The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1877-05-04
WOMEN AND THE MINISTERS.

Those who think the woman move
ment is not growing rapidly in Port
land would do well to attend church
in the city and note the change
in the tone of the occupants of the pull
pits concerning this vexed and vexing
problem. Many of the ministers are
now speaking openly in favor of wom-
ans natural ability to fill any and all
responsible positions in life, from post
Office to a pulpit, who few years ago
would not have dared to do so, even had
they believed it right.
A few weeks since Rev. Mr.. Calvin,
of the Unitarian Church, made an elo-
quent appeal for woman which has al
ready been favorably commented upon
in these columns; and now comes Mr..
Cruzan, of the Congregational Church,
and in a sermon to the ladies upon the
highest duties of womanhUod, takes his
place beside the Unitarian minister and
demands that women be allowed situa-
tions in all the professions on an equal
>tG9ting with men. He believes the
present to be woman's era; demands for
her equal wages for equal work, and
makes a place for her in the pulpit, on
the platform, and everywhere else that
inclination or duty may call her.
But it is the opinion of very bright,
intelligent young lady who heard the
discourse alluded to that be lacked one
point, and that the vital one, to make
his argument complete. When a
speaker demands for woman all the
equal power, place, and pay she may
desire beside her brother man, and
points out the necessity that she should
occupy and possess them,. emitting at
the same time to claim for her the exer-
else of political freedom, which is the
only possible way to make his demands
or her aspirations available, his speech
is like the play of Hamlet with Hamlet
bricks without straw. 1t is like an or
der to run with your feet in manacles
or sing with your throat gagged. We
are very glad, however, to see the effort
ministers are making to awaken women
to a knowledge of their latent powers
We would rejoice all the more if, when
laying these commands upon them,
they would point the way to the largest
liberty to do right that can only come
to man or woman through the exercise
of the inalienable sovereignty that car
find expression only in and through the
ballot. If women were voters they
would soon be lawmakers, and if law.
makers, they would very soon work
their way unquestioned to their natural
and proper sphere of equality in al
things. Then they would need no ser.
mons upon rights, for just as fast as
they would develop to the proper stand
ard, they would take their places natu.
rally, instead of spending two-thirds o.
their mental and physical strength, as
now, in beating their wings in aimles:
helplessness against the prison walls Of
ignorance and prejudice.
We know that there are several min.
listers besides the two above named who
are with US in spirit, but are held bach
from speaking their sentiments by 6
few fossils in the church who contribute
largely to their financial support.
DR.. Lindsey once forgot his paymas
ters and spoke earnestly for the ballo
for woman, that she might thus be ablt
to work to some purpose in the temper
anee movement, but his hackers of tn,
above named species made him recan
in the next days Oregonian; yet, lik,
Galileo, he whispered, at moves" ant
like the world it does move, in spite o
bigotry and money bags.
Rev. D. J. Pierce is also a suffragist
but unfortunately one of those neithe
cold nor hot advocates of the right, TO
whom fearful Scriptural fate was one
predicted. A lukewarm suffragist can
not be a consistent Christian.
Rev. DIR. Dillon is an avowed believe
in and an unflinching advocate of free
dom for woman, and would have run tn
Christian Advocate while in his charg
in ardent support of the movement bu
for the fault-finding of clerical fossils
Thus, also, with Mr.. Acton, who begal
right, but, like DR.. Lindsey, wa
whipped back into the old traces b.
members of his disbursing bureau.
In view of facts like these we fin
that their hearts are all right on th
vexed question. 1t is,the spinal column
that is weak. But the SAVIOR of the men
tai nourishment few of them are fuI
nishing the women in the guise of dec
lures on true womanhood" will in tim
do its work upon the caterers them
selves, and we shall then see them stan
by US in every good word and WORK
even as we have always stood by ther
whenever they would let us.
Hnnmouu IN nnnTE1FT1T