South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1892-07-08
COMMUNICATIVE.

4 ~~@s~H A. ~SAit6CnC<f VI 81 0uc ~ Iu
there IL u communication over the
signature Of "Pro Patsia" in regard
to the recent meeting Of the Wo.
mans Christian Temperance Union
In this place. In it, the writer as.
cribes the failure to have q large
atten lance to hear the second lee
ture Of Rev. Anna Shaw, to the
threatening weather or to IAN IN
SANE PREJUDICE" Further on af.
ter expressing the hope that the To-
cal Union will be stronger in the
future, it is said "Thcre is No cx-
cuse for the apathy manifested by
the so CALLED christia women OF
our town." Italics mine. ESQ
called" not TRULY christian vo-
men-not ENTITLED to the name--
but only $50 called This TO-
Election upon the christian charac-
ter Of many OF the christian won
OF our town seems to reno O.. il
proper that some statement of the
views Of those who do not approve
OF some Of the methods of this as
sociation should be made.
Permit me therefore to express
tho opinion that the opposition to
these methods is not owing to Gin
sane prejudice, "but is based on the
highest wisdom.
The w. g. II. Union here is 1
understand. o branch Of the Ma
tIonal w. Q. Il. u. of which Miss
Frances i. Willard is the Presi-
dent This National Association,
az is we'll known, has for its OF jcct,
not merely the promotion Of tenn
perance but also OF Woman's suf-
frage. The Rev. Anna Shaw in
the lecture referred to, and who
was here under the auspices of the
Romncy Union, did, rs Rev. ID. l..
Reid has stated in An article pub
lishcd in the "IIampshire Review"
advocate this political measure
A measure which 1, and many 9TH
ers Of our citizens, believe Is fraught
with the greatest danger to our free
institutions, and full Of untold evils
to tho women of our land. Mr..
Reid further states that she spoke
slightingly Of the teaching Of the
apostle Paul. This she was logi-
cally bound to do. For it is only
by misunderstanding or disregard
ing his teachings that the preach
ing Of women can be approved. st.
Paul in 1st Corinthians 4th chap,
verse 81, says: ''Let your wo-
men keep silence in the churches !;
for it is not permitted unto them to
speak"-and in verse 35. "for it is
a shame for women to speak in the
church," And in the 1st Epistle
to Timothy he teaches to the same
effect.
am aware of the ingenious argu-
ments by which some very good
people hava persuad d them SEW es
that the Bible docs not forbid wo-
men to preach, and that good will
be done by their preaching. But
those arguments can be, and have
been successfully answered. Miss
Willard in an article before mo takes
the ground that st. Paul does not
speak by authority Of Christ, and
that what he says was not intended
for the good women OF the present
day, bat only for the heather and
idolatrous women Of Corinth. With
equal propriety may this be said Of
the other parts OF the epistlc. Sho
& 'es further. and, as | understand
her, rejects from tho Scripture all
those passages which teach the sub
ordination of women to men. And
in this she is only consistont-for il
you reject one, on what ground can
the others be retained I?
| consider tho introduction into
our community Of such views of
scripture, and OF measures which
can only be sustained 10y them. as q
great calamity. 1t is dangerous to
tamper with the word Of God. It
cannot DO taught that part may be
rejected and disrogarded without
undermining confidence in the
whole. Whom our young people
read their Bibles, and find it there
stated "Let the women keep ST.
lence in the church, for it 10 o sHAMR
for them to speak in tho church :"
and they arc told this is only Paul
speaking and that it is now obso-
lete, it will not 10 long until thoy
learn to reject other passages that
impose restraints upon their pas
sions and will. And this, | be-
lieve, has been found to be the case
in those parts OF our country where
these views have long been taught.
do not question that those of our
ladies who have taken part in the
w. q. Il. u. arc really and truly
christian women, and not merely
"so-callod, ;" nor do question their
purity OF motive, nor their sinceri-
ty, but l think they arc making a
great mistake. A plain precept Of
Scripture cannot be violated with
out producing evil. The good
which may seem to result will be
but small, while tho evil will be
great and far reaching.
have for nearly fifty years been
a friend and advocate OF temper
ance and l have lived TO SEQ a great
advance in tho cause both in this
county and in tho othor counties
OF this iudioial circuit