Woman Answers Only to God

My dear Sister,—In my last, I traced the creation and the fall of man and woman from that state of purity and happiness which their beneficent Creator designed them to enjoy. As they were one in transgression, their chastisement was the same. ‘So God drove out the man, and he placed at the East of the garden of Eden a cherubim and a flaming sword, which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life.’ We now behold them expelled from Paradise, fallen from their original loveliness, but still bearing on their foreheads the image and superscription of Jehovah; still invested with high moral responsibilities, intellectual powers, and immortal souls. They had incurred the penalty of sin, they were shorn of their innocence, but they stood on the same platform side by side, acknowledging no superior but their God. Notwithstanding what has been urged, woman I am aware stands charged to the present day with having brought sin into the world. I shall not repel the charge by any counter assertions, although, as was before hinted, Adam’s ready acquiescence with his wife’s proposal, does not savor much of that superiority in strength of mind, which is arrogated by man. Even admitting that Eve was the greater sinner, it seems to me man might be satisfied with the dominion he has claimed and exercised for nearly six thousand years, and that more true nobility would be manifested by endeavoring to raise the fallen and invigorate the weak, than by keeping woman in subjection. But I ask no favors for my sex. I surrender not our claim to equality. All I ask of our brethren is, that they will take their feet from off our necks, and permit us to stand upright on that ground which God designed us to occupy. If he has not given us the rights which have, as I conceive, been wrested from us, we shall soon give evidence of our inferiority, and shrink back into that obscurity, which the high souled magnanimity of man has assigned us as our appropriate sphere.

My dear Sister, In my last letter, I traced the creation and fall of man and woman. They fell from the purity and happiness their benevolent Creator intended them to enjoy. Because they shared in the transgression, their punishment was the same. “So God drove out the man, and he placed cherubim and a flaming sword east of the garden of Eden. The sword turned in every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.” We now see them expelled from Paradise and fallen from their original beauty. Yet they still bore the image and inscription of Jehovah on their foreheads. They still had great moral responsibilities, intellectual powers, and immortal souls. They had incurred the penalty for sin and had lost their innocence. But they stood side by side on equal ground, acknowledging no superior but their God. Despite what has been argued, I know that woman is still accused of bringing sin into the world. I will not answer the charge with counterclaims. Yet, as I hinted before, Adam readily agreed to his wife’s proposal. This hardly suggests the superiority in strength of mind that man claims. Even admitting that Eve was the greater sinner, it seems to me that man might be satisfied. He has claimed and exercised dominion for nearly six thousand years. It would show greater true nobility to raise the fallen and strengthen the weak than to keep woman in subjection. But I ask no favors for my sex. I do not surrender our claim to equality. All I ask of our brothers is that they take their feet off our necks. Let us stand upright on the ground God intended us to occupy. I believe that rights have been taken from us. If God has not given us those rights, we will soon show our inferiority. We will shrink back into the obscurity that man, in his high-minded generosity, has assigned us as our proper place.

As I am unable to learn from sacred writ when woman was deprived by God of her equality with man, I shall touch upon a few points in the Scriptures, which demonstrate that no supremacy was granted to man. When God had destroyed the world, except Noah and his family, by the deluge, he renewed the grant formerly made to man, and again gave him dominion over every beast of the earth, every fowl of the air, over all that moveth upon the earth, and over all the fishes of the sea; into his hands they were delivered. But was woman, bearing the image of her God, placed under the dominion of her fellow man? Never! Jehovah could not surrender his authority to govern his own immortal creatures into the hands of a being, whom he knew, and whom his whole history proved, to be unworthy of a trust so sacred and important. God could not do it, because it is a direct contravention of his law, ‘Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.’ If Jehovah had appointed man as the guardian, or teacher of woman, he would certainly have given some intimation of this surrender of his own prerogative. But so far from it, we find the commands of God invariably the same to man and woman; and not the slightest intimation is given in a single passage of the Bible, that God designed to point woman to man as her instructor. The tenor of his language always is, ‘Look unto ME, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is none else.’

I cannot find in Scripture when God deprived woman of her equality with man. So I will discuss a few passages that show no supremacy was granted to man. God destroyed the world by the flood, except for Noah and his family. Afterward, he renewed the authority he had formerly given man. He again gave him dominion over every beast of the earth and every bird of the air. He also gave him dominion over everything that moves on the earth and every fish in the sea. They were delivered into his hands. But was woman, made in the image of her God, placed under the dominion of her fellow man? Never! Jehovah could not hand over his authority to govern his own immortal creatures to man. God knew man was unworthy of such a sacred and important trust, and man’s whole history has proved it. God could not do it because it directly violates his law: ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ If Jehovah had appointed man as woman’s guardian or teacher, he would surely have given some indication of it. He would have shown that he was giving up his own authority. But far from it, we find that God’s commands are always the same for man and woman. Not a single passage in the Bible gives the slightest indication that God intended man to be woman’s instructor. His message is always the same: ‘Look to ME and be saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is no other.’

The lust of dominion was probably the first effect of the fall; and as there was no other intelligent being over whom to exercise it, woman was the first victim of this unhallowed passion. We afterwards see it exhibited by Cain in the murder of his brother, by Nimrod in his becoming a mighty hunter of men, and setting up a kingdom over which to reign. Here we see the origin of that Upas of slavery, which sprang up immediately after the fall, and has spread its pestilential branches over the whole face of the known world. All history attests that man has subjected woman to his will, used her as a means to promote his selfish gratification, to minister to his sensual pleasures, to be instrumental in promoting his comfort; but never has he desired to elevate her to that rank she was created to fill. He has done all he could to debase and enslave her mind; and now he looks triumphantly on the ruin he has wrought, and says, the being he has thus deeply injured is his inferior.

The desire to dominate was probably the first effect of the fall. There was no other intelligent being over whom man could exercise it, so woman was its first victim. We later see this unholy passion when Cain murders his brother. We see it again when Nimrod becomes a mighty hunter of men and sets up a kingdom to rule. Here we see the origin of that Upas of slavery. It sprang up immediately after the fall and spread its poisonous branches across the whole known world. All history shows that man has subjected woman to his will. He has used her to satisfy his selfish desires, serve his sensual pleasures, and provide for his comfort. But he has never wanted to raise her to the rank she was created to fill. He has done all he could to degrade and enslave her mind. Now he looks triumphantly at the ruin he has caused. He says that the being he has so deeply injured is his inferior.

Woman has been placed by John Quincy Adams, side by side with the slave, whilst he was contending for the right side of petition. I thank him for ranking us with the oppressed; for I shall not find it difficult to show, that in all ages and countries, not even excepting enlightened republican America, woman has more or less been made a means to promote the welfare of man, without due regard to her own happiness, and the glory of God as the end of her creation.

John Quincy Adams placed woman side by side with the slave while arguing for the right to petition. I thank him for ranking us with the oppressed. For I can easily show that, in all ages and countries, woman has been made a means of promoting man's welfare. This has happened to some degree even in enlightened republican America. Too little regard has been given to her own happiness and the glory of God as the purpose of her creation.

During the patriarchal ages, we find men and women engaged in the same employments. Abraham and Sarah both assisted in preparing the food which was to be set before the three men, who visited them in the plains of Mamre; but although their occupations were similar, Sarah was not permitted to enjoy the society of the holy visitant; and as we learn from Peter, that she ‘obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord,’ we may presume he exercised dominion over her. We shall pass on now to Rebecca. In her history, we find another striking illustration of the low estimation in which woman was held. Eleazur is sent to seek a wife for Isaac. He finds Rebecca going down to the well to fill her pitcher. He accosts her; and she replies with all humility, ‘Drink, my lord.’ How does he endeavor to gain her favor and confidence? Does he approach her as a dignified creature, whom he was about to invite to fill an important station in his master’s family, as the wife of his only son? No. He offered incense to her vanity, and ‘he took a golden ear-ring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold,’ and gave them to Rebecca.

During the patriarchal ages, men and women did the same kinds of work. Abraham and Sarah both helped prepare food for the three men who visited them on the plains of Mamre. But although they did similar work, Sarah was not allowed to spend time with the holy visitor. Peter tells us that she ‘obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord,’ so we may presume that Abraham exercised authority over her. Let us now turn to Rebecca. Her story offers another striking example of how little women were valued. Eleazur is sent to find a wife for Isaac. He finds Rebecca going down to the well to fill her pitcher. He speaks to her, and she replies with complete humility, ‘Drink, my lord.’ How does he try to gain her favor and confidence? Does he approach her as a dignified person? Does he treat her as someone he is about to invite to an important place in his master’s family, as the wife of his master’s only son? No. He appeals to her vanity. ‘He took a golden ear-ring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold,’ and gave them to Rebecca.

The cupidity of man soon led him to regard woman as property, and hence we find them sold to those, who wished to marry them, as far as appears, without any regard to those sacred rights which belong to woman, as well as to man in the choice of a companion. That women were a profitable kind of property, we may gather from the description of a virtuous woman in the last chapter of Proverbs. To work willingly with her hands, to open her hands to the poor, to clothe herself with silk and purple, to look well to her household, to make fine linen and sell it, to deliver girdles to the merchant, and not to eat the bread of idleness, seems to have constituted in the view of Solomon, the perfection of a woman’s character and achievements. ‘The spirit of that age was not favorable to intellectual improvement; but as there were wise men who formed exceptions to the general ignorance, and were destined to guide the world into more advanced states, so there was a corresponding proportion of wise women; and among the Jews, as well as other nations, we find a strong tendency to believe that women were in more immediate connection with heaven than men.’—L. M. Child’s Con. of Woman. If there be any truth in this tradition, I am at a loss to imagine in what the superiority of man consists.

Man’s greed soon led him to regard woman as property. As a result, women were sold to those who wished to marry them. As far as we can tell, no regard was given to the sacred right women share with men to choose a companion. The description of a virtuous woman in the last chapter of Proverbs suggests that women were a profitable kind of property. In Solomon’s view, a woman seems to have achieved perfect character and accomplishments by doing the following: working willingly with her hands, giving to the poor, clothing herself in silk and purple, and looking after her household. She also had to make and sell fine linen, supply girdles to merchants, and not eat the bread of idleness. ‘The spirit of that age did not favor intellectual improvement. But some wise men were exceptions to the general ignorance, and they were destined to guide the world into more advanced states. There was a corresponding proportion of wise women. Among the Jews, as well as other nations, we find a strong tendency to believe that women were in more direct connection with heaven than men.’ L. M. Child’s Con. of Woman. If there is any truth in this tradition, I cannot imagine what makes man superior.