Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1881-06-16
A WOMAN PREACHER.
Why Woman Can Not EffectuallY Per-
form the Duties Of the Baptist Pull

| form the Duties OF the Baptist ful-
pit.
New York Times
II is some years since the attempt of
women to force themselves into the
pulpit in this country began. The
attempt has been wholly unsuccessful,
and singularly enough, the very sects
which have admitted woman to the
pulpit are those who profess the most
profound reverence for the scriptures.
1t is not to he denied that st. Paul
expressly forbids woman to preach and
the only way in which this prohibition
can be set aside is by assuming that st.
Pauls directions are to be followed so
far as they may commend themselves
to our apprOval-an assumption which
Mr.. Bob Ingersoll would be very ready
to make, but which seems somewhat
inconsistent with the professed creed
of the evangelical sects. Although
certain sccts have refused to ordain-
after their manner-women preachers,
they have, nevertheless, permitted
women to occupy their pulpits as n
sort of volunteer clergy-not to be
distinguished by outside people from
the regular clerical army. How many
women preachers have been in active
service during the past winter is not
precisely known, but that the number
was diminished by one early in April
last, is fact which there is no reason
to conceal.
The Rev. Miss Ann Eliza Smith was
born of Methodist parents, and until
she reached the age of II was an ar-
dent Methodist. At that period, how
ever, she began to turn her attention to
the study of theology and ecclesiastical
history, making use of such profound
works as "Appleton's Cyclopedia' and
two religious newspapers, one of which
was Methodist and the other Baptist
in its views. For Il time she lowered
on the brink of several fascinating
hcresies, the adoption of any one of
which would have entitled her to the
delights of moral martyrdom, but she
finally decided to reject them all, and
to content herself by becoming a Bap-
tist. Accordingly, she gravely an
nounced TO her father that her con-
science would be quieted only by i'm
mersion, and was painfully surprised
when that intelligent old gentleman
told her to 90 and be Il Baptist to any
extent she might desire. She had eX-
pccted that she would be prosecuted,
but as that comfort was withheld from
her, she bore up bravely hoping for
better things.
Her next RELIGIONS ecccntricity was
her determination to becomea a preacher
She told her father that she had n call
to fine ministry which she dared not
disobey and sirank with horror from
him when he said that he "hadn't
hrerd nobody a callin' on her" The
Rnntist minister tried to purslIade her
thnt She could he useful elsewhere
tLnn in the mint He limited that a
certain omo1nt of scholarship was
necessary to a minister who wishes to
cypound thc scriptures intellirentlv. or
IN discuss nncsiiors of ecclesiastical
history or poity She confronted him
with the fact that she had read the en-
cyclopacdia and two religious newSpa-
pers, and was, she rather guessed, quite
as good scholar as most OF the men
who tried to keep women in slavery
Then he suggested that minister in
order TO tie able to comfort persons in
doubt and aillictlon, and point out to
inquirers the path of duty, should have
some knowledge of human nature, of
the temptations to which men and wo.
men are exposed, and of The ways OF
the world; but Miss Smith replied that
& Moil,''l @ inI,SnO , in.o .ha, t ,no, % ,,.ni"h
'u"'v 1--WE ""' a"rii ,"r I'V aht,in " ma % ,hof sIn
%my iii%', , ,1 uou ,",can,,,, o % .a,, % Tan S sho
Mno% 70 ,"o "oiLu ~, I L!1 T tn.;oo aront
""o I 10 eIS no,tio Vi" "m" "u rrvou, vmuo 1rO
~, We" 's nn ~ Ho n,oiI rho re,nn ,vdmon v
uro.iatoI w. Ti w IN " h";no . m,in;stor ord i;Lo
'is, i.o,'stT " ,n - Don'1 Si " ~ ,o"n, I Wv hnmo
hon m"'' ., w. ,''u ,", oUN Sho ,ras % i;oousod 70
nj na J"n n,5 T%s y; oot"ho, & @ TaSt hooamo tho
pt;nint,n ptn"oH, ""u W nIo % Tir,,t 1 J,u pnnt;st
a"'n',I'ei "mnni, g. Tohoaarl,,r. T ,T Ta,," '''
''i''' VI ''''o''P'''' ! '''''
For nearly six months the Rev. Miss
Smith was really successful-that is to
say, people came to hear her preach,and
said that she used beautiful language.
Young men of her congregation work
ed slippers Tor her ana gave her
switches put up IN guiit-euged boxes
labeled "For My fastor' What was
stlll Detter' several converts were maze,
so that When the llrst sunday III April
arrived three young men ana one color
Ell woman were ready ior Daptlsm'
Now, the creed of the Eight-day
Baptists teaches that baptism. in order
to be valid, must be administered in a
running stream. The Jehoasphat's
Falls creek was terribly cold in April.
and vet if was the only creek in which
thc converts could he baptized, Miss
smith did not shrink from her duty,
She made n bontismal robe for herself
consisting of a blue flannel gown, with
thirty nonnds of shot sewed in the rim
of the skirt to keep it down. Under
This skirt she sewed waterproof gar
mcnts and thus protected, as she sup
nosnd she reorlessly entered the stream