Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-06-13
The Real s,a'u, Of Women in Islam.

lNiHeitrbh CgiurB1
What GiI Christianity 10 to improve
the condition of womcn2 II may be-, as
II Is said, that J,,us mixed familiarity
with women, 9nd discuur5el 20 them
about His teachings. But Of Christian
ity 10 its relation 20 WOmAukinl the
loss said the better. In the curly
ages, when the religion OF the people,
high aud low, the ignorant and edu.
Gated, consisted only of the alteration OF
the mother 4 Jesus, the Church Of
Christ had placed tho sex under n ban.
The "EAthers u the Church" wrote
upon the ouotmitius Of women, their
evil tendcucir1, their incOncoiyable
malignity; and fsrlullian, that holy
saint, described them ~ Hthe devllis
gateway, the uuuoaloT Of the forbidden
tree, the dcsnrteT OF the divine law,
tho destroy ef Of Gods image -
And st. ChrysOst0m Pronounced yo.
men to be Unnecessary OWL" nntur-
al temptation, desirable calamity,
domestic peril, deadly fascina.
ton, painted ill.," The orthodox
Church excluded women from the
cxercise Of all but the lowest religious
functions. They wero excluded hbs1.
luicly from society, they were pros
hibitrd from appearing In public, from
going TO fuasls or bnnquets. They
were direct ted 10 remain la secluslou, TO
observe silence, 80 obey their husband.
aud 10 apply themselves 10 weaving,
spinning aud cooking. II they ever
went out they were 10 1e clothed from
hcaa to foot. Such was the position OF
women la Chrlstian,.y when MRrlalp.
try was recognized aud prartlced by
all ClaSsue, In later timca and la the
interval which elapsed between the
overthrow Of the Western Empire aud
the rise Of modern society IN Europe, n
period which mas BEEN described az one
u "raDiue, ialsehOci, tyranny, last and
Violence" Chfislianity, by introduc.
ing converts aud nunnefles, In soma
respects improved the lot Of women.
Hut the converts were not always the
hauuts Of virtue nor the incubation of
celibicy, the surest safeguard OF chast.
ity. The RCgislrum HiHtaiioHun1, or tho
diary OF the pastoral vieitsOfA rclhi-hop
Rigaud, throws peculiar light upon
the state Of morality aud the position
NJ the sex during the most gl0rious
epoch Of the age OF faith. The rise of
pTOtestantisu made NJ difference ia
the status Of women. Jesus had treated
woman with humanity; his followers
excluded her from Justice. The age Of
chivaly l. generally supposed In ok.
tend from the beginning Of tho eighth
10 tue close VI the fourteenth century,
period, be- II noted, almost synchron.
Gus with the Saraccnic domination In
5psin, Daring this period, In spite OF
the halo which poetry and romance
have cast around the conditions Of
society, women were the frequent sub.
jeut- Of violence. Force anu fraud
were the distinguishing characterisi Ice
NJ the golden age Of Christian chivalry,
p0lygamy wa, pricticed by all classes;
mprgauat'u aud lrtt.lmndud marriages.
were not coniined 10 tho ari.tOcrncy,
Even the clergy frequently forgetting
their VOWS NJ culihacy, contracted
moro than one legal or Illegal
union. History proves cOuclusively
thRt, until very recent times,
pllygamy WAS no, cnusidetei 70
reptehcnpihira ~ u Is now. che Ger
man rol1rmgr-, NJ Hallsm points out,
even sp late m the piXtpcuih century,
admitted tho validity OF % -0coui or Z.
third muGlage VuutcmporlneOusl
with tho fret, IN default oi issue anu
other similar causes. ChUrlumlgne, ns
T. well knDWui MAI several wives. Uu-
DER Justinlan, The champion VI 0rtho.
doNy, tho streets Of Cuustauiiuopln
were the scenes Of the grossest aud
most revolving Uutrages. In the streets
Of leXRnirla, a woman, whose only
crimes were her beauty aud her learn.
ing, was torn 10 pieces by the follow.
ing vi q Christian saint. Had 81.
Cyril wilton book on women he
would probably have agreed with the
Hindo legislator, Manu-, who declared
that q wife guilty OF di4obeileHce to
her husband should be torn to pieces 10y
Wild dogs where tbs four higbwayB
meet Ia mel'pvll times, women
were outraged, carried into captivity,
thrown into dungeons, scuurged by the
foulai Cnieis VI devOutly Christian
Europe. They were burnt, they were
drowned, MOhammed appeared Mt
this epoch, II was not his bus.