Part 6 (1/2)
”That hain't nothin' I approve of; I don't speak of it because I like the idee. That wuzn't done in a open honorable manner as things should be done.
No, Eve ruled by indirect influence, the gently influencing men way, that politicians are so fond of. And she brought ruin and destruction onto the hull world by it.
”A few years later when men and wimmen grew wiser, when we hear of wimmen rulin' Israel openly and honestly, like Miriam, Deborah and other likely old four mothers, things went on better. They didn't act meachin' and tempt, and act indirect.”
He sithed powerful and sot round oneasy in his chair. And sez he, ”I thought wimmen wuz taught by the Bible to serve and love their homes.”
”So they be. And every true woman loves to serve. Home is my supreme happiness and delight, and my best happiness is found in servin' them I love. But I must tell the truth, in the house or outdoors.”
Sez he faintly, ”The Old Testament may teach that women have some strength and power. But in the New Testament in every great undertaken' and plan men have been chosen by G.o.d to carry them through.”
”Why-ee!” sez I, ”how you talk! Have you ever read the Bible?”
He said evasively, his grandmother owned one, and he had seen it in early youth. And then he went on in a sort of apologizin' way. He had always meant to read it, but he had entered political life at an early age where the Bible wuzn't popular, and he believed that he had never read further than the Epistles of Gulliver to the Liliputians.
Sez I, ”That hain't Bible, there hain't no Gulliver in it, and you mean Galatians.”
Well, he said, that might be it, it wuz some man he knew, and he had always heard and believed that man wuz the only worker that G.o.d had chosen.
”Why,” sez I, ”the one great theme of the New Testament--the salvation of the world through the birth of Christ--no man had anything to do with. Our divine Lord wuz born of G.o.d and Woman. Heavenly plan of redemption for fallen humanity. G.o.d Himself called woman into that work, the divine work of saving a world, and why shouldn't she continue in it? G.o.d called her.
Mary had no dream of publicity, no desire of a world's work of suffering and renunciation. The soft air of Galilee wropped her about in its sweet content, as she dreamed her quiet dreams in maiden peace--dreamed, perhaps, of domestic love and happiness.
”From that sweetest silence, the restful peace of happy innocent girlhood, G.o.d called her to her divine work of helpin' redeem a world from sin. And did not this woman's love and willin' obedience, and sufferin' set her apart, baptize her for this work of liftin' up the fallen, helpin' the weak?
[Ill.u.s.tration: ”He'd entered political life where the Bible wuzn't popular; he'd never read further than Gulliver's Epistle to the Liliputians.”]
”Is it not a part of woman's life that she gave at the birth and crucifixion? Her faith, her hope, her sufferin', her glow of divine pity and joyful martyrdom. These, mingled with the divine, the pure heavenly, have they not for nineteen hundred years been blessin' the world? The G.o.d in Christ would awe us too much; we would s.h.i.+eld our eyes from the too blindin' glory of the pure G.o.d-like. But the tender Christ who wept over a sinful city, and the grave of His friend, who stopped dyin' on the cross to comfort His mother's heart, provide for her future--it is this womanly element in our Lord's nature that makes us dare to approach Him, dare to kneel at His feet?
”And since woman wuz so blessed as to be counted worthy to be co-worker with G.o.d in the beginnin' of the world's redemption; since He called her from the quiet obscurity of womanly rest and peace into the blessed martyrdom of renunciation and toil and sufferin', all to help a world that cared nothin' for her, that cried out shame upon her.
”He will help her carry on the work of helpin' a sinful world. He will protect her in it, she cannot be harmed or hindered, for the cause she loves of helpin' men and wimmen, is G.o.d's cause too, and G.o.d will take care of His own. Herods full of greed and frightened selfishness may try to break her heart by efforts to kill the child she loves, but she will hold it so clost to her bosom he can't destroy it; and the light of the Divine will go before her, showin' the way through the desert and wilderness mebby, but she shall bear it into safety.”
”You spoke of Herod,” sez he dreamily, ”the name sounds familiar to me. Was not Mr. Herod once in the United States Senate?”
”Not that one,” sez I. ”He died some time ago, but I guess he has relatives there now, judgin' from laws made there. You ask who Herod wuz, and as it all seems a new story to you, I will tell you. When the Saviour of the world wuz born in Bethlehem, and a woman wuz tryin' to save His life, a man by the name of Herod wuz tryin' his best out of selfishness and greed to murder Him.”
”Ah! that was not right in Herod.”
”No, it hain't been called so. And what wuzn't right in him hain't right in his relations who are tryin' to do the same thing to-day. Sellin' for money the right to destroy the child the mother carries on her heart. Surroundin'
him with temptations so murderous, yet so enticin' to youthful spirits, that the mother feels that as the laws are now, the grave is the only place of safety that G.o.d Himself can find for her boy. But because Herod wuz so mean it hain't no sign that all men are mean. Joseph wuz as likely as he could be.”
”Joseph?” sez he pensively. ”Do you allude to our venerable speaker, Joe Cannon?”
”No,” sez I. ”I'm talkin' Bible--I'm talkin' about Joseph; jest plain Joseph.”
”Ah! I see. I am not fully familiar with that work. Being so engrossed in politics, and political literature, I don't git any time to devote to less important publications.”
Sez I candidly, ”I knew you hadn't read it the minute you mentioned the book of Liliputians. But as I wuz sayin', Joseph wuz a likely man. He had the strength to lead the way, overcome obstacles, keep dangers from Mary, protect her tenderer form with the mantilly of his generous devotion.
”_But she carried the Child on her bosom_; ponderin' high things in her heart that Joseph never dreamed of. That is what is wanted now, and in the future. The man and the woman walkin' side by side. He a little ahead, mebby, to keep off dangers by his greater strength and courage. She a-carryin' the infant Christ of Love, bearin' the baby Peace in her bosom, carryin' it into safety from them that seek to destroy it.