The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1893-09-21
THE PRODIGAL DAUGHTER.

| WARM "CitOtilC HOL1S tieIoldSu Il
young convict upon his release from
prison a few days ago. He had been
| convicted of ielonious assault upon
young woman and fully deserved the
five years Imprisonment to which he
had been subjected, and the lionizing
he received upon his return home was
in itself little short Of crime. His
father welcomed him with open arms
and the village band turned out and
serenaded him.
Exhibitions of this sort are not, of
course, without precedent. From our
first recolcctions we have always heard
a great deal of talk about the return Of
the prodigal son. We have heard
that touching and instructive parable
read many times in churches, and
heard many eloquent sermons preached
from the same, yet we cannot remember
of single instance, either in sacred or
profane history, where hurrah was
made over the return of the prodlgal
daughter.
Many girls have wandered away
from home, fallen into dissolute habits,
and occasionally have become SO
penitent and heartsick they have
| braved a fathers wrath and the
reproach and scorn of their female
acquaintance, and sick and tired of
| life have returned to the home of their
youth and innocence to die. We have
never heard, however, where her father
saw her afar off and ran to meet her,
ordered the finest apparel brought
forth, the fatted calf killed, ard the
neighbors invited to rejoice over her
return.
On the contrary, in the cases we
ever heard of the prodigal daughter is
either repulsed outright or quietly
slipped in the back way and the
matter kept as quiet as possible.
Instead of making it an occasion of
public rejoicing, the prodgal daughter
was made to take back seat. Her
female acquaintance who met the
prodigal son with hearty hand shake
and wreath of smiles upon his return,
seem afraid to come near her, and
generally gather their dress skirts as
she passes by.
Why this distinction? We find no
particular fault with the grand and in
structive parable, but the same
principle should apply to women.
While laborlng day after day to
reclaim fallen men we should not
neglect to give erring women chance
to reform. While we make a hero of
the reformed man, we should at least
extend the hand of friendship to the
reformed women, and once more give
them a right 10 earn respectable
living, free from the reproach and
contempt of society.
Public sentiment should be educated
10 regard woman's crimes the same
as it regards those Of men. Society
should be impressed with the fact that
ho,h are equally guilty and one
entitled to forgiveness and reinstate-
ment in society as we'll as the other.
The above, which is taken from the
Germantown (Pa.) independent, con-
tains food for thought. We have
olten remarked upon the strange
inconsistency with which the world
(society) deals with men and women
equally guilty of certain sins and
discretions. Let the faint of suspicion
rest upon woman's name, let the
tongue of scandal busy itself about her
and see the result. But not so with
man. Though he may be the author
of her ruin, open in his conduct,
VIGOROUSLY dissolute and stepped in
sin, yet he is not Stunned and ostracised
as is woman. He may reform or he
may not, but the world gives him a
chance. This brings to mind some
comments along the same line we
found in an old copy of the Wadesboro
Messenger and Mte!Isenfer some
months ago. DR.. ]. P. McFerrin, oil
Chattanooga, Tenn, preached ser
mon in behalf OF fallen women. He
based his remarks on the words oil
Christ as recorded by St. John, when
the Savior said "He that is withou,
sin among you let him cast the first
stone at her. Among other things
the preacher is quoted as saying this
| If the doctors of Chattanooga were
, forced to make public the secrets Of
, society many fair reputation would
be blasted and many high-headed
: sanctimonious church member would
sink to the depths of iniquity, where
he ought to have been twenty years
: ago. In a world of sinners let us no,
talk SO much about social ostracism
If we are going to hew to the line, let u:
be just and treat alike all that are
l ! guilty. If woman deserves the punish
: ment society visits upon her, then lei
. her partner in crime share her fate
, They are all in the same boat, but FOL
mercy's sake don't throw her over
board to be drowned by social shark:
! and row him safe to shore. Let hin
/ go with her, meet the same doom here
: and sink to the lowest depths of he'll
, hereafter.
. Commenting on the above cores
pendent of the Messenger and Intel
hgenfe, SO we'll expresses our senti.
: ments that we adopt the article as
whole. He says:
DR.. McFerrin is right, and we art
glad to see the ministry speak 81
boldly. When the Almighty formed
t His laws he held both equally guilty