The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1895-07-06

praises have never been sung beyond
the horizon in which they lived, who
yet started influences which will
reach on and on until their a break
the shores of eternity. Grey ex-
presses a beautiful thought in his
stanza which says:
Full many a gem of purest ray serene
The dark u~nfathomed caves Of ocean
bear
Full many a flower is born to blush
And was . its sweetness on the desert
air."
Yet this does not express the whole
truth in the purpose of him who touched
the earth with his finishing glory and
it good; nothing was
created In vain, and so the diamoad
hidden away in the cave Of ocean, or
the flower in the deep tangled forest,
unseen by msrtal eye, may give
pleasure to the eye of the Omnicient
One. and may perform a mission in ac-
cordance with the behests of their
maker. I prefer the sentiment expressed
by Oven Meredith: "No stream from
its source flows seaward, how lonely
soever its course, but what some land
is g~laddened; no star ever rose or set
without influence somewhere"
Who knows what earth needs from
earth's lowest creatures. No life can
be pure in its purpose and strong in
its strifes and all life not be purer and
stronger thereby.
Let us also notice the Christian
courage displayed by these women.
Not all the courage is confined to
the scenes of warfare. We often see il
displayed by weak and shrinking
women in the home, or in the hospital
amid NAL ara and contagion of disease,
or on the battle field caring for the
dead and dying. Oh, that l could
inspire you to say nc in the face of the
strongest temptation, when the step is
known to be wrong, and to say yes In
the face OF the most stubborn opposition
when the cause is known to be just.
We are SO prone to chime in with the
prevailing sentiment and to be led by
the prevailing fashion. We can often
overcome the material obstacles that
lie across our path, but it Is so hard to
brook the public sentiment, the sharp,
mental antagonism or the poisoned
arrows of criticism that may be hurled
against Us. But when all of these
combine to thwart the desired object.
when the very elements seem to CON-
bine with human opposition, and
bribery and the taunts of malice are
added to all these the bravest will
shrink and falter. Under such pressure
the tr~eacherous Judas sells his master
for thirty pieces of silver and betrays
him with . kiss. Under this pressure
the dauntless Peter denies him with an
oath. But not 70 with Mary Magdalene
and the other woman.
"Not she, with t~raitorous lip, the Master
stung;
Not she denied him with her tongue.
She, when apostles fed, had power to
Last Ct the cross and earliest at the
grave"
Let us get from this passage the
suggestion OF woman's true mission in
the world. l shall not detain you with
the discussion of woman's sphere or
woman's rights. We may mention,
however, that there are some features
of this great social problem which
cannot be overlooked. Assuming it to
be q fact, and I believe it is a fact, that
it is the highest mission of woman
to assume the duties and responsibility
of wife and mother, and preside over
and bless the home, yet the great
problem that confronts us Is how are
those to be employed who seem
destined to walk alone and to support
themselves, and many of them to sup
port dependent relatives. 1t Is estima-
ted that there are over three mill n
more Of women In this country than
men. Our conditions of society and
systems of education cannot ignore
these facts. More women are seeking
employment to-day than ever before in
the worlds history. What shall they
do, and with what shall they be
Employed For one I say let them
enter any employment consistent with
that modesty and womanly grace which
everywhere challenges admiration and
respect, and where she may be sur
rounded by the safeguards Of a Chris
tiAn character. l would say not the
public platform though she could speak
as an angel, and though she had the
eloquence Of Demosthenese, for the
public platform gives to her nature n
masculine element, and by il an
ambition d destructive Of that modest
grace which is the browning glory of
womanhood. Not the pulpit, because
that, as l believe, is enjoined by the
word of God. Let 1t not be the political
arena or the ballot box, because these
are concentrating and destructive to
those womanly charms which mel
most respect aud which God most
honols. but everywhere else where
abe may bring gladness aud cheer by
che sweet benediction Of her presence
AID by the gentle ministry of her
service and love.
! think one OF the most harmful
features Of our social problem to-day is
q kind of masculine tendency on the
part OF many Of our girls and young
women, not only in dress and occupa-
ton and q kind Of loudness of manner
and speech, but sometimes In the wish
That they had been created men.
Such expressions, with the general
drift of the age in which We live, would
indicate that there is q growing discon-
tent with the condition in which nature
has placed US, and that the eutopia to
be sought is an open field in which
woman may measure strength with
man in the great struggle for place and
distinction. Such sentiments, as l
believe, fail in the proper estimate and
true ideal of that exalted character of
the noble womanhood, which God
touched with his crownfng glory and
endowed with his divine beauty. Oh.
that ! might inspire these school girls
with the genuine worth of a noble,
~queenly, exalted womanhood, that
women would no longer hewsil her lot,
but that she might realize that there
were God-given powers in which she
could wicld q scepter stronger than
kings, and that there we're divinely
indicated fields of usefulness in which
the lines of her usefulness could reach
out even to the ends of the earth.
When you grow discontinued with
your lot it would be well to turn and
look at the picture of exalted woman :
hood, as portrayed by the greatest,
wisest and purest minds of all ages
Shakespeare has but few heroes, but
there is hardly a play in which there is
not q genuine heroine. His women are
reprasented as almost infalliblv faitbfuI