hold no office of
trust or power, and her husband has the sole custody of her person,
and of her children while minors. He can steal her children, rob her
of her clothing, and beat her with a stick provided it is no thicker
than his thumb. While I was in London the highest court handed down a
decision on the law which does not permit a woman to divorce her
husband for infidelity, unless it has been accompanied by cruelty; a
man had brought his mistress into his home and compelled his wife to
work for and wait upon her, and the decision was that this was not
cruelty in the meaning of the law!

And if you say that this enslavement of Woman has nothing to do with
religion--that ancient Hebrew fables do not control modern English
customs--then listen to the Vicar of Crantock, preaching at St.
Crantock's, London, Aug. 27th, 1905, and explaining why women must
cover their heads in church:

(1) Man's priority of creation. Adam was first formed, then
Eve.

(2) The manner of creation. The man is not of the woman, but
the woman of the man.

(3) The purport of creation. The man was not created for the
woman, but the woman for the man.

(4) Results in creation. The man is the image of the glory
of God, but woman is the glory of man.

(5) Woman's priority in the fall. Adam was not deceived; but
the woman, being deceived, was in the transgression.

(6) The marriage relation. As the Church is subject to
Christ, so let the wives be to their husbands.

(7) The headship of man and woman. The head of every man is
Christ, but the head of the woman is man.

I say there is no modern evil which cannot be justified by these
ancient texts; and there is nowhere in Christendom a clergy which
cannot be persuaded to cite them at the demand of ruling classes. In
the city where I write, three clergymen are being sent to jail for six
months for protesting against the use of the name of Jesus in the
wholesale slaughter of men. Now, I am backing this war. I know that it
has to be fought, and I want to see it fought as hard as possible; but
I want to leave Jesus out of it, for I know that Jesus did not believe
in war, and never could have been brought to support a war. I object
to clerical cant on the subject; and I note that an eminent
theological authority, "Billy" Sunday, appears to agree with me; for I
find him on the front page of my morning paper, assailing the three