The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-11-24
THE "WOMAN'S BIBLE"
PART FIRST CAUSES A RELIGIOUS
AND SOCIAL SENSATION.
Story of the Creation Held Up to Rid
~icuIe-Moscs Denounced and the
Ten Commandments Criticised.
New York Special.

New York Special.
Religious and social circles are much
worked up over Part 1 of the Woman's BIZ
bic. which will be published next week.
An inspection of advance sheets OF this
work shows 1t to be little less than a hand
book of inidelity. 1t ridicules the biblical
story OF the creation, denies that God ever
talked directly with any man. strips the
patriarchS OF their haloS and ~denounces
Moses as a common 'fakir.' Indeed, Moses
could not have Jared worse in the book If
Colonel Ingersoll had written 1t. The style
is not so fippant as he would have used,
but il is none the less irreverent and bias
phemous As an example of the ieonoclastic
tendencies OF the new woman, ii is some
thing awful to contemplate. Mrs. Elizabeth
b. Granni- says the book will be a de-
cided detriment to the cause Of woman
suffrage. Mrs. Anna II. Shaw says Ii is
the brilliant effusion of prejudiced women.
DR.. Joseph II. Rylance says the very title
Of the book is ridiculous and is a mere
cloak for a bitter attack upon Christianity.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton is the head and
front Of the woman's Bible enterprise.
Joined with her in the production of this
first part, which consists of comments on
the Pentateuch, are Lille Devereaux Blake.
Rev. Phoebe Hanaford, Clara Bewick Colby.
Ellen Battelle Dietrich. Ursula ". Geste-
field, Mrs. Louisa Southwork and Frances
Ellen Burr. The method OF work adopted
by these leaders of the new-woman move
ment is described by Mrs. Stanton In the
preface as follows:
Each person purchased two Bibles, ran
through them from Genesis to Revelations,
marking all the texts that concerned wom-
en-. The passages were cut out and pasted
in a blank book and the commentaries then
written underneath"
The feminine audacity of this plank is not
apt TO commend itself to theological STU
dents. The international committee on the
revision OF the Bible labored twenty years
pletion. Upon that committee We're the most
eminent Hebrew and Greek scholars or the
world Doubtful or obscure passages were
gone over scores of times, and the text as
printed passed the critical judgment OF the
most learned theologians of Great Britain
and the United States. Mark the dl1erence
between their method of work and that of
this committee of new women. Not one or
the latter, 1t is said, is either a Hebrew or
Greek scholar, and instead of devoting
years to their self-imposed task they merely
rushed through the Bible last summer, wrote
commentaries on such passages as excited
their interest and rushed them to the
printer.
Why such a. product should be called a
woman's Bible Is a mystery. lt is equally
en- should aid in the undertaking. Even il
1t was meant merely as a protest against
woman's status as defined in the Bible the
plan was ill-advised and presumptious.
From the very start a keynote of intideiity
is struck which cannot but ALLEVIATE thou
sands OF women from the so-called enamel
patton movement with which Mrs. stanton
has so long been associated.
MRS. STATIONS INTRODUCTION.
Here is what this female Ingersoll says in
her introduction to Part 1:
why is 1t more ridiculous for women to
protest against her present status in the
Old and New Testaments, in the ordinances
and discipline of the church than in the
statutes and constitution of the State?
Why is it more ridiculous to arraign &C.
clesiastics for their false teaching and acts
of injustice to women then members OF
Congress and the House of Commons?
Why is it more audacious to review Moses
than Blackstone, the Jewish code OF laws
than the English system of jurisprudence?
The sentimental feelings we all nave for
those things We are educated to believe
sacred do not readily yield to pure reason.
l distinctly remember the shudder that
passed over me on seeing a mother take our
family Bible to make a high seat for her
child at table. II seemed such a desecra~
ton that 1 was tempted to protest against
It's use for such a purpose, and this. too,
long after my reason had repudiated its
divine authority.
bible historians claim special inspiration
for the Old and New Testaments containing
most contradictory records Of the same
events, of miracles opposed to all known
laws, of customs that degrade the female
sex " L Iii uuitldl1 dlu dilllldl lliG Sldlcu III
most questionable language that could not
be read in a proniscuous assembly and call
all this the word of God.
II do not believe that any man ever saw
or talked with God; L do not believe that
God inspired the Mosaic code or tod the
historians what they say he did. about
woman, for all the religions on the face or
the earth degrade her. and so long as
woman accepts the position that they as
sign her her emancipation is impossible"
The first twelve chapters in the book deal
wit, (ouaSic Haro NIrc Stanton rnaEaz the
startling discovery that the holy trinity is
composed of a heavenly Father, mother and
son. She finds her authority in the passage
which says:
80 God created man in His own image,
in the image of God created lie him; male
and female created He them
Mrs. Stanton'S commentary on this reads
Here is the sacred historians first ac-
count OF the advent of woman; a stimuli
taneous creation of both sexes in the image
of God. 1t is evident from the language that
there was consultation in the Godhead and
that the masculine and feminine elements
were equally represented.
The first step in the elevation of woman
to her true position, as an equal factor in
human progress, is the cultivation of the
religious sentiment in regard to her dignity
and equality, the recognition by the rising
generation of an ideal heavenly mother. to
whom their prayers should be addressed as
well as TO a Father.
IF language has any meaning. we have in
these texts a plain declaration of the ex-
istence of the feminine element in the God
head, equal in power and glory with the
masculine. the heavenly mother and Father.
LAS TO woman's subsection. on which both
the canon and the civil law delight TO dwell,
II is important to note that equal dominion
is given to woman over every living thing,
but not one word is said giving man do
minion over woman"
Ellen Battelle Dietrich comes next in the
role of commentator. She insists that the
first three chapters of Genesis contain two
entirely separate chapters and very contra
dictory stories Of creation, written by two
different but equally anonymous authors"
She gives extracts to prove that the SER
pent was more truthful than God. Natur>
ally. the rib story gives the woman some
concern. Mrs. Blake regards IL as ridicu-
lous, but she finds solace in the assertion
of woman's supremacy in the marriage re-
lation in the verse: Therefore shall a man
leave his father and his mother and cleave
unto his wife" Nothing appears about the
headship OF man, says Mrs. Blake. but he
is commanded to make his wife the head OF
the household. a rule which was followed
for years under the Matriarchate. OF
course, Adams conduct in the garden scene
comes in for wrong ondemnation. 1t is
very mean and cowardly on his part to
throw all the blame of disobedience on the
woman. Mrs. Blake naturally takes the
part of Eve. whom she vests with the
noblest attributes of her sex. With regard
TO the conversation between Eve and the