The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1898-02-24
WARNINGS FOR WOMEN.
Words of Wisdom From the Lips
Of Rev. DR.. Talmage.
Girls Should be Taught, as Boys Are, the
Science of Self-Support-Encoura
m-nt for Women Fighting
the Battle of Life.

u
m-nt for Women Fighting
the Battle Of Life.
In the following sermon Rev. L. De
Witt Talmage shows what women can
do in the way of pursuing an ipdepcnd-
ent life. The text is:
Every wise woman buildeth her house
Proverbs xiv, l.
Woman, a mere adjunct to man, an
appendix to the masculine volume, an
appendage, sort of after-thought,
something thrown into make things
even-that is the heresy entertained
and implied by some men. This is evil
dent to them, because Adam was first
created, and then Eve. They don't
read the whole story, or they would
find that the porpoise and the bear
Adam, SO that this argument, drawn
from priority of creation, might prove
that the sheep and the dog were
greater than man. No. Woman was
an independent creation, and was in
| tended, if she chose, to live alone, to
work alone, act alone, think alone,
and fight her battles alone. The Bible
says it is not good for man to be alone,
but never saysit is not good for woman
to be alone; and the simple fact is that
many women who are harnesssd for
life in tlparriage relation would be
a thousa104old better off if they were
alone.
Who are these men who. year after
year, hang around hotels and engine
houses and theater doors, and come in
and out to bother busy clerks and
merchants and mechanics, doing moth
ing, where there is plenty to do? They
are men supported by their wives and
mothers. If the statistics of any OF
our cities could be taken on the sub
| iect, you would find that q vast multi
tude of women not only support them
selves, Out masculines. A great legion
of men amount to nothing, and a wom-
an by marriage, manacled to one of
these nonentities, needs coincidence.
A woman standing outside the mar
riage relation is several hundred
thousand times better off than a wom-
an badly married. Many a bride. in
stead of wreath of orange blossoms.
might more properly wear bunch OF
nettles and nightshade, and. instead OF
the "Wedding March," a more appro-
pirate tune would be the Dead NJ arch, :"
in Saul, and, instead of q banquet of
confectionery and ices, there might be
more appropriately spread table
covered with apples of Sodom.
Many an attractive woman. of good
sound sense in other things has mar
ried one of these men to reform him.
What was the result? Like when a
dove, noticing that a vulture was ra-
pacious and cruel, set about to reform
it, and said: Il have mild DISPOSE
ton, and I like peace, and was brought
up in the quiet of dove-cote, and l
will bring the vulture TO the same lik-
ing by marrying him." SO, one day.
after the vulture declared he would
give up his carnivorous habits and
cease longing for blood of flock and
herd, at an altar of rock covered with
moss and lichen, the twain were mar
ried, a ba,d-headed eagle officiating,
the vulture saying: with all my
dominion of earth and sky, thee en-
dow, and prolnis to love and cherish
till death do us part" But one day
the dove. in her fright saw the vul'
ture busy at carcass, and cried
stop that! did you not promise me
S that you would quit your carnivorous
e and filthy habits if l married your
D YES" said the vulture, but if yol
:, don't like my way, you can leave" and
b with one angry stroke Of the beak and
] another fierce clutch of the claw, til,
9 vulture left the dove eyeless and wing
n less and lifeless. Aud flock of robins
a flying past, cried to each other ant
e said: "See there! that comes from
f dove marrying a vulture to reform
g him."
Many woman who has had the hant
e of young inebriate offered, but de
e clined it, or who was asked to chail
t her life to man selfish, or of bad tenn
!. per, and refsed the shacLles, will bles
God throughout all eternity that sh
escaped that earthly pandemonium.
Besides all this, IN our country abou
LOCO, 900 men were sacrificed in GU
u civil war, and that decreed 1000, 20
women to celibacy. Besides that, sine
s the war, several armies Of men a
n large as the federal and confederat
o armies put together, have fallen unde
r. malt liquors and distilled spirits, S
g full of poisoned ingredients that tn
work was done more rapidly, and tn
o victims died while yet young. And
7. sc, coo men are destroyed every year b
strong drink before marriage, this
makes in the 3s years since the wa
1850. 600 men slain, and DEGREES 1850
- 600 women to celibacy. Take, thel
y the fact that so many women are VI
u happy in their marriage, and the fa'
q that the slaughter of 2.5Oo, 900 mel
by war and rum combined, decides thu
at least that number of women shall
s unbalanced for life, my text comes
- with q cheer and potency and appr
priateness that you may never hav
seen in it before when it says: Ever
!, wise woman buildeth her nouse;" th'
), is, let woman he her own architect, IL
out her own plans, be her own supe
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