The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1891-04-15


get well punished fer it? Read the lives
Of those two men, and you will come TO
the conclusion that IL the attributes Of
Gods nature were against their be-
ha7ior. David suffered for his crimes
in the caverns Of Adullam and Massada,
III the wilderness of Mahanaim, in the
bereavemeuts of Ziklag. The Bedouins
after him, sickness after him, Absalom
after him, Ahithopel after him, Adon-
| iiah after him, the Edomites after him,
the Syrians after him, the Moabltes after
him, death after him, the Lord God AL
mighty after him. The poorest peasant
in all the empire married to the plalnest
Jewess was happier than the king in his
marital misbehavlor. How did Solomon
get along with polygamy? Read his
warnings, in Proverbs, read his selt-dls-
gust in Ecclesiastes. He throws up his
hands in loathing, and cries out: CYAN
iJy of yanities, all is vanity" His seven
hundred wives nearly :pestered the life
out Of him. Solomon got well paid for
his crimes-well paid. 1 repeat that all
the mighty men Of the Scriptures were
aloof from polygamy, save as they were
pounded and failed, and cut to pieces
for their insult TO holy marriage. If the
Bible is the friend of polygamy why is it
that in all the lands where the Bible
predomluates, 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 heathendom, save as
the missionaries have done their work,
while polygamy does not exist in Eng
land and the United States. except in
defiance oflaw. The Bible abroad, God
honored monogamy. The Bible not
abroad, God abhorred polygamy.
Another false charge which infdelity
has made against the Bible is that it is
| antagonistic to woman, that It enloins
her degradation and belittles her mis-
| sion. Under this impression many wo-
men have been overcome OF this plague
of infdeitty. Is the Bible the enemy Of
woman? Come into the picture gallery,
the Louvre, the Luxembourg of the BIZ
| ule, and see which pictures are the more
honored. Here is Eve, a perfect woman,
as perfect woman as could be made by
perfect God. Here IS Deborah, with
her womanly arm hurling host into the
battle. Here is Miriam, leading the
Israelitish orchestra on the banks Of the
| Red Sea. Here is motherly Hannah,
| with her own loving hand replenishlng
the wardrobe Of her son Samuel, the
! nronhet. Here is Abigail, kueeling at
the loot of the mountain until the four
hundred wrathful men, at the sight OF
her beauty and prowess halt, halt-a
hurricane stopped at the sight OF the
| water lily, dewdrop dashlng back Mag
| ara. Here is Ruth, putting to shame all
modern slang about mothers-ln-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 Grand
mother Of David. Ruth. the ancestress
of Jesus Christ. The story Of her viz
tues and her life sacrifice the most beau
tiful pastoral ever written. Here is
Vashti defying the bacchaual ola thous-
and drunken lords, and Esther, willing to
throw her lite away that she may deliver
her people. And here is Dorcas, the
sunlight of eternal fame giloing her phil
anthropic needle, and the woman with
| perfume in box, made from the hills or
Alabastron, pouring the holy chrism on
the head Of Christ, the aroma lingering
all down the corridor Of the centuries.
Here is Lydia, the merchantess ofTyrlan
purple. immortalized for her Christian
behavior. Here is the widow with two
ruites, more famous han the Peabodys
and the Leroxes ofall ages, while here
comes in slow Of gait and with careful
attendants and with especial honor and
high favor, leaning on tie arm OF lnsplr-
alton, 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
worshlppers to-day than ary being that
ever lived on earth, except Jes IS Christ?
Mary. For what purpose did Christ per-
form His first miracle rpon earth? TO
relieve the embarrassment of woman
ly housekeeper at the falling short of
beverage. Why did Christ break up the
silence of the tomb, and tear off the
shroud and rip up the rocks? 1t was to
stop the bereavement Of the two Beth
any sisters. For whose comfort was
Christ most anxious in the hour ofdying
excruclation? For a woman, an old wo-
man, a wrinkle-faced woman, a. woman
who in other days had held him IN her
arms, his first friend, his last friend, as
is 1t 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 wo-
man, how do you account for the differ
ence in woman's condition in China and
Central Africa, and her condition in
England and America? There is no diff
ference except that which the Bible
makes. In lands where there is no BIZ
BILE. she is hitched like beast Of bur-
| den to the ploughs, she carries the hod,
she submits to indescribable indgnities.
She must be kept in private apartment
and if she come forth she must be care
fully 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 new
country is to strike off the skackles of a
woman's serfdom? 0 woman, where
are your chains to-day? Hold up both
your arms and let US see your handouts;
they arc bracelets Of gold, bestowed by
| husbandiY, or fatherly. or bcotherly, or
sisterly, Or loverly affection. Unloosen
the warm robe from your neck. 0 wo-
man, and let US see the yoke Of your
bondage. Oh, I find the yoke carcenet
, of silver, or a string Of comedians, or a
cluster of pearls that must gall you very
much. How bad you must all have 1t.
Since you put the Bible on your stand
in the sitting room has the Bible been to
you, o woman, a curse or blessing?
NVhv 1s IT, that woman when she ls