d wiser than a mere
brute, and incidentally gave her husband an opportunity to invent the
first human lie (a privilege still dear to the heart), a field which up
to that time had been exclusively worked by the reptiles. But they never
got a chance at it again. From the time that Adam entered the lists,
competition was too lively for any of the lower animals to stand a ghost
of a chance at it, and that may account for the fact that, from that
time to this, nobody has ever heard a snake tell a lie or volunteer
information to a woman. The Church has had a monopoly of these
profitable perquisites ever since. The serpent never tried it again. He
turned woman over to the clergy, and from that time to this they have
been the instructors who have told her which apple to bite, and how big
a bite to take. She has never had a chance since to change her diet.
From that day to this she has had apple pie, stewed apple, dried apple,
baked apple, apple-jack, and cider; and this clergyman that I heard,
started out fresh on apple-sauce. He seemed to think--"anything for a
change." You would have thought, to hear him, that the very worst
thing that ever happened to this world was the birth of the desire
for knowledge, and that such desire in woman had been the curse of all
mankind.

But it seems to me that if in this day of intelligence a minister
preaches or acts upon such dogmas, women should scorn him both as a
teacher and as a man. If a creed or Church upholds such doctrines they
should shun it as they would a pest-house. If any system or any book
of religion teaches such principles they should exert every effort to
utterly destroy its influence. I want to do what I can to show women
that the mercury of self-respect must fall several degrees at the church
door, and that the light of reason must go out.

In this sermon that I speak of, we were warned "not to be wise above
that which is written." As if a man should bind his thoughts and
knowledge down to what was known, believed, or written in ages past!
As though a man should fear and tremble, should hesitate to reach out
after, to labor to know, all that his intellect and energy can compass.
As though to be good he must accept situations, sentiments, ideas
ready-made, and dwarf his intellect and bind his mental ability by the
capacity of somebody else.

"He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."

"He that hath eyes to see, let him see."

And he that hath a brain to think, let hi