WOMAN'S POSITION ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE.
By ANNIE BESANT.
One of the favorite claims put forward on behalf of the Bible by believers in its inspiration is that the position of woman in society has been greatly improved by its acceptance. "See women among the heathen, how degraded, how hard-worked, how enslaved!" say Christians. "Contrast her treatment among them with the liberty and respect enjoyed by women in happy Christian lands." Putting on one side the question whether an Indian squaw has, on the whole, a much harder life than a married factory "hand", who toils all day at the factory, and returns home at night to clean the house, wash, mend and make the children's clothes, cook the supper, etc, it should be remarked that in the suggested comparison the question of civilisation is entirely omitted. If the position of women in the higher ranks of society in England be compared with the position of women among the Australian savages, there is no doubt that the former enjoy an enormous superiority, but this superiority is the result of civilisation not of religion, of culture not of creed. It is noteworthy that the comparison is always made between the women in highly civilised Christian communities, and in savage heathen ones. All allusion to women in comparatively civilised heathen States is omitted, and we hear nothing of the venerated priestesses of the older civilisations, nothing of the women of Greece and of Rome. Subordinate as was the position of the latter in relation to their husbands and fathers, they stood far higher than women among the Hebrews. Yet the Hebrews possessed the Old Testament, which was unknown to the great Pagan States. The assertion that the improvement in woman's social position in
