And yet other equally inspired writers, describing things as they appeared rather than as they are, solemnly declare that “all things are naked and open to him with whom we have to do.”
But we pass on leaving Adam behind the tree, hid away from the presence of the Lord, to notice other sacred passages which are not in harmony with strict philosophical truth.
“Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow; in sorrow shalt thou bring forth children, and thy desire shall be to thy husband and he shall rule over thee.” Now there is no reason to suppose that the pain of childbirth has ever been increased in woman. Her physiological structure has in no way undergone a radical change. Besides, all animals bearing offspring bear pains. Did the curse upon woman extend to the females of animals bearing offspring? But wherein does the male suffer his share in this divine punishment?
“And he shall rule over thee.” This is a matter of fact—and is equally true of those people who know nothing of Israel or Israel’s god. Man has ruled over woman in all times and in all countries, and will continue to reign over her until she aspires to and contends for her rights.
The path of woman’s future is steep, slippery, and long. Many ages will pass before she attains the glory and beauty possible to womanhood, but with prophetic eyes we see that time coming. With joy we labor and wait, that at some future day this world will be made happy and grand through the evolution of truth, love, and liberty in the elevation of woman.
Another part of the curse is that, “Thorns and thistles shall it (the ground) bring forth,” but geology shows that thorns and thistles were as plentiful in the primeval world as they are now. Hence there must be some mistake on the part of the writer in setting down the origin of thorns and thistles for that particular date.
“And Adam called his wife Eve because she was the mother of all living.”
This is another astonishing statement. Eve was the mother of all (human beings) living, and there were none living but herself and Adam! If she was the mother of all living, she was not only Adam’s mother, but her own mother too.
It is true that when Cain grew to manhood and slew his brother, there were some people down in the land of Nod, but when God made them we have no means of knowing. They were not a people of much consequence as no notice is taken of them by our author, and besides they permitted Cain to come and live among them and take a wife. Perhaps these people were before Adam and Eve, for it is stated that in the city there were workers of iron and brass. Brass is a compound of copper and zinc, and these workers must have had a knowledge of the arts of mining and compounding metals. The mark, too, was set upon Cain that “whosoever” might not slay him; then there must have been a “whosoever.” It is very likely that if Cain built a city he must have had the aid of carpenters and workmen, and it may be that he found his wife in the land of Nod among the “whosoever” “workers in of iron and brass.” I think the clergy will agree that there was a “whosoever.” It would have been needless to put a mark on Cain to preserve his life from a “whosoever” if there were no “whosoever,” and my opinion is that Mr. Cain married some of the daughters of Mr. “Whosoever” in the land of Nod.
“And Adam called his wife Eve because she was the mother of all living!” That eclipses everything. And we were about concluding that nothing of the kind had ever been known before, but we remember the story about Ahaziah, and that he was two years older than his father.