Page:Free Opinions, Freely Expressed on Certain Phases of Modern Social Life and Conduct.djvu/168

ACCURSËD EVE

When the masculine Serpent, "who was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord had made," tempted the mother of mankind to eat of the forbidden fruit, the Voice in the Garden said to her—"I will greatly multiply thy sorrow!" It can scarcely be denied that this curse has been fulfilled. So manifold and incessant have been the sorrows of Woman since the legendary account of the creation of the world, that one cannot help thinking the whole business somewhat unfair, if,—for merely being "beguiled" by a beast of the field who was known to be more "subtil" than any other, and afterwards being "given away" by Coward Adam,—Eve and all the descendants of her sex should be compelled to suffer centuries of torture. The injustice is manifestly cruel and arbitrary,—yet it would seem to have followed poor Accursëd Eve from then till now. "I will greatly multiply thy sorrow!" And sorrow has been multiplied to such an aggravated and barbarous extent upon her unfortunate head, that in the Jewish ritual to this very day there is a part of the service wherein the men, standing in the presence of women, individually say: "Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who hast not made me a