The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-01-25
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE'S sun
DAY SERMON.
Subject: 1.-THE Women. Who Fight
the Battles of Life Alone"

Woman, mere adjunct to man, an appen
dix to the masculine volume, something
thrown in to make things even-rhat is the
heresy entertained and implied by some men
This is evident to them: Woman's insignih
canoe, as compared to man, is evident tc
them, because Adam was first created and
then Eve. They don't read the whole story
or they would find that the porpoiSe and the
bear and the ark were created before Adam,
20 that this argument drawn from priority
Of creation might prove that the sheep and
the dog were greater than man. No! Won all
was an independent creation, and was IN
tended, II she chose, to live alone, to walk
alone, act alone, think alone and fight her
battles alone The Bible says it is not good
for man to be alone, but never says it is not
good for woman to be alone; and the simple
fact is that women who are harneSSed for
life in the marriage relation would he
thousandfold betts- off if they were alone.
God makes no mistake, and the fact that
there is such large majority of women In
this land, proves that he intended that multi
tudes Of them should go alone.
Who are these men who year after year
hang around hotels and engine houses and
theatre doors and come in and out to bother
busy clerks and merchants and mechanics,
doing nothing even when there is plenty TO
dol They are men supported by their wives
and mothers. II the 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 q woman by marriage manacled to one
OF these nonenuties needs coincidence. A
woman stancing outside the marriage rela-
zion is several hundred thousand times better
Off than q woman badly married. Many a
bride instead of wreath Of orange blossoms
might more properly wear buuch Of nettes
and nightShade, and instead Of the Wedding
March more appropriate tune would be the
Dead March in Saul, and instead Of ban
uuet of confectionery and ices there might
be more appropriately spread atable covered
with apples Of Sodom, which are outside fair
and inside ashes.
Many an attractive woman Of good sound
sense in other things has married one of these
men to reform him. What was the result'
Like when dove noticing that vulture was
rapacious and cruel set about to reform it
and said: I" have mild disposition, and J
like peace, and was brought up in the quiet
Of a dove cot, and will bring the vultnre
. the same liking by marrying him" So
one day alter the vulture had declared ne
would give up his carnivorous habits and
cease longing for blood of flock and herd, at
an altar of rock covered with moss and
aichen, the twain were married, bald headed
eagle officiating, the vuture saying: with
all my dominion of earth and sky thee en-.
dow, and promise to love and cherish till
death do us part" But one day the dove, IN
her flight, saw the vulture busy at carcass
and cried: "Stop that! did you not promise
me that you would quit your carnlvorous
and filthy habits if married you" Yes"
said the vulture, "but if you don't like my
way YOU can leave" and with one angry
stroke of beak and another fierce clutch Of
claw the vulture left the dove eyeess and
,wingless and lifelesS. And flock Of robins
flying past cried to each other and said: See
therel that comes from doves marrying
vulture to reform him. "
Many a woman who has had the hand Of 8
Young inebriate offered, but declined it, or
who was asked to chain her life to man
selfish or Of bad temper, and refused the
shackles, will bless God throughout all
eternity that she escaped that earthly pande-
moniurn.
Besides all this, in our country about
1000 900 men were sacrificed in our civil
war, and that decrecd million women to
celibacy. Besides that, since the war, several
armies of men as large as the Federal and
Confederate armies put together have fallen
under malt liquors and distilled spirits 50 full
of poisoned ingredients that the work was
done more rapidly, and the victims fell while
vet young. And if sc, ,0J0 men are destroyed
every year by strong drink before marriage,
that makes in the twenty three years since
the war 1,l50,000 men slain, and DEGREES
i,15O, 900 women to celibacy. Taking then the
fact that so many women are unhappy IN
their marriage, and the fact that the
slaughter of 2,l50,0OU men by war and rum
combined decides that at least that number
of women shall be unbalanced for life, my
text comes in with cheer and potency and
appropriateness that never saw in it before
when It says: "Every wise woman bulldeth
her house, that is, let woman be her own
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 bereare.
ments you avoid, of the risk of unassimilated
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 has 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
minds at the start that masculine companion
ship is not a necessity in order to happiness
and that there Is strong probability thai
they will have to fight the battle Of life
alone, they will be getting the timber ready
for their own fortune. and their saw and a!
and plane sharpened for its construction
since 'every wise woman buildeth hel
house,
As no boy ought to be brought up without
learning some business at which he coulc
earn livelihood, so no girl ought to bt
brought up without learning the science o.
self support. The difficulty is that many {
family goes sailing on the high tides OF sue
cess and the husband and father depends or
his own health and acumen for the welfare
Of his household. but one day he gets his fee
his life, and the daughters are turned out or
q cold world to earn bread, and there i
nothing practical that they can do. Th'
friends OF the family come III and hold con
sultation.
"Give music lessons" says an outsider
Yes, that is useful calling; and if you have
great genius for it go on in that direction
But there are enough music teachers nov
starving to death in all our towns and cite
to occupy all the piano stools and sofas ant
chairs and front doorstepS Of the city. BE
side that, the daughter has been playing onl,
for amusement and is only at the foot of the
ladder, to the top Of which a great multitude
Of masters on piano and harp and flute anc
organ have climbed.
'Put the bereft daughters as saleswomel
IN stores" says another adviser. But ther
they must compete with statesmen Of long eX
perience or with men who have served un up
premiership in commerce, and who began a
shop boys at 10 years Of age. Some kim
hearted dry goods man having known TN
father, now gone, says: "We are not in neet
of any more help just now, but send you
daughters to my store and will do as vel
by them as possible" Very soon the ques
tion comes up: Why do not the female em
ployes of that establishment get as mucl
wages as the male employesl For the simpl!
reason in many cases the females were sud
denly flung by misfortune behind tina
counter, while the males have from the day