ATTITUDE OF THE CHURCH.
The following are extracts from the "North American Review," from the first portion of a study of the position of women in history from the pen of the Duchess of Marlborough.
The chief cause which influenced the change in woman's position from one of slavery to one of dignity in the world's history was the gradual change in the marriage custom. In the early days, when Rome was nothing more than an agricultural community, the woman figured as an industrial asset in the family and her husband bought her from her father. But, as Rome grew into a great and rich city, the foremost in the world, families became rich, and women no longer represented means of production ; fathers left them fortunes independent of their husband's control, and a class of powerful wealthy women sprang into being. Marriage became a contract between two people, and it could not be dissolved except by law. Husband or wife had an equal right of dissolving a marriage but permission of a family council was necessary as well as compliance with legal forms.
THE GROWTH OF INDEPENDENCE.
As time went on, the Roman matron won a position of dignity and importance. Her good will and restrained moderation urged the men to confer certain privileges on their wives and to allow them absolute liberty and the place of honour in the house. Roman ladies, therefore, were allowed to go out unveiled. To attend the games, to dine with their lords; and to hold counsel and meetings among themselves On many occasions if is recorded that, by their agitation and incessant demands, they even obtained the reversal of a law, especially aimed at their privileges. In Hortensia, the daughter of the famous orator Hortensius, we can find a parallel to the statement Miss Pankhurst managed to elicit from the Prime Minster on the probable date of the introduction of a clause providing for woman's enfranchisement in the next general redistribution of votes Bill. Fourteen hundred of the richest women in Rome had been ordered to make a statement of their wealth by the Triumvirs who claimed that they had the power to employ any portion of it they liked to pay off the expenses of a war which could not otherwise be met. The matrons resented such high-handed treatment, and, as they could find no man bold enough to plead their cause, determined to do so themselves. First of all they approached the sister of Tetarianus and the mother and wife of Antony. The first two gave them a kindly reception, but Fulvia, Antony's wife, drove them from the door— very much the same treatment accorded to Miss Pankhurst, who promptly retaliated by what in Suffragette language is called a "demonstration," with the consequent penalty of fine or imprisonment. The Roman matrons similarly insulted turned to the tribunal of the Triumvirs. Hortensia spoke in their name, and delivered an eloquent and powerful speech, and succeeded in getting the demands of the Triumvirs reduced to a comparatively small sum.
WOMAN AND CHRISTIANITY.
The Christian code of morals for women, as handed down to us by the Apostles, does not add a new virtue to the list already drawn up for women's acceptance. At the time when Christianity dawned upon the world, women had attained a very exalted place in religion, society, and politics, and occupied positions of threat influence, power, and freedom. So that when the new religion bearing in its wake forms of a revolutionary and Socialistic character came it was only natural that women should throw themselves heart and soul into its fold; and for a time they were allowed freedom of thought, service, and action. But in a very short time all this changed, and from, that day women only figure as deaconesses and as martyrs, and the highest post to which they rose was that of a doorkeeper or a message woman— a very humiliating change when one considers that nearly every founder of a sect had up to this time had a woman to aid him.
The church, by her adherence to primary statutes, has exerted a conservative influence and imbued us with a prejudice against all that is not strictly orthodox, so that for no logical reason whatsoever we view unfavourably any innovation or concession to modern thought. Yet the church, counting among her most ardent supporters that great body of women workers who from their very disinterestedness in worldly gain, are able to consecrate their lives to God's service, should surely be the first to recognise woman's equality. The Baptist and Methodist churches are leading the way in sanctioning women preachers. The Church of England will only follow when public opinion has irretrievably set its seal of approval on the practice.
THE SANCTITY OF MARRIAGE.
Marriage became more sacred in that it endowed woman with equal responsibility as far as her willingness and consent were concerned and made her a spiritual partner in grace. But, on the other hand, the general attitude adopted against marriage as a lower state of grace reflected on woman, and came to be looked upon as a serious hindrance to a virtuous life. Her morals were still a mere relativity to man, honour as understood among men was never taught her, truthfulness apart from man's interest not expected. A thing is never good or bad in itself as far as woman is concerned. In the New England States women were as grievously punished for being scolds as men were for stealing, simply because scolding was a serious cause of inconvenience to the husband, and he induced the community to establish it as an offence deserving the ducking-chair. In England, as late as 1850, a man sold his wife in the market place because she was a scold. She fetched the large sum of sixpence.
Instances of this kind could be indefinitely enumerated, did space or time allow. All we wish to establish is that woman's sense of honour is not expected to be either logical or rational, and that its conception is purely masculine. One of the first reforms women should set themselves, when franchise enables them to do so, is to establish a moral standard for women in which every iota will not be relative to the sex question. The growing desire to be regarded as individuals rather than as women is getting strong enough in women of all civilised countries to make such a measure welcome to all, and it will do more to plane away prejudice and a certain false modesty than any amount of propaganda and agitation.
With the reawakening spirit of Paganism embodied in the love of the beautiful and the free, a great wave of returning sensibility swept over the globe beginning in Italy and spreading through Western Europe to England. The world had at length awakened to the fact that it was living in bondage, that there had been treasures of art, philosophy, and learning before the advent of Christianity, and that their own productions could by no manner of means approach the classic ones. At once a great revival of art, architecture, literature, and learning arose, and, although philosophy and science were still banned by the Church, many read and digested in private.
THE NEW FREEDOM.
Women were not slow to avail themselves of this new impetus towards a freedom of thought and action from which they had for long been debarred. Indeed, it is worthy of remark that, at each new ebullition of thought, be it of a religious or artistic nature, woman at once uses the confusion that follows on the institution of a new order for an old to advance her own cause towards the moral independence and individual liberty she so earnestly craves.
With amazing rapidity they adapt themselves to altered conditions and environments, and the great ladies of the Renaissance, famous for their learning, their wit, tact, cleverness, and grace; in fact all the arts requisite to leaders of thought and elegance, became the subtle and dangerous rivals of the statesmen and intriguers of the day, defeating them at their own game, unscrupulous and daring as Machiavelli himself.
What suppressed energy must have been waiting ready to spring forth the moment opportunity unbarred the gate. Thus in the van of every great movement we find woman pushing her way to the front with an ever active and efficient energy ready to serve her purpose. See in the days of the French Revolution woman casting aside all her conservative and more quiescent virtues, and assuming the catabolic energy of man to accomplish a work man himself at moments hesitated to pursue but for her enthusiastic persistence.
The existence of so much restive and turbulent energy seems to denote that woman has not yet accomplished the position she means to occupy in society, and that having engendered no actual purpose as yet she throws her activity into whatever channel is most ready to hand. The bond known as esprit de corps does not strongly exist among women, and its absence accounts for the fact that they have not brought out reforms to strengthen and consolidate their own position.
Maitland Weekly Mercury (NSW : 1894 - 1931), Saturday 10 April 1909, page 14
No comments:
Post a Comment