The San Francisco call., 1895-11-24
What Local Leaders of Thought
Think About Its Start
ling Trend.
TRUTH HAS NO SEX" THEY SAY
Opinions of Archbishop Riordan, Rabbi
Voorsanger. DR.. Ollie and Promi.
nent Women.

Some five or six years ago Elizabeth
Cady Stanton announced her Intention of
retranslating and interpreting the first five
books of the Bible from woman's stand
point. The first volume of this work, the
"Woman's Bible" has at last made its ap-
pearance and bids fair to attract much at
tention. The volume contains commen-
taries on, and selections from, the books re-
ferred to, and the author says in her pre-
face that it is her object to revise only such
books of the Scriptures as refer to woman,
or exclude her altogether. When it is
known that all such passages ombined
would only form about one-tenth of the
entire volume, the amount of work in
yolved will not seem so great. Associated
with Mrs. Stanton in the work are about
thirty other ladies, who, according to their
various statements, will devote their at
tention to the different branches of the
work, such as disputed translations, texts,
Biblical history, old manuscripts, latest
versions, etc.
The work is not, as has been enormously
stated, a new Bible, only revision of
comparatively small part of it. having as
its object, of course, the elimination of
what the authors conceive TO be the in
justice to their sex, and much that is said
u, u,
presented to children. This, it is be-
lieved, is aimed principally at the rabbin-
ical teachings of the old Jewish Bible.
Owing to the nature of the work it is
essentially q woman's book, hence its
name.
There is much in Mrs. Stanton's intro
ductlon that may come as rather startling
news to many OF her readers. One passage
of that nature may be quoted as follows:
sin and death into the world; that she
precIpitated the fall of the race; that she
was arraigned before the Judgment seat of
heaven-tried, condemned and sentenced.
Marriage for her was to be a condition of
bondage; maternity period of suffering
ana anguish; and in silence and subjec-
tion she was to play the role of depend
ant on mans bounty for all her material
wants; and for all the information she
might desire on the vital questions of the
hour she was commanded to ask her hus-
band at home"
There may not be anything seditious in
the matter quoted so far, but read the next
paragraph and judge of how the large
number of orthodox church members,
both men and women, will receive it:
"The only points in which / differ from
all eecles iastical teaching is that do not
believe that any man ever saw or talked
with God; do not believe that God in
spired the Mosaic co0e. or told the his
torians what they say he did about wo-
man, for all the religions on the face of
the earth degrade her, and so long as wo.
man accepts the position that they
| assign her, her emancipation isimpossible. is
Whatever the Bible may be made to do in
Hebrew or Greek, in plain English it does
not exalt or dignity woman. My stand
point for criticism Is the revised edition of
1889. will so honor the revising COM
mittee of nine men who have given us
the best exegesis they can, according to
their ability, although Dfsraeli said this
last one contained 10000 blnnders in the
Hebrew, and 1000 III the Greek.
The Bible cannot be accepted or re-
jected as whole. Its teachings are varied
and its lessons differ widely from each
other. In criticiZing the peccadillos of
Sarah, Rebekah and Rachel we would not
shadow the virtues of Deborah, Huldah
and Vashti. In criticizing the Mosaic code
we should not question the wisdom of the
golden rule and the fifth commandment
Again the church claims special consecra-
ton for its cathedrals and priesthood
Parts OF these aristocratic churches are
100 holy for women to enter boys are
early introduced into the choirs for this
reason, women singing in an obscure cor
ner, closely veiled. A few OF the more
democratic denominations accord women
some privileges, but invidious discrimna-
tions of sex are found in all religious or
ganizations, and the most bitter, outspoken
enemies of women are found among the
clergymen and bishops of the Protestant
religion"
Mrs. Stanton is too just not to say any,
thing IN favor ofthe other side of the ques-
ton, and makes the admission that even
as regards women the books under criti-
cism are not wholly bad. Under this head
she says:
There are some general principles in the
holy books OF all religions that teach love,
charity, liberty. justice and equality for all
the human family; there are many grand
and beautiful passages; the golden rule has
been echoed around the world There are
lofty examp Piles of good and true women
and men, all worthy our acceptance and
example, whose luster cannot be dimmed
by the false sentiments of vicious char
acters bound UP in the same volume
Those of the East who have spoken on
the value of the ''Woman's Bible are
unanimous in their expression of disap-
proval. The disapproval the book seems
destined to meet everywhere is principally
based on the belief OF those most promi-
nent in church affairs that no revision of
the Bible, or any part OF it, is needed. Lo-
cally the criticisms and opinions are Just
as adverse as elsewhere.
Archbishop Riordan says:
The "Womans Bible'' is absurd; preposter-
ous. There is no such thing us n "Womsn's
Bible" There is but one Bible, and that is for
all mankind, which, OF course, includes all
womankind as well.
AS for the new translations Of certain chap
ters by Mrs. Stanton and her thirty lady associ-
ates, that is equally absurd Is there an intel
ligent person living who believes that the
Bible has passed down through all these ages;
been translated by the wisest and best men of
all nations; continually pored over by the
greatest scholars in the Greek and Hebrew
languages, to be at last found wanting or de-
ticient in any way by Mrs. Stanton in this
nineteenth century?
Who are these women who constitute them
selves q competent committee to translate the
Bible? Have any of them ever been heard of
as great scholars, even students of the
Bible? Have they devoted lifetime to the
study of the languages in which the original
Bible was composed? And If so, why is it that
their names have never appeared beside those
of the men who have made a life study of the
Scriptures-men who belonged to no church,
believed in no creed-who were students only,
and translated the books without prejudice,
word tor word, rs they found them.
AS to the 10000 blunders in Hebrew and
1000 in Greek. claimed to have been made in
the revised edition of 1889, can only say that
no two men clothe their thoughts in exactly
the same language, though the subject under
discussion may be identical. SO 1T is with the
Scriptures; no matter how many times trans