The Savannah morning news., 1901-05-20
DENOUNCED SOCIETY
REV. GEORGE II. STUART ')ELIv-
Erred A TALK THAT BRIsTLED.
SOCIETY PEOPLE HARD HIT.
"DAMNING THE LAND FROM ONE
END OF 1T TO THE OTHER"

and That Seemed to Please the
Crowd That Heard 1t, While Some
of It's Features Grated Hard Upon
Some of the Audience-"The High
est Society Is Too Much Like the
Notwithstanding and Card Play
ing Bitterly Condemned-An Inter-
FuptIon From Mr.. Jones.
Rev. George r. Stuart spoke to a large
audience at the Tabernacle yesterday af-
ternoon on the subject of Strong Wo-
manhood" 1t was a strong sermon, and
If the evangelist shocked a large number
of his hearers and disguised some of
them, he yet told truths that went home
His text was from Proverbs, 81 10: who
can find virtuous woman? For her price
is far above rubies." 1t was sermon
upon the power of the good woman for
good and the power of the evil woman for
evil, and Mr.. Stuart sketched in the lights
and shadows of his picture with a bold
hand and a strong touch. There was no
hesitation about it, and evidently he was
| not striving after delicacy.
The song service was of the usual high
| order of merit. 1t was concluded by a
| duet, My Mothers Bible" sweetly rem
dered by Mr. Tillman and Mrs. Critten-
| den. Mr.. Stuart began by saying that
his sermon was addressed primarily to the
| mothers, wives and daughters of his con-
gregation. but that he hoped also it would
carry it's lesson to the fathers, husbands
and sons. He continued
THE text puts a very high valuation
upon the virtuous woman. The word
virtue has a history. 1t has changed
its meaning several times in its his
tory. In one age of the world the word
stood for courage That was virtuous
character who took the sword and stood
in the first line of battle. 1t is used in
this sense by St. Peter when he says,
| Add to your faith, virtue In another
age of the world it meant honesty. That
was virtuous character who was up
right downright honest. In this age of
the world it means purity or chastity.
In every age of the world the word vir-
tue has stood for the highest element
of character; it has stood for the element
of greatest strength.
my text could properly be read Who
| can find strong woman? For her price
| is far above rubies. The ruby is one
| of the most precious of all gems, one
of the most precious things of its size
| upon earth. At the time of the text
| regarded by some even more precious
than the diamond itself. Here, then,
is my text, Who can find a strong wo-
man? For when you have found her.
| you have found the best thing of her size
upon the earth A good woman is the
best thing this side of heaven; a bad
woman is the worst thing this side of
the pit. woman touches the limit
both ways; she rises higher, and falls
lower, than man. The most degraded
| human being on earth to-day is woman;
the purest character on earth to-day is
woman. Woman blesses or curses every
thing she touches
'Incipient Rome rotted for want of wo-
men: imperial Rome rotted on account
of her fast women. The stage and the
ball room never cursed the world till
women cursed them. From a high plane
the stage has fallen so low that no re-
spectacle man or woman can afford to
indorse it by his or her presence. A
town never falls below its worst woman;
never rises higher than it's best woman.
The homes of your town are on a level
with your women, and your town is on
a level with your homes. Nothing can
hurt woman like sin, and nothing can
man can save the world; the devil and
woman can damn it. The devil attacked
the world first through woman; the Re
deemer of the world came as the seed
of the woman. Woman seems to be the
battle-ground for all good and evil forces.
The woman of our country WIFI settle the
destiny of our country morally and re-
ligiously. No wonder it is said That
the price of a strong woman is beyond
the value of rubies.'
Again the brush touches the canvas.
| She perceiveth that her mere handise is
| good. Her candle goeth not out by night
| A graphic figure of honesty and sincerity.
| How insincere, how full of shame. how
| full of deception. is the female character
| to-day. There sits a woman with the APP
! pearance of luxuriant hair, falling in flow
| ing bangs about her forehead, but l do
not know whether it is confined to her
head by nature or pinned on by hairpins.
| Over there sits a lady with beautiful rosy
cheeks. but l don't know whether they
| came from a ruddy blood careering
| through her healthful system, or whether
| she got it out of a little box on the bu-
! reau. There sits a lady with a set OF
| beautiful ivory-looking teeth, snowy
white, through her ruby lips. l don't
know whether they rest in her gums or
on her gums. A woman's hair, teeth,
| lips, and cheeks are not more treacnerouS
| than her tongue. o, the insincerity of So
| ciety's tongue. The insincere praise and
fattery and condemnation. An honest.
woman-a sincere woman. 1t is safe to
invest in her merchandise 1t is safe to
buy candle from her.
The mouth of woman is an impor-
tant feature. So much has been said of
a womans mouth that 1 touch the sub
ject with a degree of hesitation. l handle
a woman's mouth like 1 handle a loaded
pistol. You never know when 1t is going
off. But here is a mouth that like. This
mouth works on a handspring called wis
dom. And it never moves It'll wisdom
moves it. And in the tongue is the law
of kindness l have known many kind
tongues; many women who said kind
things sometimes; at other times could
say very bitter things. Sometimes speak
softly. sometimes speak harshly. Some
times praise; sometimes criticise. Some
times win you by gentle words; some
times skin you with harsh ones. But In
this tongue there is law. The law is
not on the tongue, nor around the tongue
but the law Is I'm it. and every time this
tongue moves 1t moves to the law, and
that law Is kindness. Unkindness has no
control over this tongue. II has but one
law and that law is the law of kindness.
and every word is a kind word. / love
kind tongue kind to her husband kind