believe that he is right and that he is perfect. And for the third time I ask for an answer to this question: Why is woman's penance to be taken literally, while man's is regarded as an allegory?
24. Again, God says to the woman, according to the Scriptures: "I will greatly multiply thy sorrow." One sees here that there can be no other meaning for her penance. The sorrows of motherhood are beyond description; the heart only can comprehend them, "Thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee." Now all this occurs as it is written in the Scriptures. Then why, if the duty of the laborer's wife is literally expressed, should it be regarded as alleggrical with the woman of the educated class?
25. How I regret the want of eloquence! I feel all the truth and value of this reasoning, and yet, for want of eloquence, I can only express it weakly and obscurely. But this hope sustains me, that if gold can be rescued from the very mire, so much more shall bread won by labor be preserved, which is so much better known and so much dearer to us than gold.
26. God said to the woman: "Thou shalt not work to earn thy food, but thou shalt bring forth children in sorrow." Why, then, do our women work? Reader, while waiting till you have found an answer to this, I will myself reply to it.
You who eat in idleness the food we have
