Sauk City High School - Sauk Log Yearbook (Sauk City, WI)

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have been, as queens, the mothers and examples of nations. God has so ordained that woman should be the indispensable companion of man in all his work. The Apostles had the holy women as companions. The names of Abraham and Sara, of Isaac and Rebecca, Ferdinand and Isabella, are indissolubly associated in glory. With the dawn of modern times woman became more and more emancipated. Historians tell us that during this period woman has been greatly elevated and enobled and that she should be grateful to man for this advancement. Historians do her an injustice. Nobility of character is an inward growth, and can be conferred by no man or set of men. Her fight for liberty and recognition has been a hard fight. She waged it herself and won. She merits the gratitude of the entire world, for what she has accomplished for herself, for home and society. When General Halofernes was sent by the Assyrian king to subdue all nations and forego their national existence, it was a woman who stopped his onward march. The inspired writer in describing this patriotic act said: “Thou art the glory of Jerusalem; thou art the joy of Israel, thou art the honor of our people ’’ Judith was not the only woman who did great things for the people, and the words of Scripture were meant in a higher, nobler sense for all women of all ages in the onward march of progress. Never has the position of woman changed more radically than since 1800. She is a part in the body politic. In certain states she is a recognized voter with full rights of citizenship. Does she not also receive in those states the same protection as to property and in the administration of the law as man has ? Everywhere the justice of this re-arrangement of rights has been accepted. In many places there are movements on foot looking to the early passage of laws which make woman a citizen in the enjoyment of the fullest rights contemplated under the original declaration of our liberties. Having a vote woman will be able to help her unfortunate sisters, to rescue the government of the cities from corruption and to take an active part in the reformation of those man made laws legalizing vice in all forms, in the upbuilding of juster ideals for both men and women. Woman must labor incessantly that the home should be an abode of virture and high ideals. With undying tenacity she should combat all laws leading to its dissolution, thereby protecting innocent children and herself against the lawless-

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caprice of her husband. Her children were torn from her arms at a tender age to become the property of the state. Man was a law unto himself. He was without love, and with- out love the family was impossible, or became impossible in our ancient civilization. The family is the source of society; the wife is the source of the family. If the source of the family is despised and degraded was it any wonder that these nations of Southern Europe soon decayed ? Was it any won- der that after four centuries of impurity, immorality, and riotous living that righteousness should assert itself? Is there any wonder that the time came when a new world and a new civilization should be born? Then came a time when God’s designs became apparent. Even as the storm cloud bursts forth and sweeps the earth in its relentless force—so from the fastness of the North came forth dreadful hordes of men—men without mercy—men without history or written language and they came, Goth and Visigoths, Huns and Vandals, onward sweeping carrying destruction in their hands. Rome went down before them. All her glory departed, and so the civili- zation of Greece and Rome was completely destroyed at the close of the 5th century. 4000 years of work had to be done over again. But this new civilization was to permit woman’s love to reign supreme. The history of Christendom furnishes illustrations abundant of the noble and effective part which Christian women have played in this regenerative work. For centuries her work was done in epochs of barbarism, lawlessness, uncultured natural childhood; or general luxury and relaxation of morals. In such eras manly virtue was rare, ever ready to lose what had been gained. But the mother at home was not so ready to give up the best that was in life in these dark ages. Her gentle purifying influence went out to sanctify and redeem society. The highest in the lower order touches the superior in the next above it. So the individual woman’s influence mellowed the character of the family, and the hope of humanity lies in the sanctity of the family. Woman’s part has been a various and dignified one. As the family life became strict woman’s influence was increased. It was then that woman placed her name high on the roll of honor. From these retreats the gentle, purifying, refining, influences of woman went forth. Some by their boundless munificence and magnanimous counsels have been worthy helpmates of rulers in their undertakings. Others like the two Elizabeths, and Margaret of Scotland, in the middle ages

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ness of man and the perversity of the human heart. The breaking up of families is one of our great sources of national weakness. It tends to unfaithfulness, it is injurious to the care and education of children; it gives occasion to the break- ing up of domestic society; it lessens and degrades the dignity of woman; it springs from corrupt morals of nations. We are in an age of material progress. Great economic questions are to be settled, and must be settled right. Pro- gress along all lines to higher ideals is of divine ordering. Human stagnation provoked God’s anger is the lesson of the parable of the talents. In the solution of those problems, both economic and moral, woman has her place. She can not stand isolated from it. Her place is in the world as well as in the home. In the world when her love and refine- ment can render it a service. Let her embrace every oppor- tunity to work for further victories, for mind over matter, for virtue over immorality, for justice over injustice. To hold the world to truth woman must be in it. To do this woman realizes her birthright and gives to the world the influence of one. “So mild, so merciful, so strong, so good, So patient, peaceful, loyal, loving, pure.” 'fi-