New-York tribune., 1901-04-21
WON4N AND CIVILIZATION.

Many even of those who cannot accept the
teachings of Tostoi are in the habit of assum-
ing that the Russian reformer does in a way
speak for the modern non-ecclesiastcal con-
science of mankind and. Of course. his follow
ers make much Of that view. assuming that in
his teachings he has gathered together a body
of truths which have been either ignored or
denied by the church and the civilization
which it has produced. For this reason, there
fore, they say. the church and society have
condemned him. They could not. indeed, do
otherwise, inasmuch as he antagonizes the
false theories which have become crystalzed
in their systems, and which are a direct denial
of the simple teachings of Jesus of Nazareth.
1t is nothing less than an imitation of Christ
that TolStoi would revive in the world, be-
cause such an imitation would at once over
turn the vicious faisehoods which the church
and civilization are now imposing mankind
in the name OF Christ.
But, curiously enough in one point-namely,
his estimate of woman-Tolstos teachings re-
fleet rather the mistaken asceticsm of the
church in the time of Tertullian than those of
the Founder of Christianity. There can be no
doubt TO what Jesus thought of woman.
The Gospel recorGs tell how they followed and
ministered unto Him continually. He talked
with and strove TO uplift those who were liv-
aside from His condemnation of their sin. He
looked upon them o. their sex with the least
feeling of adherence or contempt He made
His first appearance after His resurrection to
Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast
seven devils, and IL is evident that throughout
His career He honored womanhood equally
with manhood nor gave the slightest hint that
love and marriage were inconsistent with the
highest ideals of the Christian life. But the
church in the third and fourth centuries, or at
least some of its leaders. lost sight of this fact,
and, swayed by false ascetic ideal. founded
on some utterances of Paul, came to look on
women inferior beings responsible for
mans fall from sinlessness. Marriage was de-
preciated or discouraged. and women were ex-
cluded from every sacred function Only the
heretcal Christians seem to have remembered
the position of woman in the Gospels, and in
their desire to honor her some of them went so
far as TO assert her right to preach and teach
in the church. This widespread depreciation
of woman and her place IN the early church
had a deleterious effect on family lfe and re-
tarded the social uplift that must always fol-
low the real teachings of Jesus.
Tertullian the most conspicuous OF those
who took this view He spoke of women as
1.-The DEVILS gateway, the unsealer of the for
hidden tree" and ordered them TO take and
keep subordinate place. obey their husbands
serve them and refrain from all publicity.
Women in a word were held up frivolous,
dress Ioving lust inspiring creatures The
world. said this grim church father, had
enough of children, and every prth
was a cause of sorrow, not of joy Fortu-
nately for Christianity and for civilization. the
church finally broke away from this degrading
view of woman But while it held sway it did
incalculable harm and made the pagan Roman
view of woman and marriage to shine by
contrast.
A perusal of Tolstos works especially the
"Kreutzer Sonata" shows that he shares in a
measure these early Christian views of woman
and marriage He seems to think that woman
in some way retards the coming of that social
betterment which he desires Were that really
So il would be an Indictment not Of woman
who after ALL is God made her, and there
fore lust rght-hut of the Tolstoi scheme or
social betterment which fails TO find place
for her. Even if it were possible to bring
about a social millennium without her-whch
IL is not-such millennium would not be
worth having. In point Of fact, the social re-
generation Of the race can be brought ABOUT
only by the recognition of womans true place
in the scheme of things She Is the mother
and the teacher of the race, and no cross
grained theory of would-be reformers as to her
inferiority will ever take from her that double
sceptre of authority and power. The voices OF
Paul and Tertullian and Tolstoi are weak and
puny compared with the teaching or Christ,
who condemned the easy dissolution OF mar
r,ape and ever treated woman with honor and
respect