[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 110 (Monday, July 10, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9604-S9606]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
C. ABBOTT SAFFOLD
Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, Walt Whitman said that man is a great thing
upon the Earth and through eternity but that every jot of the greatness
of man is enfolded out of woman. Shakespeare, in King Lear, tells us
that ``Women will all turn monsters.''
In the book of Genesis, however, we are told that God, seeing the
incompleteness of man standing alone, wanted to find a helper for him.
And so God created this helper--Eve--whose name means ``Life,'' and God
created Eve from the rib of Adam himself. The symbolism of the rib is
that it was taken from the place nearest to Adam's heart, thus
indicating the close relationship of man and woman. The real essence of
the story is that man and woman were made for each other, that woman is
bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. In the Genesis account, Eve is
elevated to Ethereal beauty and lofty dignity. Milton, in his
``Paradise Lost,'' has called her Queen of the Universe and fairest of
the fair.
Throughout all the ages of mankind's existence on this Earth, some of
the most vivid personalities have been those of women--such as Sarah,
Rebekah, Rachel, Hannah, and Mary, the Mother of Jesus--even with such
women as Jezebel and Potiphar's wife. Many of the women depicted in the
scriptures exerted great influence over their husbands, over kings, and
over nations. Many of the women remain nameless and some appear in
groups under such headings as daughters, wives, mothers, widows. We are
told of Lot's wife, the woman who looked back, and 15 words in the Old
Testament tell her story--one brief, dramatic record that placed her
among the well known women of the world. The 15 words are, ``But his
wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.''
Then there is Jochebed, the mother of Moses--Hebrew lawgiver,
statesman, and leader--and her name rises up today, some 35 centuries
later, as one of the immortal mothers of Israel.
Miriam is the first woman in the Bible whose interest was national
and whose mission was patriotic. She was the brilliant, courageous
sister of Moses, and when she led the women of Israel in that oldest of
all national anthems, ``Sing unto the Lord,'' four centuries of bondage
in Egypt had been lifted. It was a turning point in Israel's religious
development, and a woman led in its recognition. Miriam is the first
woman singer on record. The wonder of it is that she sang unto the
Lord, using her great gift for the elevation of her people, who, with
her, exalted over their escape from their enemies.
The first women to declare their rights on the death of their father
were the five daughters of Zelophehad: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah,
and Tirzah. Their father, a Manassite, had died in the wilderness, and
the daughters explained that he was not in the company of Korah, who
had rebelled against Moses. Because their father had not died,
therefore, for any cause that doomed their family or their inheritance,
they declared that they were clearly entitled to what he had left. This
happened at a critical time with Israel. A new census had been made,
preparatory to an entrance into the Promised Land. The new land would
be distributed according to the census taken before Israel departed
from Egypt for the Promised Land. The daughters of Zelophehad had been
numbered among all those in the tribes who either were 20 years of age
or would be 20 by the time the land actually was distributed, but they
knew that under existing customs, they would have no property rights,
even in the new land. What did they do? They marched before Moses and
stated their case publicly. In order to be fair in the settling of the
daughters' case, Moses went before God, a God of justice and right, and
the great lawgiver came back and declared: ``The daughters of
Zelophehad speak right; thou shalt surely give them a possession of an
inheritance among their father's brethren; and thou shalt cause the
inheritance of their father to pass unto them.'' Moses wrote a new law
which stated: ``If a man die, and have no son, then ye shall cause his
inheritance to pass unto his daughter.''
The daughters of Zelophehad had filed one of the earliest reported
lawsuits on record. In the American Bar Association
Journal of February, 1924, there was an article in which this decision
of the daughters of Zelophehad is quoted. It is described as an ``early
declaratory judgement in which the property rights of women marrying
outside of their tribe are clearly set forth.'' The decision handed
down in this time of Moses was a great victory for these five
daughters. At last a woman had rights, because these five women had
declared theirs and had had the courage to fight their case through
with the authorities.
The only woman in the Bible who was placed at the height of political
power by the common consent of the people was Deborah. Though she lived
in the time of the ``Judges,'' some thirteen centuries before Christ,
there are few women in history who have ever attained the public
dignity and supreme authority of Deborah. She was like Joan of Arc, who
27 centuries later, rode in front of the French and led them to victory
over the English.
One of the most lovable women in the Bible is Ruth, and her abiding
love embraces the person one might least expect it to--her mother-in-
law, Naomi. Ruth was not only an ideal daughter-in-law, but she was
also an ideal wife and mother. Her story, which finally culminates in
her marriage to Boaz, a man of influence, is one of the most beautiful
romances in the Bible.
Then there was the woman of Endor, to whom King Saul went in
desperation, and she foretold his death. The King James version of the
Bible, which is the only version of the Bible that I will read, calls
her ``A woman that hath a familiar spirit.'' Some modern writers have
dubbed her the ``Witch of Endor.'' Lord Byron has called her the
``Phantom Seer.'' Kipling gives one of the most vivid portrayals of all
in these lines:
Oh, the road to Endor is the oldest road
And the craziest road of all.
Straight it runs to the witch's abode
As it did in the day of Saul,
And nothing has changed of the sorrow in store
For such as go down the road to Endor.
The first reigning Queen on record who pitted her wits and wealth
against those of a king was the Queen of Sheba. She came to Jerusalem
from her kingdom in Southwestern Arabia to investigate all that she had
heard about Solomon, Israel's wisest and wealthiest king. She worked
out a trade zone demarcation and alliance with Solomon, and Solomon's
commercial expansion followed after her visit. She was one of many
rulers from far and wide who sought to learn about Solomon's wisdom.
Others sent Ambassadors, but she
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was the only one to go herself, traveling a 1,200-mile journey by camel
caravan. She was a courageous, resourceful woman. The Queen of Sheba
lives on now, nearly 30 centuries since her visit, as a woman whose
spirit of adventure and whose resourcefulness, courage, and curiosity
have not been surpassed by any queen in history. She certainly had a
sense of good public and international relations which is unparalleled
among many of the national leaders of today.
Esther is the central figure in what is one of the most controversial
books in the Old Testament, because not once does the name of God
appear in that book. But its significance and importance to Jewish
history stems from the fact that it has become a patriotic symbol to a
persecuted people of the ultimate triumph of truth and justice. And the
courage of Esther becomes the dominating factor in the salvation of her
people. Though the author of the book of Esther is not known,
historians confirm the fact that he showed an amazingly accurate
knowledge of Persian policies and customs, and critics place his work
among the masterpieces of literature. Like many great characters in
history, Esther makes her first appearance as one of the humblest of
figures, an orphan Jewess. But 4 years later, she rises to the position
of a queen of amazing power--a power which she manages to use wisely.
The ancient writer's estimate of Esther's importance to the story
becomes apparent, for in this short Bible book, Esther's name appears
55 times. The name of no other woman in the Bible is recorded so often.
The setting is placed in the sumptuous palace of the Persian Empire
during the time of Artaxerxes II, who reigned 404-358 B.C. I shall not
relate this fascinating story here today, but Esther had a strong
belief in prayer, and she went before the king to intercede on behalf
of her people. As she made ready to appear before the king, one of the
most courageous assertions made by a woman in the Bible is credited to
Esther. She said: ``So I will go in unto the king, which is not
according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.'' Here is a woman who
had not only high courage but also sincere faith and devotion to the
cause of her people. She had received a message from her cousin
Mordecai, placing upon her this great responsibility. He said: ``Who
knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?''
Mr. President, challenging words these were for a young,
inexperienced queen, and they have come down to us through the
centuries, and may be considered applicable to us in the face of the
challenges of our own time.
It was Mary Magdalene who was the first to see Christ's empty tomb,
and she was the first to report to the disciples the miracle of the
resurrection, the greatest event the Christian world has ever known.
Certain of Christ's disciples followed Mary Magdalene to the sepulcher.
John went in first and gazed in silent wonder at the open grave, and
then Peter came and saw that the grave was empty and that the linen
cerements were lying neatly folded in the empty sepulcher. Mary
Magdalene, possessing a woman's sensitivity and able to believe even
what eyes cannot behold, returned to the tomb and looked inside, where
she saw two angels in white sitting there, the one at the head and the
other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Strange it was
that the first word spoken inside the empty tomb should be ``Woman.''
And then there followed the angel's question: ``Why weepest thou?''
Mary Magdalene answered, ``Because they have taken away my Lord, and I
know not where they have laid him''. Then she turned, and Jesus stood
before her. Not until he spoke her name, ``Mary,'' did she recognize
that he was Jesus. Her lonely watch by the grave in the early morning
had been an evidence of her faith. Because of her faith, she became the
first witness to the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Lydia was a business woman, a ``seller of purple,'' and probably one
of the most successful and influential women of Philippi, but more than
that, she was a seeker after truth, and thus she became Europe's first
convert to Christianity. Her house became the first meeting place of
Christians in Europe. Lydia will ever stand among the immortal women of
the Bible, for she picked up that first torch from Paul at Philippi and
carried it steadfastly. She was one of many to spread the Gospel of
Jesus Christ through Europe and then farther and farther Westward, and
it became brighter as the centuries unfolded.
One of the most influential women in the New Testament Church was
Priscilla, a Jewess who had come out of Italy with her husband Aquila,
who lived first at Corinth and later at Ephesus. They had left Rome at
the time when Claudius, in his cruel and unjust edict, had expelled all
Jews. It is recorded that she and her husband were tent makers. The
Apostle Paul stayed with them at Corinth. She became a great leader in
the church at Corinth and at Ephesus and later at Rome. In the latter
two
places, she had a church in her home. Christians honor her today
because she served God ``acceptably with reverence and godly fear'',
and because she was not ``forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby
some have entertained angels unawares.'' Priscilla, let us not forget,
had entertained a stranger, Paul, and from him had learned to strive to
be ``perfect in every good work . . . working in you that which is
wellpleasing in his sight, through Christ Jesus.''
Mr. President, I shall close my brief comments on the women of the
Bible, by referring to the time when Christ sat at the house of Simon
the leper, and there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment
of spikenard. She broke the box and poured the precious ointment on the
head of our Lord. Some of those persons who observed this were very
indignant and asked the question, ``Why was this waste of the ointment
made? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence,
and have been given to the poor.'' And so they murmured against the
woman, but Jesus said, ``Let her alone. Why trouble ye her? Ye shall
have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will, ye may do them
good; but me, ye have not always.'' Jesus said, ``She hath done what
she could; she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying''.
Jesus went on to say that weresoever his gospel would be preached
throughout the whole world, this act of kindness which the woman had
done, ``shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.'' And so it is, that
I am here today, twenty centuries later, speaking on the Senate floor
about this nameless woman who gave of her treasured possession to honor
Him who was about to die. And, as Jesus foretold, this display of
reverence and adoration by this nameless woman, shall be told and
retold through all of the centuries to come.
Mr. President, one could speak volumes about the women of the Bible
or the great Roman matrons or the women of ancient history or the women
of the middle ages, and women of our own times. There is much to be
said, for example, through words of praise concerning the women who
have been associated with our own institution, the United States
Senate--Members, as well as workers who have labored faithfully, day
after day, year after year, in the service of the Senate. And it is
such women, many of whom will always remain nameless, who, through the
years, and throughout all the parts of the globe, have been the real
pillars of civilization.
I rise today to pay tribute to just such a worthy person--a true
professional, a staffer of such talent, energy, and engaging
personality that she is known throughout the Senate community simply by
her first name--Abby. Abby Saffold has been a school teacher, a case
worker, a legislative correspondent, a legislative secretary, chief
clerk of a Senate subcommittee, a legislative assistant, a Floor Staff
Manager, Secretary for the Majority (a post to which I appointed her in
1987), and now Secretary for the Minority. She is the first female to
ever hold the post of Secretary for the Majority.
In short, Abby has done it all, and done it all very, very well. Few
staffers, indeed, few members, possess her grasp and understanding of
the workings and the purpose of the institution of the United States
Senate. Her knowledge of legislative strategy, her managerial ability,
and her negotiating prowess are all well known and greatly appreciated
by everyone who has ever had the pleasure of working with Abby.
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She is really unexcelled when it comes to an intuitive sense of this
Senate and its machinations. Abby is the literal personification of the
wonderful ability to maintain great grace under extraordinary
pressure--the true mark of the professional.
Few individuals understand the great personal sacrifice routinely
made by the legislative floor staff here in the Senate, on both sides
of the aisle. Unpredictable schedules, long hours, intense pressures,
time away from loved ones at important moments, broken engagements with
friends and family--all are experienced to some degree by senior Senate
staffers, but no one group experiences these demanding and trying
disruptions with more frequency than the Senate floor staff.
These positions, in particular, demand extreme dedication, steady
nerves, alert and facile minds, hearty constitutions, patience, and a
deep and abiding love for, and dedication to, this institution and the
important work it must perform. Never was there a better example of
that dedication than C. Abbott Saffold. She is in every way a marvel,
with the ability to perform difficult and demanding duties, always with
a pleasant demeanor and unequaled coolness under fire.
I would be less than honest if I did not admit that Abby's decision
to leave us causes me considerable sadness, because she is so much a
part of the Senate family. In many ways, I cannot imagine the Senate
without her. I know that for many months after her departure, I shall
search in vain for her familiar cropped head and her friendly grin in
the Chamber, only to have to remind myself once again that she has
gone.
I offer her my heartfelt congratulations on an outstanding Senate
career, and on her service to her country. Certainly I wish her blue
skies and happy days as she begins her well-earned retirement time.
But, I cannot deny that I regret her leaving. I shall miss her
friendship and her always sage advice. As Paul said of two women
Euodias and Syntyche--both eminent in the church at Philippi--``They
labored with me in the gospel,'' so I say to Abby: ``You labored with
me in service to the Nation.'' For me, there will never be another
Abby.
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