ON arriving at Basingstoke we found awaiting us cordial letters of welcome from Miss Biggs， Miss Priestman， Mrs. Peter Taylor， Mrs. Priscilla McLaren， Miss Mü；ller， Mrs. Jacob Bright， and Mme. de Barrau. During the winter Mrs. Margaret Bright Lucas， Drs. Kate and Julia Mitchell， Mrs. Charles McLaren， Mrs. Saville， and Miss Balgarnie each spent a day or two with us. The full-dress costume of the ladies was a great surprise to my little granddaughter Nora. She had never seen bare shoulders in a drawing room， and at the first glance she could not believe her eyes. She slowly made the circuit of the room， coming nearer and nearer until she touched the lady's neck to see whether or not it was covered with some peculiar shade of dress， but finding the bare skin she said： "Why， you are not dressed， are you？ I see your skin！" The scene suggested to me the amusing description in Holmes' "Elsie Venner，" of the efforts of a young lady， seated between two old gentlemen， to show off her white shoulders. The vicar would not look， but steadily prayed that he might not be led into temptation； but the physician， with greater moral hardihood， deliberately surveyed the offered charms， with spectacles on his nose. THREE GENERATIONS. MY EIGHTIETH BIRTHDAY.
In December Hattie and I finished Dowden's "Life of Shelley，" which we had been reading together. Here we find a sensitive， refined nature， full of noble purposes， thrown out when too young to meet all life's emergencies， with no loving Mentor to guard him from blunders or to help to retrieve the consequences of his false positions. Had he been surrounded with a few true friends， who could appreciate what was great in him and pity what was weak， his life would have been different. His father was hard， exacting， and unreasonable； hence he had no influence. His mother had neither the wisdom to influence him， nor the courage to rebuke her husband； and alas！ poor woman， she was in such thraldom herself to conventionalisms， that she could not understand a youth who set them all at defiance.
We also read Cotton Morrison's "Service of Man，" which I hope will be a new inspiration to fresh labors by all for the elevation of humanity， and Carnegie's "Triumphant Democracy，" showing the power our country is destined to wield and the vastness of our domain. This book must give every American citizen a feeling of deeper responsibility than ever before to act well his part. We read， too， Harriet Martineau's translation of the works of Auguste Comte， and found the part on woman most unsatisfactory.
He criticises Aristotle's belief that slavery is a necessary element of social life， yet seems to think the subjection of woman in modern civilization a matter of no importance.
All through that winter Hattie and I occupied our time studying the Bible and reading the commentaries of Clark， Scott， and Wordsworth (Bishop of Lincoln). We found nothing grand in the history of the Jews nor in the morals inculcated in the Pentateuch. Surely the writers had a very low idea of the nature of their God. They make Him not only anthropomorphic， but of the very lowest type， jealous and revengeful， loving violence rather than mercy. I know no other books that so fully teach the subjection and degradation of woman. Miriam， the eldest sister of Moses and Aaron， a genius， a prophetess， with the family aptitude for diplomacy and government， is continually set aside because of her ***杙ermitted to lead the women in singing and dancing， nothing more. No woman could offer sacrifices nor eat the holy meats because， according to the Jews， she was too unclean and unholy.
But what is the use， say some， of attaching any importance to the customs and teachings of a barbarous people？ None whatever. But when our bishops， archbishops， and ordained clergymen stand up in their pulpits and read selections from the Pentateuch with reverential voice， they make the women of their congregation believe that there really is some divine authority for their subjection. In the Thirty-First Chapter of Numbers， in speaking of the spoils taken from the Midianites， the live stock is thus summarized：
"Five thousand sheep， threescore and twelve thousand beeves， threescore and one thousand asses， and thirty-two thousand women and women-children，" which Moses said the warriors might keep for themselves. What a pity a Stead had not been there， to protect the child-women of the Midianites and rebuke the Lord's chosen people as they deserved！ In placing the women after the sheep， the beeves， and the asses， we have a fair idea of their comparative importance in the scale of being， among the Jewish warriors.
No wonder the right reverend bishops and clergy of the Methodist Church， who believe in the divine origin and authority of the Pentateuch， exclude women from their great convocations in the American Republic in the nineteenth century. In view of the fact that our children are taught to reverence the book as of divine origin， I think we have a right to ask that， in the next revision， all such passages be expurgated， and to that end learned， competent women must have an equal place on the revising committee.
Mrs. Margaret Bright Lucas came， in February， to spend a few days with us. She was greatly shocked with many texts in the Old Testament， to which we called her attention， and said： "Here is an insidious influence against the elevation of women， which but few of us have ever taken into consideration."
She had just returned from a flying visit to America； having made two voyages across the Atlantic and traveled three thousand miles across the continent in two months， and this at the age of sixty-eight years. She was enthusiastic in her praises of the women she met in the United States. As her name was already on the committee to prepare "The Woman's Bible，" we had her hearty approval of the undertaking.
