The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-03-11
Defence OF His Positions by the Rev.
Thomas j. Shahan.

Derence OF HIS Positions ~ the new.
Thomas j. shahan.
To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN-Sr: Your
Detroit correspondent has not shaken any OF
my three assertions. n that the Roman juris-
prudence OF the Imperial period was, not i'm
probably, affected by Christianity. ~ that the
indissolubility Of marriage among Christians
Is a benefit largely owing to the canon law.
~ that In non-Christian lands the practical
condition OF woman has always been and vet
Is far inferior to her condition In Christian
lands. A to the contentious Of her reply.
First Evidently she 10 ignorant Of the ele-
ments Of the history Of Stolcism. otherwise she
would know who Troplong is. and OF what IN
~portance are the conclusions OF Bishop Light
foot in his essay on st. Paul and Seneca.
a. 10 the workings OF Christianity on the
latter philosopher. Seneca 10 the patriarch
OF the Roman Stoics. yet his language
concerning Roman women is as violent as that
OF any Christian Father. II Stoiclsm explains
the assumed superior condition Of Roman
women in the In perial period. how IL II that
the chief OF the Stolcs denounces 30 vigorously
the whole female sax OF his tIme1 How 10 IL
that the Christian writer's could call him our
Seneca. and praise his book on marriage'
Evidently your correspondent copies from men
who have read into the Stoics ideas that ire Of
a later growth. She errs greatly II she thinks
that any prator or j~urisconsult. even a second.
century Gaius. frst conceived the equality OF
.he sexes" | pointed out the source OF that
idea In a docum snt that antsdates any Stole
response" 1t Is Galatians. Ill.,. %,
Second-!t Is false that 4 provincial council
OF the sixth century forbade women TO
receive the eucharist In the naked hand "on
account OF their impuritv." The canon she
refers TO Ia the thirty.six canon Of the Council
Of Auxerre In Gaul $50 II does forbid
women 70 receive the host In the bare hands
In accordance with an archaic practice OF
Christianity-but no reason Ia given. much
less the reason that your correspondent al
leges. As to tho strong language oi the
Fathers. We must Der that much OF Il Ia
rhetorical. and 10 be interpreted mildly "a We
interpret the sayings Of Chrysostom and Basil
about riches. Then again. II 10 general, and
perhaps Ia Iustihe BY existing social con-
dittons as similar language Of other and later
writer's. not Christian. In any case. they
never uttered the crude absurdit,es tina. MI
the pages Of a certain book on Tho Evolu-
ton " Women"
T~hIrd-Every historian OF the Greek State Of
antiquity calls attention to the decrease OF
population az one cause Of It's decay and down
fall. This is directly traceable to the irightiul.
unnatural immortality OF that State. Now. his
peculiar immortality vas nourished by the very
women whom your correspondent holds up as
ideals. The 'Pcriclean women may have
been IA highly cultivated as your correspondent
could desire. Why. then. did contem porary
Patio and Aristotle hold such decided views as
TO the nature and function Of woman in the
Greek state? Why did the former desire TO see
them excluded from the government OF an
'optima respublica?" Or was the mind ofthese
giants less perspicacious than that o, lot OF
sophistical Stoics. forever prating about high
things that. Marcus Aurellus him self says. they
never realized In their conduct,
~Fourth-The 'Hypatia' argument. reminds
one OF the popular Italian saying: 'Cita,o
Dante7 Finita Ia quistions" "Hyratia" has
been overdons a. an Illustration Of Attn
century fanaticism. Kopallik tMAinx. 1891
has shown that the murder OF the distin-
guished female philosopher cannot be laid at
the door Of Al. Cyril o. Alexandria. His prin.
clpal accuser Ia an eIiled inimical heathen.
who lived more than a century later. The
contem porary Christian Socrates, though UNI
friendly to Cyril. goes no further than 20 say
that the murder was a disgrace 70 the patriarch
anu MS party hlnRsieVs Hypdto II ABOUT
as Trustworthy as his Westward. Ho!" His.
torical novels are no more history than the
social song 10 sociology. As = matter OF fact.
Hypatia was the teacher and intimate friend
OF Christians. as may be seen by the story
OF Bishop Synesius. 1t IL a curious fact that
long before the time Of Hypatia the Ale1andrins
church venerated the female philosopher
Catherine.
Ffh-In matters that pertain to the history
| OF Catholicism. Lecky and Buckle are writer's
| with a confessed tendency" namely to be-
little IL. The unsupported assertions OF these
phlloaophic historians-ths most dangerous OF
that ilk -coun for nothing. 1t is fair prin-
ciple In history that you may believe the evil
that your friends say about you and the good
that your enemies admit. Hence the following
judgment from a famous nationalist. Pelleton.
author Of the Profession 10 Fol tu XIX
Steele" 1883. may be accs pied as final In this
question Of what woman owes to Christianity.
The Christian law. always favorable to
woman. proclaimed marriage indissolub bic.
thereby oyerthrowing the iniauity OF divorce
which was only successive polygamy. Hence.
forth woman had her sure place In the family.
a place fixed and guaranteed. She could watch
by the aide Of her growing children without
fearing at each moment the disgrace OF a sud-
den reputation. Her destiny had hitherto
been uncertain. waverinR. subject TO the ca
price OF her husband. but now 1t shared the
solidity OF the domestic hearth"
THOMAS J. SHAHIN.