The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1888-02-09

Woman and a Womanly Man Are Alike
RePugnAnt
BROOKLYN, Jan. 29.-The Rev. 4.
in the Brooklyn Tabernacle the fourth OF
the series Of Sermons to the Women of
America, with Important Hints to Men. I"
The subject of the sermon was: Dominion
of Fashion," and the text was from Deu-
teronomy xii, 5: "The woman shall not
wear that which pertaineth unto a man,
neither shall man put on woman's gar
ment: for all that do so are abomination
unto the Lord thy God" DR.. Talmage
said:
In this, the fourth sermon Of the series
of sermons, wish those who hear to bear
in mind that take into consideration not
only those whom l have before me on Sab
bath days, but the wider audience opened
through the printing press, and while some
things may not be particularly appropriate
for one locality, they are appropriate for
+, many other localities. And here will tell
q secret that have never before told in
public. About twenty years ago began
! to pray that God would open to me the OPP
portunity Of preaching through the secu-
lar newspaper press. The religious
papers in which my sermons had been
published chiefly went to positively relig-
ious families. So l asked God for the
! wider field in which to proclaim the great
truths Of religion and good morals. In
strange way the answer came. And the
syndicates having charge of these matters
inform me that every week there are now
13,600,000 copies OF my discourses pub
lished in this country, and about 4, 900, 900
in other lands, whether English speaking
countries or by translation in many foreign
tongues. / want people TO understand
that it is all in answer TO prayer to God
that this opportunity has come, and pray
for grace to occupy the field 1t is not,
therefore, presumptuous when / give wide
scope to these discourses ard address them
"to the Women of America, with Important
Hints to Men,"
God thought womanly attire of enough
importance to have it discussed in the
Bible. Paul, the apostle, by no. means
sentimentalist, and accustomed to dwell ON
the great themes of God and the resurrec-
ton, writes about the arrangement Of wo-
mans hair and the style of her iewelry,
and in my text Moses, his ear yet filed
with the thunder of Mount Sinai, declares
that womanly attire must be in marked
contrast with masculine attire, and infrac-
ton of that law excites the indignation of
high Heaven. Just in proportion as the
morals of a country or an age are depressed
is that law deted. Show me the fashion
plates Of any century, from the time of the
deluge to this, and l will tell you the exact
state of public morals. Bloomerism in this
country years ago seemed about to break
down this divine law, but there was enough
of good in American society to beat back
the indeCency. Yet ever and anon we have
imported from France, or perhaps invented
on this side of the sea, style that pro-
poses, as far as possible, to make women
dress like men, and thousands of young
women catch the mode, until some one
goes little too far in imitation of mascu-
Unity, and the whole custom, by the good
sense of American womanhoed, is OBJ
liberated.
The costumes of the countries are differ
ent, and in the same country may change,
but there is a divinely- ordered dissimilar-
ity which must be forever observed. Any
divergence from this is administrative of
vice and runs against the keen thrust of
the text, which says. "The woman shall
not wear that which pertaineth unto man,
neither shall a man put on q woman's gar
ment; for all that do so are abomination
unto the Lord thy God"
Many years ago French authoress,
signing herself George Sand, by her cor
rupt but brilliant writings depraved homes
and libraries innumerable, and was a
literary grandmother of all the present
French and American authors who have
written things SO much worse that they
have made her putrefaction quite present
able. The French authoress put on mas
culine attire. She was consistent. Her
writings and her behavior were perfectly
accordant.
My text by implication abhors masculine
women and womenly men. What sicken-
ing thing it is to see man copying the
speech, the walk, the manner of a woman.
The trouble is that they do not initiate a
sensible women, but some female imbecie.
And they simper, and they 90 with mincing
step, and lisp, and scream at nothing, aud
take on languishing look, and bang their
hair, and are the nauseation of honest
| folks of both sexes. Oh, man, be mani
You belong to quite respectable sex.
| The starting figure of the human race was
a man. Do not try to cross over, and so
become hybrid, neither one nor the other,
/ but failure, half way between.
! Alike repugnnnt are masculine women.
| They copy mans stalking gait and 20
down the street with the stride of walk
ing beam. They wish they could smoke
cigarettes, and some of them do. They
talk bosterously and try to sing bass.
| They do not laugh, they roar. They can
not quite manage the broad profanity of
the sex they rival, but their conversation
| is often half swear; and if tley said "Oh,
J Lord" in earnest prayer as often as they
say it in lightness they would he high up
III sainthood. Withal there is an assumed
rugosity of apparel, and they wear a mans
hat, only changed by being in two or three
| places smashed in and dead canary
[ clinging to the general wreck, and a man 4
coat tucked in here and there according to
an unaccountable esthetics. Oh woman
stay woman! You also belong to very
| respectable sex. The second figure of the
| human race was woman, and sometimes
n second edition OF volume is the trst
edition improved and corrected. Do not
| try to cross over. If you do you will lie d
failure as woman and only nondescripi
of man. We already have enough intel
I lectual and moral bankrupts in our sex
without your coming over to make worse
the deficit.
In my text, as by parable or figure Of
speech, it is made evident that Moses, the
| inspired writer, as vehemently as our
selves, reprehended the effeminate man
and the masculine woman: "The woman
shall not wear that which pertaineth unto
man, neither shall a man put on a
woman's garment: for all that do so are
abomination unto the Lord, thy God"
My text also sanctions fashion. Indeed,
il sets fashion There is great dea! ol
5enseless cant on the subject of fashion.
A woman or man who does not regard it is
unfit for good neighborhood. The only
question is what is right fashion and what
is wrong fashion. Before stop want to
show you that fashion has been one of the
most potent of reformers and one of the
vilest of usurpers. Sometimes it has heen
an angel from Heaven and at others it has
been the mother of denominations. As the
world grows better there will be as much
fashion as now, but it will be a religious