The news & observer., 1900-11-22
A sERMON TO WOMEN.
Mr.. Stu srt Can't Blame Man For Not Kissing
Snuff Dipping Wife.

Yesterday at o'clock, Evangelist
Stuart preached a sermon especially to
the ''wives, mothers and daughters" OF
the city. He invited the men to be
present. "as he never told woman
ANYTHING ne could not tell her before
her husband" But the congregation
was largely made up Of women.
Mr.. Stuart announced that he would
be plain and practical. His text was:
"Who Can Find Virtuous Woman. Her
Price is Above Rubies." Mr.. Stuart eN-
planned that the word virtuous has
not always had the same meaning
At the time of the writing of this text
it meant courageous; at one time 1T
simply meant character, but the pres
ent time it means purity. "A good
woman" said the evangelist, lis the
best thing on earth, and bad woman
is about the worst. The worst person
in Raleigh is woman; the best person
in Raleigh is "A woman. a woman
influences everything she comes in
contact with for either good or bad
Why. dancing was no harm until wo-
men began it. 1t is not a bit of harm
TO dance, provided men dance with
men and women dance with women.
The only sin is the unholy contact of
the two sexes. Theatres were all right
until women went into the business.
The Bible approves of theatres, proTld-
ed there are no women in it and the
right plays are played. Pure men
used to play moral Bible plays for the
good of the people, not for the money
there is in it. Women are the genesis
of everything good. God banks on
women doing good. Robert Rail<es
gets the credit for founding the Sun
day school, but a woman was the orig
inator of the idea. John Wesley gets
the credit for being the founder of
Methodism, but his mother was the
one who formed the idea and he put
it into execution.
"a woman is behind every good
movement. If church member has a
worldly wife in two years she will
have him out of the prayer meeting
and in three years she will have him
out of the church unless he has pow
erful will. If a bad man has a good
wife she'll save him nearly every time.
Nothing but sin hurts women. Gamb-
ling and card playing is hurting wo-
mem every day; wines and liquor is
hurting woman; the theatre is hurting
woman, and that is my reason for
fighting theatres.
81 pity man who can't trust his
wife. 1t is a sad thing when such is
the case. But if a man has a good
wife there is always hope for him. A
wife who will take her husband to
theatre ought to suffer. A man who
will take his wife to a dance is the
hioUpSt fool i'm tho world
Il have never SAID no decent person
would 90 to the theatre. / have never
said that no respectable person would
play progressive euchre, or dance. but
| have said | had as much respect for
q professional gambler as a person
who played progressive euchre for
prizes. / have said that | had as much
respect for a saloon keeper as a person
who will deal out punch or wine at
social gathering"
The evangelist said he had rather
turn his boy over to professional gam
blers than his daughter to a progress
sive euchre player. He said the hope of
the country was in the industry of the
young people.
''Women have more about them that
is false than men do" said Mr.. Stuart.
when you see the woman with the
prettiest bangs you can't tell whether
they are hers or somebody's who has
been dead fifty years. You can't tell
whether that delicate tint of the
cheeks is the blush of nature or came
out of that little box on the bureau.
You can't tell how much is her, no
how. But when she marries she drops
it all and trapses around in a sunbon-
net and mother-hubbard, and wonders
why her husband don't love her as
good as he used to-
I He paid his respects to snuff-dippers,
and said he didn't blame any man to
never kiss his wife if she uses snuff.
He then told of woman's influence in
the home, and how with soft hands
and tender voices they socthe the pill
low of sickness. He told of tramp.
CASTORIA FaIntants and Children