Page:Woman and the Bible.pdf/8

4 words of the President of a Presbyterian Theological SenimarySeminary [sic] in his address to a class of young preacherpreachers [sic]. He said: "My Bible commands the subjection of women forever;" that man had searched the scriptures and found out what they taught.

The Bible says: "A tree is known by its fruit," yet this tree is carefully pruned, watered, and tended as the "tree of life" whose fruit in the word of Archdeacon Farrar "alone elevates woman, and shrouds as with a halo of sacred innocence the tender years of the child." As the world is swarming with miserable women, who are robbed of their human rights, bearing children against their will, who are filling our reform schools, poor houses, and prisons, the "elevation" for women and the "sacred halo" for children not having arrived yet after being on the way for 2,000 years, has so far proved to be a mere pipe-dream of this cleric.

The Bible records that God created woman by a method different from that employed in bringing into life, any other creature, then cursed her for seeking knowledge, yet the Scriptures say, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge," because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee 'Hosea 4-6.' 'Add to your faith virtue and to virtue knowledge," "2nd Peter 1-5, yet we have the injustice and inconsistency of God cursing Eve," and through her the race for seeking knowledge. Ever since Eve was cursed, the priest with the Bible in his hands has pronounced woman the most unnatural, untrustworthy and dangerous creature of God.

In the tenth commandment Exodus 20-17, she is classed with the ox and the ass; she is "given away" as a sheep at the marriage altar, and cursed in maternity. Psalms 51-5 says, "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me." Surely there is nothing elevating about that to