movement being characterized as an infidel one, it is too late to ex press such fears. They should have been expressed at the outset. Words have been uttered adverse to this movement, denunciations have come against this cause already; as much has been cast upon it, as can be cast upon it, and nothing, in future, can be said, worse than has already been said. Things so bad have already been said against the leaders of this movement, that I would not condescend to repeat them on the present occasion. The worst charges that can be made against the Woman's Rights movement in the estimation of those who made them, have been whispered in my ears already, as insinuations were whispered in the ears of Miss Brown in New York. [Some one in the audience inquired to what resolution Mr. Barker was speaking.]

MR. BARKER.—I am speaking to all the resolutions, and was considering some objections preferred against these resolutions, by the priesthood of this and other countries. The worst charge brought against this movement is that of infidelity, especially in this country. You have heard it from a hundred voices, and you have read it in almost every paper which has noticed this movement at all. A few papers are noticing it favorably, but the generality of papers, and especially those edited by priests, denounce this cause as an infidel movement. If you wish to find advocates in the papers, you must go to those edited by men of the world.

MR. ADDISON.-There are exceptions.

MR. BARKER.—I am the first speaker in this Convention who has been interrupted. I was anxious at first to bring my remarks within as narrow a compass as possible, but after the spirit of opposition which has been displayed, I am inclined to break through my resolu tion, and speak at full length. Those who disturb me, will have to thank themselves for being the cause of it. No person is obliged to listen to me, as he is not to any other person. I do particularly trust that all friends of the movement will endeavor to compose themselves with regard to those who differ from them.

I ask no favor, but justice. I stand up to plead, not against this cause, but in favor of it, as much so as any one who differs from me in certain opinions which I hold. I have a wife, daughter, sister, and

sister's children. I and my posterity are as much interested in this cause as you can be; and if you can, I wish you would give me credit for a real love for the cause. I assure you I will not utter one word to injure it, if I know it. I am a firm believer in the sentiment of Miss Stone, to which I have alluded.

The subject I propose to discuss, will have to be discussed, and if I don't do it, somebody else will. The objection will be uttered, and repeated through every clerical paper throughout this land. It will have to be met on one or two grounds, which I intend to indicate.

There are but two answers which the priests make to this movement—and never imagine that you can carry on any reform without provoking hostility, or bringing against yourselves reproach. I know many a reformer commences a work, who thinks he can do better than other reformers; especially do young reformers. They think they can accomplish everything without subjecting themselves to reproaches; but they find out their error. They discover that the opposition arose not from anything particularly indiscreet in the manner of reformers, ! but from the tendency of the reform itself to interfere with established institutions, powers, and governments. You cannot effect a reform, without reproach and persecution, unless you can catch both the devil outside and the devil inside of mankind asleep, sometimes, and keep him asleep; and even then, when he should wake up, he would make all the more frightful efforts to get you in his claws. It is utterly impossible for you to advance any reform without making a great hubbub.

It has been told me, that some people have been converted to the Woman's Rights movement since this Convention commenced its sessions, and it would be a pity to destroy all the good that has been done. But those persons will have to climb over as large stumbling blocks as any I shall lay in their way. They will have to be tried, to go back, and perhaps be

and if they cannot endure, they will have seven times as bad as they were before. They may as well learn it soon as late. But all are not converted who say they are. Some come and pretend to be converted, in order to influence the course of the movement, to divert and disarm it, but not to promote the prosperity and triumph of the cause itself.

I do not appear here as an opponent of the divine origin of the Bible; nor as the opponent of the clergy of this country; nor as the enemy of the church, nor of any church in particular. I appear here simply as the advocate of Woman's Rights, and as the friend of this great reform. I have my opinions about the Bible, and about the Church, and it is possible that these opinions may slip out, just as those who differ from me cannot, or do not, conceal their opinions. -You cannot read a letter here, without its appearing whether the writer ranks himself among the believers in the priesthood, or the believers in the right of individuality in faith. They let their opinions slip, because they cannot help it. If a man be a christian, he argues on christian principles; but if he is a man of the world, he will argue on natural principles, and you must take them as they are given.

The objections which are urged against this movement by the priesthood, are the strongest objections which can be urged against it. They have the most weight, and they are uttered under circumstances most favorable for the increase of their power, and under circumstances which prevent you from answering them. They are uttered by men, who are believed to be the especial servants of God, and ambassadors of Christ. They are uttered in the pulpit, which is protected by the laws of the country. No person is permitted to offer any public objection against words spoken publicly in the pulpit. They are uttered in connection with the solemn assertions, that those who do not receive them will be condemned in eternal torments, and that those who do receive them are in a fair way to obtain eternal glory and blessedness. They are uttered, too, in the hearing of people who most give heed to them, and have the least power to answer them. It becomes us, then, to direct our attention to them. If we can answer them, we can make this movement general; if we cannot, we must utterly fail to make it general. This the Woman's Rights movement must do, and it cannot stir many inches before it comes against this insuperable barrier.

The belief of the priesthood is grounded on the Bible. They believe it is the word of God, or contains God's word, every word spoken for man's salvation. They say, and the common belief is, that the Scriptures are a collection of divine oracles, that everything which

the Scriptures say is true, everything which they command is good, everything which they deny is false, everything which they forbid is sin; in a word, that the Jewish and Christian Scriptures are a perfect revelation of God's will to mankind, a perfect standard of truth and duty.

This is the doctrine which is universally received by the orthodox priesthoods and churches of this country, as well of many other countries of the world. Their argument is this-these Scriptures which are from God, which are of Divine authority, which are true without any mixture of error, are against the Woman's Rights movement. These Scriptures unfold principles contradictory to those on which the Woman's Rights movement is based. These Scriptures appoint to woman a place, from which this movement seeks to raise woman. The Woman's Rights movement is based, therefore, on infidel principles; its object is an ungodly object, because the movement itself is an effort against God, against his truth, and against his institutions. This is the grand objection which is made against the movement by all the orthodox priesthoods in this and every other country in Christendom.

All we have to do now, is to inquire whether this objection is a valid one. The priests believe it to be so. When I was a believer in the Divine origin, in the absolute authority of the Bible-when I was a Methodist Preacher, I believed it to be so. I had not a doubt that woman's place was below man, that a woman who resisted her husband, resisted God; that a man who attempted to raise woman above subjection to man, warred with God-whether he knew it or not-and was a disbeliever in God's word, and an opponent of God's established institutions.

I have said that this question has to be met. I see no reason why any one should be in fear, when we have to meet it. All we have to do, is to treat opponents respectfully, and leave every one's remarks to be freely judged of by all who listen. My own opinion is, that granting the premises of the priesthood, their objections are valid; that granting the Bible to be the word of God; granting that it is true without error; that it is a faultless standard of all sound moral philosophy and true Theology, then I say the priest is impregnable, you cannot meet him without suffering defeat.

But I may be wrong. I am perfectly free to grant that I regard the Woman's Rights movement, in the common sense of the word, a right movement; and I grant that in my opinion, in advocating the movement, I am acting the part of a disbeliever in the Bible, and every one who does advocate it, is also, in my opinion, acting the part of a disbeliever, and he must be so regarded by every honest priest in this country-and I believe there are such. The fact that some evil ones are getting expelled, is a proof that there are some honest priests among them.

I will briefly refer to those portions of Scripture, on which the the clergy of the day rely, as opposed to Woman's Rights. The first passage to which I shall refer and to which the priests refer, is to be found in Genesis, third chapter. There it is taught that in consequence of the transgression of the first woman, woman is subjected to her husband. I will read the curse, so far as it refers to woman, and you will judge for yourselves:

“Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception. In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children, and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. Perhaps the best comment on any passage of Scripture, is in parallel passages. We may, therefore, refer to the words of Paul. He, plainly referring to this part of the Old Testament, says: "Let your women keep silence in the churches, for it is not permitted unto them to speak, as also saith the law." I know nothing in the law which prescribes obedience, unless the passage in Genesis says so. I see a marginal note in this Bible translates: "and thy desire shall be to thy husband," into this, "thy desire shall be subject to thy husband," that is, he shall decide what desire shall be gratified, and what resisted. In another passage, Paul refers to the same subject. "Let the women learn in silence with all subjection; but I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man but to be in silence; for Adam was first formed, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, was in the transgression."

Here then we have the matter put in three forms-first, the woman's desire is to be subject to the husband's will; second, the woman is to be in obedience, as saith the law; third, she is to be in subjection,