be
admitted to the various institutions and associations in which men
sought to improve their minds.

The object of Odd-Fellowship is to improve and elevate the character of
man, to enlighten his mind and enlarge the sphere of his affections,
and of course woman, as being mentally weak and naturally inferior to
man, was excluded from its sacred precincts. Now, however, things are
changed; nearly all educational institutions worthy of mention admit
women, and the Rebekah of today, emulating the Rebekah of old, will be
hand in hand with her brothers in all good works. She will accompany
him on his errands of mercy, watch beside the bedside of anguish,
foregoing pleasure to follow in the path of duty.

I would have every man know--who has a wife--that "mutual benefit from
harmonious partnership work" is an axiom in as full a sense as "in
union there is strength."

There are two sides to every question, and in this article I shall deal
with the woman's side. I want to present especially the wife's side of
the question to every Odd-Fellow, hoping that it will be of lasting
benefit in many ways. I know full well that only one accustomed to
deal with high and holy things, one whose glance is ever at sacred
things, one who, as it were, administers the treasures of the kingdom
of God, can fittingly touch this subject. It would be easy for me to
be a cheap wit, to rake up the old scandal of Mother Eve, to even
declaim with windy volubility that a woman betrayed the capital, that a
woman lost Mark Anthony the world and left old Troy in ashes. But far
be it from me! Rather would I assume a loftier mood; rather would I
strike a loftier note, and, with blind Homer, beg for an unwearied
tongue to chant the praise of woman. It is true Eve lost us Eden, but
in that garden of monotonous delight, had we been born there, we would
never have truly known what woman is. O, Felix Culpa! O, happy fault!
that has shown the world the mines of rich affection of woman's heart,
that else would never have been discovered. O, happy fault, that has
shown the world a wealth of woman's nature, her capability for love,
the radiance of her tenderness, her infinite pity, her unswerving
devotion, the solace of her presence in sickness and sorrow, the depth
and sweetness of her mercy.

A river of pure delight flowed through paradise, but blind Adam never
saw it, never dreamed of it until the flaming sword cut him off
forever; but he has since