Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1909-07-31
THE WOE or
AGES DUE
TO WOMAN
Professor WiIIett Says Luxury
Loving Wives Are Same
Now As in Days
B. c.


their social desires, even those he
granted we're innocent and high
minded" we're blamed yesterday by
Professor Herbert L. Willett, of the
University OF Chicago, for immorali-
ty, oppression of the poor, reckless
speculation, loose marital relations,
and religious unbelief, which he
named as the most unfortunate evils
of today.
Professor Willett, who delivered
his criticism In the course of lee
ture in Haskell hall; also pictured
early Biblical times as an exact rep
lica OF the present. stating that to
read the book of Amos, Hosea, or the
other great prophets was like perus-
ing a document printed yesterday"
He spoke of the "reprobation Of the
womanhood of Israel" by Amos as
an example OF the great need of So
cial read justment in olden times.
"The moral levels Of nation new
er raise higher than that nations
womanhood, said Or. Willett. at
was so in the days OF Amos, and II is
true today. We read in that great
prophets work OF women spending
money they knew TO have been OBJ
tanned by bribery, for as early as
then the commonest kind OF evils
was the accepting OF brlbes by pub
lie officials.
THE women encouraged their hus-
bands TO spend money, earned dis
honestly, and wanted more. They
say that their neighbors were better
OF than they, and they determined to
keep pace. They drove their hus-
bands to secure gold, IL did not mat
ter how. They urged them quietly,
OF course, but none the less effect
lively. They insisted on living in
luxury. Amos denounced this pur-
suit OF luxury, this clamor for pal
aces OF ivory, for summer and winter
houses. He called the women COWS
of pleasure. to crush the poor and
the needy.
To-day We see the same situation.
We even see innocent and high
minded women instruments in driving
the poor into greater distress and
the rich into greater recklessness,
They spend all the money they can
get, though II be obtained out OF in
iquity.
NO woman will admit that she is
the one referred to. No woman
would In the Old Testament days.
| Bur female extravaganza and social
desires have driven men to all they
may be accused Of. II has been to
satisfy their wives desires that hus-
bands do that for which we condemn
the social system.
Every evil OF today has a paral-
lei in the time OF Amos. We see COM
plants being made against every
form of iniqulty There were adnl-
terations of food, cheating In weights
and measures, unfair business COM
binations of all kinds"
rofessor Willett called Amos
protest against injustice, and turning
TO the prophet Hosea, eXtolled him as
an enemy of domestic and religious
infdelity.
Hosea made protest against what
is still a live subject" declared Pro-
fessor Willett. "His greatest contri-
button was his terrible diatribe
against immortality, and the partic-
ular type mentioned was domestic in
fidelity which was common. He was
a victim of this himself, and natural
ly was deeply impressed with the
necessity of sacred marital relations
"The idea of inhdelity was car
ried into religion The priests were
highway robberl, the temples were
the shrines OF idols, which the peo-
pie .tiring of God, sought out.
Wives, firing OF their husbands,
went after other men. just as they do
today. There was a general de-
cline OF morals. Drunkenness was
everywhere prevalent, until the cor
rupt rulers loved unfairness.
Hosea was the polemic against
the divorce evil, loose living and
marriage gambling. He was the pro-
phet OF domestic purity and national
righteousness to whom we should
listen today How he would have
voiced social ideals II he had lived in
our time.-Chieago Tribune.