The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-05-15
TALMAGE'S ideas
ABOUT WOMAN,
The Noted Preacher ADJ
Vances Several Interest
ing Opinions Concerning
the Fair Sex,

In the course of an interview with a
woman representative of the Times
Herald Rev DIR. T. Dewitt Talmage
recently gave interesting opinions of
woman's possibilities and duties. The
following are culled expressions:
Whether women will ever become
prominent as regularly ordained min
isters I cannot say, but successful they
must lie, for they have more control
over those sympathies which appeal
to the human heart. If the gospel is
to be preached successfully, it is by
appealing to the heart, not the head. 1
have heard most effective preaching
from women in religious meetings, if
not exactly in the pulpit. In prayer
meetings l always ask women to take
part, and l always find they intensity
the interest of that or any other meet
ing they participate in. That is" said
myself have recently undergone the
the preacher. reilectively, "unless they
are women with hard voices and anna
zonian presence"
Il don't like a manly woman, nor
an effeminate man." said the doctor
but can. hardly state my ideal. The
ideal woman is not one womar-wo-
manhood extends over many different
realms. My ideal wife, daughter or
mother / could describe, but a man is
50 apt to sketch his own home fer an
ideal My Womanly companionship all
my life has been so delightful tender,
sweet, kind and heavenly that | hardly
want to give any other man the idea
! of it,"
"Why is it that men are SO much
more wicked than Women?"
"Oh, most of US admit that women
are naturally better than men, ana
| that they are getting better all the
| time. But when 4 woman starts cut
| to he bad, there is no limit. She is as
| bad as a man-and n little worse She
| goes the whole hard road usually. That
| seems characteristic. All history
shows it. A good woman is very, very
good and a Lad woman is"--.anl the
| doctor spread out his hands as though
he had no words quite strong enough.
II think woman ought to have every
good and proper opportunity of earning
her own living and being Independent.
| Wherever there is an open door, women
should be allowed to enter it. There
are none too many avenues by which
woman may pass to fame and fortune.
| / believe that girls should be trained
for a life of independence as much as
| boys are. / don't think 1t was intend
| ed that every woman should marry.
Thus every daughter should be brought
| up that she can earn her own liVeli-
| hood If need be. The trouble is" (and
here the doctor warmed up) that
mothers impress their girls that an ul-
| innate marriage is their destiny. Per-
| haps IL isn't, but the daughter is led
to believe So Hence she spends the
| beautiful days of her youth preparing
to be led to the altar. Sometimes this
| is a fairly good idea, if the girl is of the
marrying sort, for l do believe that a
woman is happiest in the secluded
home circle, but If she be not of that
kind, the idea is ruinous. 1t is the
fashion to be married, she thinks, and
she must follow the fashion. When
she arrives at a certain age, If the hand
| she would desire has not been offered
to her she will take-well-almost any
thing! That means disaster She Of
ten makes her own life a failure and
spoils another life at the same time. 1t
is the reason for so many miserable
marriages. If, on the contrary girls
were permitted to keep their independ-
ence and develop naturally, whether in
art, music, science or philosophy-if all
sible, and spinsterhood as honored as
wedlock-then the scheme of things
must be bettered. repeat that 1 be-
lieve independence to be as essential
to women as to men, and / do not be-
lieve it was intended that every wo-
man should marry"
II don't think that marriage is es-
sential to develop noblest womanhood,
but do think that when clever wo-
man marries she will find abundant
directions in which to enlarge and de-
velop her talents. If she has genius,
even more so, for genius Is a faculty
for surmounting environment and Gre
ating space for itsedf."
II think woman's influence in poll
tics is chiefly through her husband and
brother, father or son. Why, a woman
in politics is almost as bad as a man!
If a woman gets to be a politician"
(here the doctor shook his head sor-
rowfully, as at some horrid sighD "she
gets out of that sphere which is one of
her greatest attractions"
"Then you don't believe in suffrage?"
81 didn't say that. l have been in
regions where women had the right OF
suffrage and things went pretty well
but do not call these women politi-
clans any more than l would call ev-
cry male voter a politician. / recollect
that j was in New Zealand at election
time. Women have the suffrage there
and l was very agreeably surprised at
the order at the polls. Perhaps / am
old-fashioned in preferring the more
secluded realm for women, but con-