The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1894-12-08
THE COMING WOMAN,
(BY ELLA BERRY,

10! she is coming up the highway of the sse.
A beautiful companion for philosopher and sage;
Her garments full of healing. her heart OF hes
venly grace.
And love surprsssing splendor shining OF herd
face.
90 yes. che is coming. sweet mother OF race
That shall love to do her honor and crown her
in her place.
In councils of the nation. and the hottest OF
homes,
Shall be heard the voice of woman when the
coming woman Gomez"
Mankind may not look for miracu-
lous millennium, one ushered In with
the pOmp Of omnipotence and APPALLING
phenomena. The same sun shall still
shine on through countless centuries,
and the eternal order Of the universe
continue undisturbed.
The means that have raised the race
from savageism to civilizatiOn have been
simple and natural. And all along the
ages Of ignorance. ignOminy and misery
the advancement of man has been mar
velous. The same means are always me-
liorating his condition, and moving him
onward and upward with mechanic
might.
II is only when we turn back to the
dark picture Of the past. its brutal bar
barism, its bloody bigotries. its damning
despotism, that we can comprehend the
vast advances that have been made. II
30 much has been already accomplished
and by 80 meager means, what may we
expect from gensra atoms growing into
general liberty and enlightenment The
progress of the past is prohetic Of q fu-
ture for this planet far grander than
poet or seer ever conceived.
The pivot Of all progress, the founda-
ton Of all reform, IL health. The. weak.
ly woman, the indicated man. cannot
contribute to the welfare Of the race. A
sick person can do nothing we'll. And
humanity Is sick, its blood tainted with
the transmitted disease Of thousand
generations.
Woman Is the mother and the mOlder
of mankind. She Is the director OF hut
man destiny. Her manifest mission "a
bless and brighten our earth. and make
1t q better and more beautiful abode
She has always been the angelic agent
Of any advancement In this world.
It MAS respect for woman that gave
rise to chivalry and the outcome Of chi
valry was civilization.
The softening and refining influence
Of woman was felt In some sections Of
Europe, and those countries that vouch'
safed to her sex its sweet supremacy be-
came the ruling powers of the world.
Civilization has gone forward or back
ward in exact accordance to the coDdi'
ton Of woman. Az far a. her influences
has been felt and favorablv exerted
there has been great progress. Where
ever she has been kept in, slavery and
ignorance all progress has been arrest
I'd. or the race has relapsed into merits
and barbaric night.
As woman is first In all progress, 4
follows that she In to be redeemed, and
then to be the redeemer Of the race
Were the women Of the whole worl(
what they should be In wisdom, woman
" worth and health. the work Of hu
man redemption would no longer be de
layed.
The first condition of q full develop
ment Of woman Is health. For genera
tions she has been the victim Of th
vices Of man, his drudge, or. at best, th
the plathing Of his passions. Her con
dition has been ignorance, neglect an
abuse. until united for her duty Is r.
producer Of the race.
Nature intended woman to be besuti
full, healthy and happy. But her multi
piled miseries have prevented her fror
properly performing her maternal mil
sion, impaired her physical function
and poisoned the sources Of new life.
The mothers Of one generation mol
the men and women Of the next.
sick mother cannot produce health
; defendants. She is simply q transmit
ter Of sickness to posterity. And Ii
majority Of mankind are born sick. s
the chief causes Of sickness are contiI
ued and the tide Of human in6rmit
flows onward forever.