Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1888-05-24
ST. Paul and the w. G., r. II.

ST. Paul and the w. G.. Il. u.
women shall use their and not their husbands
names.-REsoLUTIoN XIV.
When we peruse the pages of this worlds
history, speaking to us, as they do, of mighty
achievements of people, by sea and by land,
and in the realms of thought, we are OPP
pressed by how little they knew. With. all
their accomplishments, and they were many,
they went down into the grave and none so
wise as to call their attention to the hallowed
influence of the W. G. T. U. Men of giant
intellect labored in the court, the rostrum,
and the pulpit, and caused cir influence
to be felt throughout the world, and not one
ray of light from this society fell upon their
darkened pathway. St. Paul, the most bril-
liant and eloquent eXpounder of the Chris
tian religion, doubtless caught glimpse of
this society but in his ignorance and tyranny
set his foot upon this "new departure" and
preached the heresy that the voice of WON.
en- should not be raised in the church in
public defamation. This man, wise in
many things, but foolish in this, had the as.
surance TO go back to Genesis and declare
that woman was made for man, and not man
for the woman. He even denied that the
woman was the head of the house. He
taught that woman was mans helpmate, his
monitor, his consider and counselor within
the family circle and around the family fire.
side. He asserted that man was the head of
the house, even as Christ is the head of the
Church. He taught wha: poet has since
expressed:
80, woman, in our hours of ease,
Uncertain, coy and hard to please,
But when stern anguish wrings the brow,
A mipistering angel thouw
Poor man! Besotted with ignorance, he
acted his part upon the stage, and
slept with his fathers. But he was an old
bachelor, and of course what he thought and
said amounted to little. Then, how great
was his lack of knowledge! II he had lived
in the present time, and married, and his
wife had subscribed for the W. G. T. U. pa
per and signed her name "Mrs. Lucinda St.
Paul, !" instead of "Mrs. st. Paul." he would
have known his proper place. If he had
still been dissatisfied, and possessed the
boldness to ask why she so wrote her name,
he would have heard Mrs. Lucinda say, with
a sweet smile: "Wby, this is in accordance
with the resolution of the Grand Council of
the W. G. T. U. which recently met at Iron
ton; Ibis is the law, what are you going to do
about IL? You preach the bible, Mr.. st.
Paul, and do it we'll. We believe in the
bible, but when the bible interferes with us
when it comes in conflict with our trium.
phal car, we will shatter it. You may
preach about Cornelia, the mother of the
Gracci, who considered her sons her jewels,
and who thought-foolish woman-that she
could influence the world through them, and
all such old fashioned nonsense; but we
know better. We believe in going to the
hastings and expressing our own opinion by
the ballot, and when you expound the bible
80 that it letters US we will by resolution
pruEe he bible and accept that portion that
Is in harmony with our views, and eschew
the balance as visionary, as nurtful to dis
tinctiye womanhood. You can oppose us if
you wish, Mr.. st. Paul: but allow me to
state you cannot stop our progress. In the |
language used by the great and good Mrs. |
Fl Hoffman, you may stand, and sniff, and |
thrust up your little pointed nose, like the
cur that barks at the moon, but the moon
his barking. do not think you will gain |
much by contending, because, as Sam Jones |
says-and, speaking of Sammy, there is a |
man after my own heart! 1t does not re-
luire western cyclone to knock some sense
into his carcass, for, as Sammy we'll says, if
you differ from us we will wreck you aud
harrass you until we drive you to divorce,
Il you do not surrender! You men have al |
ways said that marriage was union of mind |
md feeling, and under the guise of that |
have made usyour yoke-fellows.
We have served you as the children of Israel
served the Egyptians, and our time is up!
We have found our Moses and are going out |
Of bondage! /; you stand in the way, look !
put! We will conquer you even as the SER |
pent of Moses swallowed all the heather |
Now, Mr.. st. Paul, you may |
preach but be very careful how you touch |
on our rights! II you antagonize us, we
will do as our sisters in New York did: we |
will meet, and, by resolution, go out of the |
church, and then where would you be? |
10 not often speak, but, when I do, Ispeak |
freely, Mr.. Paul. For once in my life have |
spoken my mind" Methinks the modern |
st. Paul would quietly shut that book, that |
ancient of days." and say, "areat and mys-
;erious are the ways Of Providence! have
,inned; keep thou my unbelief!"