ARE WOMEN HUMAN BEINGS?

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 2128, 23 October 1896, Page 3

ARE WOMEN HUMAN BEINGS?

" Are women human beings V was the Woman question as formulated In the sixth century. This startling enquiry was proposed by a bishop at the Council of Macon, and the reverend fathers were so amiable and so liberal as to devote several sessions to the consideration of the subject. They did not disdain the question as useless or frivolous, but gravely undertook the task of assigning to woman her proper place in creation. With all her faults they loved her still, and. moved partly no doubt by affection, they generously decided that she did not belong to the world of "muttons, beeves, or geats." but was in truth a human being.. It must not be imagined, however, that this advanced theory was forced upon Christendom. The Council of Ma«on was not oecumenical, and so Churchmen wore not constrained to accept its deeisfcm. To admit that womanklml was a nart of the human race was simply a proof of high civilisation, and yet the sixth century is one of those unfortunate i periods which have been scornfully termed the "Dark Ages." There wast really a " Woman question" in the mediaeval world. That delightful nrobleni. which offers such special opportunities for tlw display of wit and courtesy, was a favorite subject for argument then, even as it is ! now .although it was a different phase |of the matter which was discussed in I those ancient days. Woman's intellectual equality with man was hardly considered, and it was found sufficiently ; d."finer to assert her moral eqiwlity with her lord, or rather to maintain that her inferiority to him was not always very great. That some women were someTimes nearly as good as some men was surelv a bold statement. If. in the fourteenth century, an honest, masterful bourgeois had been tempted to explain mildlv to his wife the innate inferiority of woman, and if she were well-edu-cated, high-spirited female, eager for the defence of her sex. a pretty argument on the Woman question might have taken place, such as is related in a certain poem. Some little marital dispute, no doubt, provoked the discussion.

The husband began by referring to woman's first offence. His Bible history ad usum feminae read somewhat, like this : Foor innocent Adam lost. Paradise because of the wickedness of Eve. The moral he drew from the story of Eden was. of course, that Adam would have had a better chance for "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" without Eve. as would any man without any woman. "Lucky is he that has none," was the refrain of this gallant husband. The woman based her plea or the glory of the Virgin Women cannot be utterly bad she urged,sinceono of them was found worthy of such high honor. ITer argument was. unfortunately, monotonous, for she replied to his assertions by citing the holiness of the Virgin until it almost seemed a* though there had never been any other good woman : while he. to strengthen his side, could mention scores of females who had been notoriously bad— Potiphnr's wife. Uriah's wife, who led astray good King David. Delilah, and the wicked foreigners who corrupted the virtue of Solomon. At last the wife bethought her of Esther: but the husband had half-a-dozen Rolands ready for her modest Oliver, and she was forced to return to her former example. ITer defence became apologetic, but it was no wonder, for her lord made distressingly clever points: for instance : "Angels have never transformed them- ' selves into women, but plenty of devils have appeared in that guise." Naturally the poor creature was embarrassed by such a significant assertion, and could only answer feebly that, at any rate, angels had visited women. Nevertheless, madam had the last. word. Perhaps her husband fell into a sleep of exhaustion, caused by the great mental effort he had made, or perhaps h° simply knew by experience that he had to stop first. However that may have been, she had a chance to declaim without interruption an eloquent defence of her sex. thus:—ln the first place, all the brave men and all the saints were born of women, and so women have done more good than harm. Secondly, a great many men have commuted crimes, notably Cain. Judas, and Nero; hence it can be seen that sin is not monopolised by the female sex. Men make war: men are thieves, murderers, and traitors. More men than women are hung, drowned, and fined. More men than women are seen in prisons: more women in churches Finally, women having been the mothers and nurses of all, have had authority over all.

Arguments on every kind of subject, were much the fashion in the Middle Apes and nothing was more onsy thnn to start a discussion on the YTomnn question, for in any company of men and women there were suiv to be eager advocates for either side. To set the hall rolling some one would suggest a hard problem. such as is a bad man botthan a good woman? or"is the testimony of a poor man more valuable than that of a rich woman?" The latter question was posed by Raimond Lulle, a man who could dispute on every subject imaginable, and who had so rriven himself up to the contemplative life that his wife was forced to beseech the court to appoint a trustee for his property, that it might not be entirely wasted. The principal charges brought against "lovely woman " in the fourteenth century were, that she was quarrelsome, obsti.nate.false. curious, avaricous. and could not keep a secret. The arguments offered in support of these accusations were sometimes extremely subtle From the simple admission that woman was cold by nature, it was artfully demonstrated that she was avaricious. Nothing could be more logical. Woman is cold; cold contracts: hence woman contracts, or draws everything she has close to her. That woman was more quarrelsome and noisy than man was successfully proved by reference to the creation, lie was made of clay and she was formed of ti bone, and bone gives forth when it is struck a more resounding noise than clay. But sometimes mere repetition was considered sufficiently convincing, for it was already at that early day an accepted rule of debate, "If I've stated it thrice, the proof is complete.—"Lipppincott's Magazine."