Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1891-04-24

death after
him, the Lord God Almighty after him
The poorest peasant in al the empire mar.
ried TO the piainest Jewess YVES happier than
the King in his marital Iliscehavior. How
did Solomon get along With polygamy,
Read his warnings in PROVERBS: read mis- self
disgust in Ecciesiastes. He throws up hi
hands in loathing and cries out, vanity os
vanities. all IL vanity" His seven hundred
wives nearly pestered the life out of him,
Solomon got well paid for his crimes-weu
paid.
I repeat that all the mighty men OF the
Scriptures were aloof from polyganv, save
as they were pounded and failed and cut To
pieces for their insult to holy marriage. II
the Bible is the friend Of polygamy why IS i.
that in ali the lands where the Bible pre-
dominates polygamy is forbidden, and in the
lands where there is no Bible it is favored.
Polygamy all over China, all over India all
over Africa, all over Persia. all over heather.
dom, save the missionaries have done
their work, while polygamy does not exist il
England and the United States, except in de
fance of law. The Bible abroad, God hon
ored monogamy. The Bible not abroad
God abhorred polygamy.
Another false charge which infidelity has
made against the Bible Is that it is antago-
nistic to woman, that it enjoins her degrade
ton and bellttieS her mission. Under this
impression many women have been over
come of this plague of infidelity. Is the
Bible the enemy OF woman? Come into the
picture gallery, the Louvre the Luxembourg
OF the Bible, aud see which pictures are the
more honored. Here is Eve, perfect
woman; as perfect a woman as could be
made by a perfect God. Here is Deborah
with her womanlv arm hurting host into
battle. Here is Miriam leading the Israel
1tlsh orchestra on the banks of the
Red Sea. Here is motherlY Hannah,
with he- own loving hand replenishing the
wardrobe of her son Samuel. the prophet
Here is Abigail, kneeling at the foot of the
mountain until the four hundred wrathful
men, at the sight of her beauty and proves
halt halt-a hurricane stopped at the sight
of water lily, a.dew drop dashing back Nj
agara. Here is Ruth putting to shame all
modern slang about mothers-in-law as she
turns her back on her home and her country,
and faces wild beasts and exile, and death
that she may be with Naomi, her husbands
mother. Ruth, the queen of the harvest
fields. Ruth, the grandmother of David.
Ruth, the ancestress Of Jesus Christ. The
story Of her virtues and her life sacrifice is
the most beautiful pastoral ever written.
Here is Vashti defying the bacchanal of a
thousand drunken lords, and Esther will
ing to throw her life away that she may
deliver her people. And here is Dorcas. the
sunlight of eternal fame gliding her philan-
thropic needle, and the woman with perfume
in box made from the hills of Alabastron,
pouring the holy chrism on the head of Christ.
the aroma lingering ali down the corridor of
the centuries. Here is Lydia, the merchan-
tess Of Tyrian purple immortaliZed for her
Christian behavior. Here is the widow with
two mites, more famous than the Peabodys
and the Lenoxes of all the ages. while here
comes in slow of gait and with careful atten-
dants and with especial honor and high favor,
leaning on the arm Of inspiration, one who
is the Joy and pride Of any home so rarely
fortunate as to have one, an old Christian
grandmother. Grandmother Lois. Who has
more worshipers to-day than any being
that ever lived on earth except Jesus Christ?
Mary. For what purpose did Christ perform
His first miracle upon earth? To relieve the
embarrassment Of womanly housekeeper
az the falling short of a beverage. Why
did Christ break up the silence of the tomb,
and tear off the shroud, and rip up the rockse
It was to stop the bereavement OF the two
Bethany sisters. For whose comfort was
Christ most anxious in the hour of dying
excruciation? For a woman, an old woman,
q wrinkle faced woman, woman who in
other days had held Him in her arms, His
first friend. His last friend, as it is very apt
to be, His mother. All the pathos Of the ages
compressed into one utterance, behold thy
mother" Does the Bible antagonize
woman?
If the Bible is so antagonistic to woman,
how do you account for the difference in
woman's condition in China and Central
Africa, and her condition in England and
America? There is no difference except that
which the Bible makes. In lands where there
is no Bible she is hitched like beast of bur.
den to the plows, she carries the bod, she SUBJ
mits to indescribable indignities. She must
be kept in private apartment, and if she
come forth she must be carefully hooded and
religiously yelled as though it were shame
to be woman. Do you not know that the
very first thing the Bible does when it comes
into a new country is to strike off the shackles
of woman's serfdom? 0 woman, where are
your chains to-day? Hold up both your arms
and let us see your handouts. Oh, we gee
the handouts. They are bracelets of gold
bestowed by husbandly or fatherly or
brotherly or sisterly or lovely affection. Un-
loosen the warm robe from your neck, 0
woman, and let us see the yoke of your bond
age. Oh, l find the yoke carcenet of silver,
pearls, that must gall you very much. How
bad you must all have it,
Since you put the Bible on your stand in
the sitting room, has the Bible been to you,
woman, curse OF blessing? Why is it
that woman when she is troubled will go
to her worst enemy, the Bible? Why do
you not go for comfort to some of the
great infdel books. Spinozas Ethics"
or Humes Natural History of Religion,
or Paine's age of Reason or any one of
the $50 volumes of Voltaire? No, the silly
deluded woman persists in hanging about
our Bible verses, LET not your heart be
troubled" ''All things work together for
good" ''Weeping may endure for night"
II am the resurrection" peace, be still" D.
Furthermore, rather than invite | resist
this plague OF intidelity because it has
is always a hindrance. l ask You to mention
the name of the merciful and the education
al institutions which infidelity founded and
is supporting, and has supported ali the way
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. pronounced against
God and the Christian religion and yet pro-