the Stoics
claimed that their system was greatly
superior to all others because it was es-
sentially masculine. 1t must also be
admitted that in the Old Testament
there is large amount of homage to
masculine qualities. There is some
Thing of a kinship between a David and
eules. and the people sang praise to
God as "a man of war" But the rea-
son is apparent. The Old Testament
deals with the sterner features of the
law. with bloody rites and ceremonies.
with dark and troublous times. and
often with nations of gross. brutal
manners. Hence men of valor, mighty
men of war, were ut the front.
But when the Gospel came, it began
with a recognition of woman. It's
first salutation was to her-..Hail thou
that art highly favored" That this
salutation had an immediate reference
to the sacred motherhood is true, but
it had far wider significance in the
proclamation of new era for woman.
1t meant Hail to woman" She was
no longer to be overlooked or under
estimated. The kingdom of Heaven
was at hand; not kingdom of spears
and javeiins. bloody legions and brutal
Caesars. but 1.-the kingdom and patience
of Jesus Christ" A new estimate of
qualities and a new order of forces had
come; meekness. gentloness, patience,
purity and love were now to be great
virtues and great forces in the worlds
redemption. The world also had new
type of humanity. 1t is not sufficient
TO say that Jesus Christ was man.
He was the perfect humanity. incarna-
ting all that was most truthful. strong
est and greatest in man, and all that
was most gentle. pure and lovely in
woman. He had human mother. and
He reflected the glory of her humanity
as well as the divine glory.
Therefore, in such kingdom and
with such type. and with the new
beatitudcs of the Sermon on the
Mount woman had a place and was to
WELD a power. That the development
of this power has been SOW process,
is painful fact. For no part of Pa
Eanism has been SO hard to rout from
human opinion as the prejudices unfa-
yorable to women CRsarism is slow
to give up all its provinces. Mary
mistakes have also been made. So fine
an observer as Frederick W. Robertson
tells us that Mariolatry came from an
attempt to put the new ideal of human
jty introduced by Christianity into a
more realistic form. Christianity en-
throned womanly virtues. Catholicism.
in endeavoring to realize, the Gospel
conception. enthroned the Virgin
Mother Mr.. Lecky also takes the
same view of the origin of Mariolatry.
and he believes. too. that the chivalry
of the Middle Ages came from the same
impulse. While it is seriously to be
doubted whether this is any thing
more than an ingenious explanation of
what was oaly repetition OF tho old
sin of '.worshiping and serving the
creature more than the Creator" yet
it is plain that the effort t0give wesaaa
her rightful place in the kingdom has
been somewhat blind one.
But now there is reason to believe that
she is at least passing into the gates of
the kingdom. As q missionary she is lay
ing . firm hold upon the worlds redemp-
tion. Once she stayed At home to pray
or waited to be wife. now she pushes
boldly to the front As reformer she
Is bringing to the delicate and difficult
problems of life the quick perception
and full power of her womanly nature.
To this field Of effort abe comes with
Just what has been 20 sadly needed in