The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1917-05-16

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speaker liable to criticism, but it is
time for the pulpit and the press to
speak out on this gigantic peril that
threatens the very life of our civili-
zation. The Physician who allows
himself to be party to such an evil
should be ostracised by the medical
world and boycoted by all decent peo-
ple do not refer to women who
are afflicted with physical disabilities,
but to those who reject the obligations
of motherhood.
Let us now pass on to the study
of the glory of motherhood. When we
come to the Bible the first glimpse
seems one of sorrow rather than
glory. In these first sections of the
book of Genesis we have the whole
story Of womanhood. There is the
account of her mysterious creation,
her celestial union to him whose help
meet she was destined 20 be, how she
became the subtle and swift leader Of
man, and The first joy Of motherhood.
The thrill of Joy finds expression in
the very name she gave to her first
born. "Cain" means "to get," or
possession" What a possession it
was! There lay the little fellow the
center of great hopes, the center of
great resources, and the center of
great sacrifices. How sad her dis
appointment as expressed in the
name of the next child "Aber' means
vanity" or transformers. The
great tragedies of the world are in
parental disappointments. The great
tragedies are not out yonder in the
marts of trade where financial dis
asters bring wreck to earthly for
tunes. They are not in the physical
world where deadly disease works de-
struction to physical manhood, they
are not in the political world where
great plans for human betterment are
frustrated, but the great tragedies of
the world are in the realm of the
home where parental ideals are un-
realized, parental hopes are shattcr-
ed and parental expectations are dis
appointed.
The glory of motherhood lies in her
beautiful life of self-sacrifce and SER
vice. Apart from the Cross of CAL
vary motherhood presents the clear
est illustration of the Law of Sacri-
flee to be found anywhere. Some one
has said that God could not be every
where so He made mothers. In them
tie has beautifully blended love and
tenderness and sympathy and patti
ence.
The glory of motherhood lies in her
power of moral leadership. Milton is
SO unchivalrous as to refer to woman
as the weaker vessel. From the Gene
sis story 1 gather a different view.
The tempter knew that once he had
conquered Eve his mastery over Adam
would be an easy task. Woman lead
away from God, hence her penalty
was the greater. On account of
Adams sin the soil was cursed, but
he could work it out. The pains of
motherhood are to continue forever.
The glory Of motherhood, further
more, lies in being the channel of
human redemption. Eve was the
mother of all living. Sara was the
mother of all believers and as "Prin-
cess" she was the mother of kings:
but Mary was the mother of Jesus,
the Desire Of all nations" The
"Magnifirat," the song that Mary
sang before the birth of Jesus con-
tanned the seed-germs of the Sermon
on the Mount; and the Sermon on the
Mount is the Magma Charta of Chris
tian civilization. Raphael has made
Mary the most beautiful woman ever
dreamed of by Art. The Roman
Church has carried its alteration of
the Virgin too far, but Protestants
have treated her with positive neg
lect. In RaphaePs Masterpiece the
Mother is not less prominent than the
Child. In fact the message of the
"Sistine Madonna" is the glory Of
motherhood.
Every woman may become the
mother of savior of men. She who
gives birth to q child has in her hands
the molding of force that may de-
tcrmne the destiny of nations.
Finally, l would urge the cultiva-
tion of reverence for our mothers.
This may be done by rejecting upon
what they are to us and what they
have done for us. The instinct of
mot tharhnOd 10 tho n,ioLt ;oct 40 -