Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-03-04
WOMANLY NOBILITY.
A SERMON TO YOUNG LADIES DELIVERED AT
FOURTH STREET CHURCH,
Last Evening, BY Rev. Geo. w. Gushing, DID, Pastor
Of the Church to a Large Oongregahon-A
Fine Discourse.

Fine Discourse.
Last evening. at the Fourth Street NJ. L.
Church, the pastor, Rev. George W. Cush-
ing. ID. preached the second Of his series
Of sermons to young people, this one being
to young women, on True WOmanly Nc
bfitv." Although the evening was very
dissueeable without, the church was well
f1e dgith q congregation ~ hich listened
with the closest interest to the reverend
gsntleman's discourse.
Dr. Cushing read the first chsPter OF the
Book Of Esther, and took for his text the
twelfth verse Of that chapter:
1.-THE Queen, yashti, refused to come at
the Kings commandment by his chamber
lains; therefore was the King very wrotb,
and his anger burned him.
Upon this womsnly refusal to display
her charms to the curious eyes Of her people
and thus degrade herself DR.. Cushing
based bis remarks. The name Vashti SIG
nifed a ''beauifal woman" snd really
bsautifnl woman, one who is noble and
pure * W n as beautiful, is certainly the
most beautiful and charming object upon
which human eyes have ever yet been per
mitted to look. aud ID is not AZ all strange
that a great king, whose queen was &C
knowledgly the most beautiful, should
take pleasure in displaying her charms to
his subjects and c0uriiers. Nor would II
| be strange 20 find q woman 80 surprisingly
/ beautiful ready TO display her beauty, II,
indeed. she did not seek the opportunity.
And vet modest woman, though even a
queen, might shrink from being exposed
to public gaze.
Was the queen justified in refusing
obedience There can be no question that
the Bible places thu man at the head OF
house. and not only sanctions the obedience
of the wife but actually tesches 1t. But
We sre never to- infer that the Bible would
spprovs that which is wrong, or demand a
wife or anybody else to comply with re-
ouireuent wrong in itself, or by virtue OF
ITS relations
Plutarch says that the kings Of the
Persians have their wlyei sit with them at
bspouet. bat that when they choose TO
not and drink they send their wives
away and call their couCubine5 and sing
ire pirls:and this statement uniolds the
truth. for it was when the heart OF the
kiog was merry with drink that re
offered this Cpen insult to the virtue Of
his wife, and she had courage to treat II as
such. This, like many another ahronts
offered pure women, is the result OF wine
drinking might say 1t 10 almost the
legitimate result Gifts free use.
But herewas q heathen woman, amid the !
luxury, the vanity snd the masculating IN
auences of court life without any very tx
allied We've Of life in general OF Of religion,
and vet az. ing up to the highest standard
of Chris. ian nobility, and leaving d char
scter set out by enc zingle act, wcich en-
balmed her name in the only lmperisha0le |
records of the world
Here was true w0manlY nobility and |
what constituted l.?
It was not rank, though Vashti had /
this But she gave mp her rank TO NAM |
tain her wouanly dignity. /. was not |
bea ty OF face and grace of person, though |
Vsshti hsd these. Many woman has |
Unsigned that symmetery of features, per
sonai beauty, was real womsnly dignity, |
and thar they would give her position and |
influence |
They are an invaluable possession and |
will enable a woman to get access to many |
a heart at once that, without them, would |
be forever closed But if she trusts to
them-if she has no other, no higher eie- |
ment of power-she viii find her charms |
will lose all power in the emergencies OF
life. and she viii be destitute Of both dig !
nifty and position. Many women who
have positively the most perfect beauty so
far as symmetry goes, are walking IN the
lowest strata of society. unloved, not re-
spected and without influence, except lt !
be upon the vilsst, and that torender their
ruin more complete Nothing is more pitt
able than 90 look upon those who might
WELD scspters in social life as they shrink
away into their vileness and degradation.
s snding there we deeply feel that per
sonal beauty has little to DO with resl
w0maniy nobility.
Aud vet how many a young woman IS
resting IN her charms, trusting to
these in al fortunes, spending life OF
listless idlsnees, while cherishing the hope
that she may somehow float into position
and find herself in possession Of real dig
nifty.
1t was not the beauty Of Yashti that
gave her sn impeIishable name. Can l
fix this thought 20 that no young lady Will
ever forget it2 Some Of you ere candI-
dates for temptation in this direction. II
Won are beauti ful, I beg Of you not to be
vain; for there is no more contemplate
thing than shalloW-minded woman, who,
though beautiful IN feature, is SO weak IN
sense, and so lacking in taste, that she Is
continually bidding for admiration. Nor
vet is it talent which constitutes this no
bility.
A woman with brilliant endowments
and developed powers, but destitute OF
poeition and virtue, is monstIOsity, rot
TO be paralleled The glazing light Of
her talent only frescOss out, IN lines OF
more positiye contrast, the hideOus de-
fcrmihes of her unmeasurable degrade
tion.
while. then. talent shall be duly es-
teemed. and culture shall be sought with
tireless feet. let this thought be branded
into your heart, that neither social posi-
ton nor personal charms, that neither
natural endowments nor the broadcast cul-
ture. can ever constitute OF take the
place of true womanly nobility.
But again the question recurs TO US,
what constitutes this nobilit'?
The first thing We mention is, purity, |
underlying SIT. and running through all |
Purity Of desire, purity Of purpose, and
purity of thought No matter what else a
woman msy have, if she lack this she Is
destitute of true nobility.
Ii is often affirmed that there is less toll
GRAFTON in society for the faults Of women
than for those of men, and thst society Is
much more reluctant TO pardon these
faults In womsn than in man; and there is
no doubt but that this ia true, and l am
not so sure that this is not right At any
rate this inference is forced upon us: that
society does lock for and demand a more
absolute purity in woman than ia man.
There are men la every community who
are treated with respect though known 10
bs guilty of wrongs which would damn q
Z. l., &. all