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Chapter I--Colonial Woman and Religion

Woman's Life in Colonial Days · Carl Holliday — chapter 1 of 14 · ~169 words · public domain

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I. The Spirit of Woman--The Suffering of Women--The Era of Adventure--Privation and Death in the First Colonial Days--Descriptions by Prince, Bradford, Johnson, etc.--Early Concord.

II. Woman and Her Religion--Its Unyielding Quality--Its Repressive Effect on Woman--Wigglesworth's Day of Doom--What It Taught Woman--Necessity of Early Baptism--Edward's Eternity of Hell Torment--Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God--Effect on Womanhood--Personal Devils--Dangers of Earthly Love--God's Sudden Punishments.

III. Inherited Nervousness--Fears in Childhood--Theological Precocity.

IV. Woman's Day of Rest--Sabbath Rules and Customs--A Typical Sabbath.

V. Religion and Woman's Foibles--Religious Regulations--Effect on Dress--Women's Singing in Church--Southern Opinion of Northern Severity--Effect of Feminine Repression.

VI. Woman's Comfort in Religion--An Intolerant Era--Religious Gatherings for Women--Formal Meetings with Mrs. Hutchinson--Causes of Complaint--Meetings of Quaker Women.

VII. Female Rebellion--The Antinomians--Activities of Anne Hutchinson--Her Doctrines--Her Banishment--Emotional Starvation--Dread of Heresy--Anne Hutchinson's Death.

VIII. Woman and Witchcraft--Universal Belief in Witchcraft--Signs of Witchcraft--Causes of the Belief--Lack of Recreation--Origin of Witchcraft Mania--Echoes from the Trials--Waning of the Mania.

IX. Religion Outside of New England--First Church in Virginia--Southern Strictness--Woman's Religious Testimony--Religious Sanity--The Dutch Church--General Conclusions.

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