ARE WOMEN MORE RELIGIOUS THAN MEN?

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 2306, 23 July 1921, Page 1

ARE WOMEN MORE RELIGIOUS THAN MEN?

THE MOTHER’S INFLUENCE IN THE HOME.

A young man in quest of knowledge once determined (o probe the mystery of:' which of the sexes was the more religious. He inquired the opinion of a girl friend, who said: “There is no doubt that women are more religious than men.” When asked her reasons for this belief, she replied: “Women talk about religion more than men. Who teaches children lo be religious? Certainly not their fathers. The mothers take upon themselves this duty, and at their knees the children lisp their first petitions, ]| j s the mothers who make them attend .Sunday school, and who lake their often decidedly lidget.v and rebelling offspring to church, and look after them during the service. The father often does not know whether his children have had any religious teaching at all; he usually goes to sleep upon a Sunday afternoon when it is being given." Here the young man ventured a mild protest; but the inexorable friend continued: —“It is quite true. I grant that there are rare instances in which the father is a truly pious man; but, as a rule, the mother teaches the children to keep Sunday as a holy day, and to behave themselves and look upon Sunday as a day of rest.”

When the young man left, he had food for thought. There certainly was a great deal of truth in the girl’s blunt statements, but he decided to ask male advice, and bethought him of the vicar, to whom, be reflected, he should have applied in the lirst place. Approaching that gentleman, he went about the subject in what he considered a very

diplomatic manner. “Good morning!" he said, breezily; “how is your, congregation for size these days ”

E MPT YIN G CH U R CUE S

The vicar smiled indulgently upon him, and said: “Not much better than it was during the war.” Here the voting man gasped. This seemed to be conclusive evidence.

The exigencies of the war bad robbed the village of all its eligible men: but most of them bad come back! Why was the congregation little larger than during the war, when it consisted solely of women, children, and elderly men? “How do you account for that?” he feebly inquired.

“I cannot account for it,” said tlie vicar, sadly. “When I am coming to church on Sunday mornings 1 see quite a large number of men busily working in their gardens. I suppose that they cannot, during the week, complete tho gardening they wish to do, and it is apparently quite a small matter to them that they miss church in the process.” “I should have imagined." said the young man, whose spirits were not entirely submerged, “that the war would have bad the effect of bringing spiritual matters home to the boys more than ever before.” “It did —for a time. When they were facing'the lire of big guns, and (lie shells were whizzing around I hem; when they were sitting in their dug-outs, in several feet of muddy water—then it was that they thought of the religious leaching received by them in the days of their childhood. Yes, they were religious in those days; but, with characteristic reticence, they did not let their comrades suspect it. Nothing makes a person religious sooner than gioat trouble or perplexity ; in times of stress, religion is indeed a welcome friend, and prevents most people from losing Hope.”

HYPOCRITES IN RELIGION

The young man made a last depairing stand. “There are more nen than women preachers,” lie armed.”

“True; but some dav the woman

preacher may enter into her own. Some good men take upon themselves the ta.sk of instructing (he young Sunday schools; but the ranks of women Sunday school ten-c-hers are greater than those of the men. Of course, there are a large number of women hypocrites, who pretend a religion with which they really have little or no sympathy—going to church merely for the sake of ‘appearance,’ and making others believe, by their devout air, that they are very good, pious women. They are often, alas! .precisely the reverse, being hard and callous, and not earing for the misfortunes of anyone but themselves, or doing anything to alleviate the sufferings of others. Yet they regularly take Communion. It were better if such women did not come to church.*’ “I suppose,” said the young man, hopefully, “that that is why many men do not go to church —because it would go against their conscience to do so.”

“It may be,” admitted the vicar

“The number of women with religious mania,” lie continued, “is well known to be greater than that of men. It is chiefly the women who write religious books for children and religious plays.” “To go hack nearer to the beginning of things,” said the voting man, “what of the early Christians? Religion seemed to he equally divided between the men and the women of those da vs."

“Yes, there is no doubt that men in those days were truly devout, and fought with great courage for their cause. In later centuries, the warriors of England, in much the same spirit, fought in the Crusades. Since then religion seems to have degenerated, and now, in post-war days, ii is at a lower ebb (ban ever before.

“Of: course, added (he vicar, “1 am speaking of the Protestant faith. Of the Roman Catholic I can say little; hut 1 believe that the members of the Catholic congregations, male and female, are equally devout in (heir religion. They seem to be greatly influenced by their priests —as witness their power over the rebels in Ireland.”

After a little talk of an impersonal nature, the young man left the vicarage, and went home ruminating. He sat down the evidence lie had obtained, and examined it. Need f ask to what conclusion lie