The herald., 1895-03-31

in bondage to the caprices and tyrannies
of Adam.
Although Adams curse is not so heavy
and far reaching, it seems rather severe
to turn him out of Paradise wholly un-
prepared for the struggle of life, to
cultivate the boundless country outside
and to forage for his own livelihood,
having planted in his way such a variety
of prolific weeds that most of his toll
would of necessity be to little purpose.
After quoting some of the most remark
able weeds from Halc's vegetable statis-
tics, showing their rapid and widespread
growth and their respective power OF
propagation, "a progeny" he says,
more than sufficient in few years to
stock every planet in the solar system, !"
he coolly remarks in closing 'Such pro-
vision has the just God made to fulfill the
curse which he pronounced on the earth
because of its Inhabitants.
Surely it is neither wise nor just to
entail such suffering on man and woman
for all time. 1t seems more rational to
believe that these curses were but the
ligments of mans brain, and that by
the observance of natural laws the
period of maternity will be made one
of added power and vigor, alike to body
and mind. We find already that with
new knowledge of the laws of science,
these ills are immeasurably decreased,
and under the influence of anaesthetlcs
are essentially mltigated, and in many
cases almost unknown. And man 5
labor, instead of being viewed as curse,
with all the modern appliances and new
Inventions in machinery, is fast coming
to be recreation and amusement. The
farmer now sits at ease on his plow,
while the steel turns up the burrows at
his will; with his machinery he sOws and
reaps his fields, keeps his great manufac
tories in motion. and travels by sea and
land around the globe.
The time is at hand when the work of
the world will be shifted from the shoul-
ders of humanity to these tireless ma
chimes, and man will at last walk upright,
freed from the heavy burdens that have
so long crippled the race.
AS Adam 5 curse has been partially re-
moved with knowledge and observation
of law, so woman's may be when she lives
in harmony with the laws of her being.
Maternity having made woman the
great factor in civilization. it should be
regarded as a blessing rather than as a
curse.
GENESIS ".
1. And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she
conceived and bare Cain, and said have got
ten II man from the Lord.
2. And she again bare his brother Abel.
And Abel was keeper OF sheep, but Cain was
a tiller OF the ground.
IL And Cain knew his wife; and she con-
a1rd called the city, after the name of his son,
Enoch.
INTERPRETATIONS.
In the fourth chapter of Genesis the
first two verses and those relating to the
inevitable question of Gains wife have
been treated.
1t is usually assumed that in Ewes ex-
clamation, 81 have begotten man from
the Lord" Eve saw in the birth of Cain
h ha nf
pent and bruise the seed OF the serpent
under his heel.
Scott S commentary objects to this on
the score that it was too refined reason
ing to enter the head OF the woman at
that stage. =
1. This is the book of the generations OF
Adam In the dry that God created man, in
the likeness OF God made he him.
2. Male and female created he them; ana
blessed them, and called their name Adam, In
the day when they were created.
INTERPRETATIONS.
In this chapter V. the first account of
creation is given again Always when
two witnesses testify to one thing and
only one to a totally opposite we accept
that which has the greatest weight OF
authority. Yet the church emphasizes
the version that is degrading to woman.
Here we have the first account OF the
Qudl crpdUlOn Vi man NeIlHeu Mail anu
woman a simultaneous creation alike in
the image of God.
Why did the editor of these books give
us such contradictory reports in the
different chapters? In the first he de-
clares the dual relation in the Godhead
and humanity. In the second, third and
fourth he makes woman an afterthought,
and here in the fifth he re-asserts the
first account. In this book of the genera
tions of Adam we have a prolix state
ment of the begettings of the sons OF
Adam and their respective ages at the
time of these events. Though the daugh-
ters are mentioned, yet the sons as a
superior class stand flrst.
THE REVISION COMMITTEE
1t is interesting to know something oi
the women who have labored patiently
and conscientiously as members of the
revision committee. The venerable leader
of this committee is Mrs. Elizabeth Cady
Stanton, of New York, who is now eighty
wears of age. With Mrs. Stanton have
been associated Miss Frances Willard and
Lady Somerset, Mrs Mary Livermore,
Rev. Olympia Brown, Rev. Phoebe Hama
ford, Sarah A. Underwood, Francis Ellen
turr. Helen Gardner and Miss Francis
Lord of London.
Perhaps the clearest narrative OF the
work and aims of the revisonists is best
told i'll the words of Mrs. Elizabeth Cady
Stanton. To "a World reporter who had a
long talk with her at her home in this
city Mrs. Stanton said:
Yes, ! will cheerfully tell you what
ever | can as to the method of work on
the Woman's Bible and its inception.
Where did the idea originate?' Years
ago in my own head. | have always
been a careful student OF the Bible since
| went into woman s work and found
that the worst foe we had was the mis-
translation of the Bible, which took
away the sef-respect of woman and
made her a slave to man.
''As the years went by | saw clearly
that this must be combated. The i'm
portance grew upon me. My co-workers
could not be brought to see it in the
same degree OF importance as | did. We
were busy trying to gain a footing. We
temporized to win following. That is
the way it has been continually. Women
are polite by nature. They prefer to
temporiZe, ana SO that course was fol-
lowed. But we knew that many mis-
translations in the Bible did us injury.
| believed that we should claim equality
in the church as in the state and that one
must necessarily entail the other. ! said
that women must get together and revise
the Bible as far as their position was con-
cerned in it,
Men have never touched questions
concerning women. With all the learned
professors and scholastics who have been
engaged in revising the Bible none has
touched women. They have argued over
,,,n, and tho ipnpir,atn bnt tbov baVn