46 



CONSTANCE L. MAYNARD^ ON THE 



representation of moral evil." Those who know the sculptures and 

 pictures of the Temple of Luxor, not to mention others^ will be 

 unable to endorse that statement. 



The very word " family " witnesses to what Christianity has 

 done for women. Familia," to the ear of a Roman, even when 

 Rome was in the glory of her power, meant a dwelling with a 

 multitude of idle, corrupt and corrupting slaves, ready for any 

 treachery and reeking with every vice. It meant a despot who 

 could kill his slaves when they were old and expose his children when 

 they were born. It meant matrons among whom virtue was rare, 

 divorces frequent, and re-marriage easy. To Christianity our great 

 word " family " owes all that makes it beautiful and sweet. 



In setting forth the position of woman among the Jews Miss 

 Maynard has wholly overlooked the fact that polygamy was common 

 and concubinage allowed, both of which are forbidden in Christian 

 lands. 



Lt.-Col. Alves said : On p. 36 is an allusion to " one most charming 

 glimpse of the ordinary social life of the Old Testament, and that, 

 curiously enough, is not in the Old Testament, but in the New." 

 But in the Old Testament we have, notably, three such glimpses — 

 that of Jephthah s daughter, of Ruth, and of Abigail — all showing 

 that the women of Israel had considerable freedom, and were not 

 bound by the restraints of the harem. 



But the chief point to which I would draw attention is the remark, 

 on pp. 38 and 39, regarding the supposed " three great fundamental 

 errors," viz., the superiority (1) of one nation to another, (2) of 

 one social rank to another, and (3) of one sex to the other, concerning 

 which the reader quotes Gal. iii, 28 : "... neither Jew nor 

 Greek . . . neither bond nor free . . . neither male nor female : 

 for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." 



It is evident, however, that this passage refers solely to their 

 spiritual position " in Christ Jesus " ; for we find the distinctions 

 still remaining, the first two in the millennium, the last in this age 

 also. 



The Old Testament is full of alhisions to the supremacy of Israel 

 in the millennium, a supremacy, however, which may be shared by 

 Gentiles who choose it, submitting to the ceremonial law (Ezek. 

 xlvii, 22-23). Gentile nations must send representatives to 



