The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-05-17

not write to defend any person, or per-
sons for there is no such occasion, even
If | were presumptuous enough to I'M
dertake it, Neither do write this as an
attack on the belief and custom OF any
religious people. l simply write in sup-
port of what l conceive to be great
principle and a Scriptural truth. it was
my privilege to hear several of the Bible
lectures gwen by Miss Blodgetr at the
Edenton Street Methodist Episcopal
Church. Her familiarity with the Scrip
lures, power of reasoning, gifts and
methods as teacher of the Bible, great
ly impressed and delighted me- She
would delight any company of Christian
believers who are willing to surrender
their prejudices, if they have any, for
the time, and study seriously the Scrip
lures. Many of the ladies of this city and
a few mem have enjoyed rare oppor-
tunity in her Bible lectures She not
only knows Scripture but has a wonder
full tact in helping others to see the
truth and in applying it. did not. how
ever, start out in this letter to write
so much about Miss Blodgett. but to
speak on the question of woman's preach
ing. There are many good people of
plety and intelligence who quickly an
swer the question in the negative, with
emphasis. All the opposition that l ever
heard TO woman's preaching was placed
on dear old brother Paul. In his writings
to the Corinthians and to Timothy he
touches on the question of her rights and
privileges. In 1 Cor, 14:34-35, he says
Let your women keep silence in the
churces: for it is not permitted unto them
to speak: but they are commanded to be
under obedience as also saith the law
And if they learn anything, let them ask
their husbands at home: for it is a shame
for a woman to speak IN the church.
Well, that looks very straight and plain.
But to whom was he writing and under
what circumstances? The Corinthian
Christians were having a quarrel over
the question of buying from heather
dealers the meat that had been used,
but not injured, in idol worship. The
feeling ran so high that church services
were disturbed, and the women added
their voices to the general din. Women
were treated then much as women In
India have been up to the present time.
They were always closely yelled in pub
lie; never spoke to man on the street;
followed their husbands like dogs, and.
1 am told, never spoke to them until
six months after their marriage. For
them to take part in a public wrangle
was. therefore, a gross violation Of their
whole education. You see he uses the
expression, Gas also saith the law" AL
though woman was excluded from the
temple and tabernacle service, God kept
himself free to use her as leader. When
The Tcwoa1,faC left f,Yr
ally became the leading woman among
them. In Exod. 1920, she is called
prophecies. After the passage of the Red
Sea she led the music, dance and song.
Then Deborah was under the law" a
prophecies as we see from Judg. IVA. s.
Kitto tells us that she was probably the
medium of communication between God
and man, and that because of her char
acter she was in some way the head of
the nation, to whom questions of doubt
and difficulty were referred for decision.
We find her a Judge. That was all under
the law. Although woman was excluded
from the temple and tabernacle services
q suppose the law was in her way, when
Christ came he gave relief. In Galatians
HIPS, Paul says, "There is neither Jew
nor Greek, there is neither bond nor
free, there is neither male nor female;
foI We are all one in Christ" Notice
here that there is neither male nor
female" in the spiritual blessings and
privileges of Gods children for the rea-
son that they are "all one in Christ
Jesus" In the beginning God made man
and woman equal. ''And God said let us
make man in our image. after our like
moss; let them have dominion over the
fish of the sea, and over the fowl of
the air, and over the cattle, and over the
earth, and over every creeping thing that
creepeth upon the earth. So God created
man in his own image, in the image of
God created he him; male and female
created he them.''-Gen. 2:26-27. Who
are here to have dominion over the things
of the earth? The answer is not ''him
but rather 'let them" In another place
we read. Therefore shall a man leave his
father and mother and shall cleave unto
his wife and they shall be one flesh
Gen. 2:24. 1t was after this that the in
equality came in After the first temp
tation and fall God said to the woman, Il
will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy
conception; In sorrow shalt thou bring
forth children; and thy desire shall be to
thy husband and he shall rule over
ee."-Gen. 3:16. That was simply and
purely the works Of the devil" But
Christ came to destroy the works of the
devil and to redeem US from the curse
of the law" l suppose some men would
think that man was truly and really re
deemed from the curse of the law but
that woman is in the terrible bondage and
degradation of the law still. How con-
ceited and selfish we poor fellows some
time get to be! Now did Christ come,
or not, to destroy the works of the devil?
Here it is: For this purpose the Son
of God was manifested that He might
destroy the works the devil. John
3:s. Were the works of the devil de-
stroyed for man and not for woman? The
darker and more complete the heathen-
ism the greater and more complete Is Wo-
mans degradation. and the farther Is
she removed from the privileges and al
vantages that man enjoys. The more
highly christrianized people the higher
do we find woman in the scale OF beng.
She is placed in the exalted position'
which she so Justly occupies TO-DAY IN
Christian lands, by the beautiful tair mana
of Christianity. AS the destroying OF the
k of Al. and the