Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1898-01-21
WOMEN ENCOURAGED
Or. TALMAcE'S WORDS OF CHEER TO
THE GENTLE SEX.


copyright. 1893 by American Press Asso-
cistion.l
WASHINGTON, Jan. 16.-This sermon
Of DR.. Talmage il a great encourage
ment to women who have to earn their
own living, as we'll as to all toilers with
hand or brain; text, Proverbs xiv, /,
Every wise woman buildeth her
house,
Woman a mere adjunct to man, an
appendix to the masculine volume, an
appendage, a sort Of afterthought, some
thing thrown in to make things even
that is the heresy entertained and i'm
piled by some men. This is evident 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 and the hawk
were created before Adam, so that this
argument, drawn from priority Of crea
ton, might prove that the sheep and
| the dog were greater than man. No
Woman was al independent creation
and was intended, 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 says it is not good for
woman to be alone, and the simple fact
is that many women who are harnessed
for life in the marriage relation would
be a thousandfold 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 III
and out to bother busy clerks and mer-
chants and mechanics, doing nothing
when there is plenty to Go: They are
men supported by their wives and moth
ers. II the statistics of any Of our cities
could be taken on this subject, you
would find that vast multitude Of wo-
men not only support themselves, but
masoulinsa A great legion of men
amount TO nothing, and woman by
marriage msnacled to one Of these non
entities needs coincidence. a woman
standing outside the marriage relation
is several hundred thousand times bet
ter sn than woman badly married.
Many a bride, instead Of a wreath Of
orange blossoms might more properly
wear a bunch Of nettles and nightshade,
and instead Of the wedding march
more appropriate tune would be the
dead march in "Saul, and instead Of
banquet Of confectionery and ices
IL. s~k.A 10 a .
spread o table covered with apples of
eodom-
Mistakes of Marriage.
Many an attractive woman Of good
sound sense In other things has married
one Of these men to reform him. What
WAS the result1 Like when a dove, no
ticinE that vulture was rapacious and
cruel, 20. about 10 reform 1t and said,
81 have q mild disposition, and like
peace and was brought up in the quiet
Of . dovseot, and will bring the vul-
tnrs to the same liking by marrying
him, 80 one day, after the yulture de-
slarsd he would give up his carnivorous
habits and cease longing for blood OF
fock and herd, at an altar of rock COW
cred with moss and lichen the twain
ware married, a baldheaded eagle Off
ciating, tho vulture saying, with all
nay dominion Of earth and sky thee
andow and promise to love and cherish
till death do US part" But one day the
dove in her fright saw the vulture busy
at carcass and cried stop that! Did
you NOS promise me that you would quit
your oarnivorous and filthy habits if /
married you?" "Yes, " said the yulture,
"but II you don't like my way you can
leave" And with one angry stroke OF
the beak and another fierce clutch OF
the claw the vulture left the dove eye
lsas and wingless and lifeless, and a
fock Of robins flying past cried TO each
other and said "See there That comes
from q dove marrying yulture to re-
form him.
Many woman who has had the hand
Of q young inebriate offered, but de-
elinsd IL, or who was asked to chain
her life to man selfish or Of bad tenn
psr and refused the shackles, will bless
God throughout all eternity that she es-
capped that earthly pandemonium.
Husbands Not Necessary.
Besides all this, in our country about
1, ooO, 900 men were sacrificed IN our
civil war, and that decreed 1000, 600
women to celibacy. Besides that, since
the war several armies Of men as large
as the Federal and Confederate armies
put together have fallen under malt
liouors and distilled spirits, so full OF
poisoned ingredients that the work was
done more rapidly, and the victims fell
while ret young And if 80, 600 men
are destroyed every year by strong drink
before marriage that makes in the 80
years since the war $50, 600 men siam
and decrees 1. $50, 900 women to celib-
scy. Take, then, the fact that SO many
women are unhappy in their marriage
and the fact that the slaughter OF
1850. 600 men by war and rum COM
bined decides that at least that number
of women shall be unaffiancd for life,
my ts1t comes in with cheer and po-
tsncy and appropriateness that you may
nsver have seen In it before when 1t
says Every wise woman buildeth her
house"-.hst is, let woman be her own
architect, lay cut her own plans be her
own supervisor. achieve her own des-
tiny.
In addressing those women who have
10 ARht tie battle alone l congratulate
you on your happy escape. Rejoice for
ever that you will not have to navigate
the faults Of the other sex when you
have faults enough Of your own. Think
of the bersareHssats you avoid, OF the
risks of unassiIsilated temper which
You will not have to run, of the cares
you will never have to carry and OF the
opportunity Of outside usefulness from
which marital life would have partially
debarrsd you, and that you are free to
10 and come as one who has the respon'
abilities Of a household can seldom be.
God has not given you a hard lot as
compared with your sisters. When
young women shall make up their
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