The American Missionary — Volume 36, No. 12, December, 1882Various
Religion
The American Missionary — Volume 36, No. 12, December, 1882
Various
Congregational churches -- Missions -- Periodicals; Home missions -- Periodicals
The second great idea is the “equality of man,” an equality not
of conditions but of rights. Equality before God’s law and love,
before human law and institutions. From this equality of man comes
the great doctrine of freedom for all. Slavery cannot exist in a
final civilization, because this final civilization is built up
in part on the idea of equality of man. From this equality of man
comes that other great social doctrine of the brotherhood of man.
Any civilization which ignores the equality of man, and these great
included ideas, freedom and brotherhood of man, cannot, in the
very nature of things, be the higher and the final civilization.
All former civilizations failed to recognize this great fact,
and this is one of the reasons why they became effete and passed
away. I believe God has chosen this land, and has raised up this
Association for the purpose of working out this problem.
The physical view is a low one, and really belongs to the lower
civilization. In comparison with the intellectual, and moral, and
spiritual, the physical sinks into insignificance.
The third great idea of the permanent civilization is “the true
idea of woman.” In the earlier civilizations woman was held as
inferior to man, because perhaps she could not endure the fatigues
of the chase or engage in wars, and such brutalizing pursuits.
The very signs of her superiority were read as evidences of her
inferiority. In some her position was hardly anything but that of a
slave or a toy. In that civilization which had the highest culture
of any of the old civilizations, an educated woman was classed in
the common thought of the people as an impure woman. Thank God
such a civilization as that was not the final one. In the final
civilization woman has her place alongside of man—co-equal and
co-ordinate.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account