The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1881-06-16

too well defined to be rejected. The dis
trict conference of Poughkeepsie, the Rev.
De Los Lull presiding elder, granted her a
license as local preacher in 1873, but the
validity of this license has been questioned,
and several appeals have been taken, the
final one by the Rev. DR.. Wheatly to the
general conference. When Miss Lent en-
money enough to pay her expenses for one
term, but she says that labor and friends
have mysteriously and providentially come
to her, 80 that her wants have been sup
piled.
The Rev. Miss Anna II. Shaw was born
in England, but was raised in Michigan in
a Univeisalist family. She was converted
to Methodism, and after about half a COL
lege course in Michigan she determined to
become preacher, and went to the Boston
school of theology, where she graduated
in 1878. Miss Shaw knocked in vain at
the doors of the New England conference.
She passed her examinations satisfactorily,
and was to have had her name presented to
the conference along with that of the Rev.
Miss Anna Oliver, the pastor of the Will
ioughby Avenue church, in Brooklyn, but
as Bishop Andrews refused to entertain
the mstion in Miss divers case, Miss
Shaw's name was not presented. After
ference of the NJ. E. church to open the
puipits of its churches to women, Miss
Shaw applied to the Protes tant Methodist
church, and was ordained last fall, being
the first woman ever ordained in that de-
nomination. She is now the pastor of an
Independent Methodist church at East
Denis, on Cape Cod. Miss Shaw and Miss
Lent both assisted Miss Oliver in q revival
in Brooklyn last fall. Miss Shaw is petite
in stature, has dark hair and gray eyes, and
is thirty years old.
The best known of the girl pastors is the
Rev. Miss Anna Oliver, pastor of the Will
loughby avenue NJ e. church, Brooklyn. 1t
has often been said that she breaches IN
der an alias, or pulpit name, and that her
true name is Anna Snowden. The latter is
the name in which she is obliged to sign le-
gal documents, but she was known as Anna
Oliver when she was child living with an
aunt, who gave her that name, as she grew
up with that as her accepted name, she has
never changed it, although a number Of
gentlemen, it is said. have offered to change
it for her. Her aunt by whom she was rear
ed was daughter of Gen. Robert Bogard-
us, and lived upon Murray Hill. Miss Oil
YER was m attendant of st. Marks Episco-
pal church and a student in Rutgers col
Rutgers college, and subsequently, after
having studied art three years, took the de-
gree of A. NJ. Miss Oliver determined to
go to work for herself. Her parents were
we'll to do Philadelphians, accustomed to
the old Southern and English notions that
gentleman was man of leisure, and that
a gentlewoman or lady forfeited claims to
that title when she did work for which she
received pay.
when Anna says one of Miss divers
friends, ''sold her first picture, her re)a-
tives acted as though she had committed
crime and had greatly disgraced them. :"
They steadily opposed her studying for
the ministry, and did not become recon-
ciled wholly to her course until she became
the popular pastor of a Brooklyn church,
which she had purchased in her own name.
Then they accepted her views as correct,
and some time ago knelt at the altar in her
church and received the sacrament from
her hands. Miss Oliver graduated from
the theological department of the Boston
university, in 1876, and received the de-
gree of S. T. B. (Sacral Theological Bach
elor). In her case the question of the ordi-
nation of women came up before the gen.
eral conference. 1t had been held by the
bishops that the discipline did not extend
this right to women, and many petitions
were sent in asking for change of the
discipline. The question was referred to a
committee, and minority reported in To-
vor of the ordination of Miss Oliver, thus
opening the door to other women. The
majority reported that women were allowed
by the general consent of the church to do
everything necessary for usefulness, butas
soon as tire committee reported, the gen.
eral conference adjourned. The young
women preachers claimed that the body
adjourned to avoid the question.
"They know it has got to come" said
one, "but they want to put it off as long as
possible. However, the bishops are old and
the girls Young. Time will show who
comes out ahead"
The young women preachers presented, ON
short notice, o fusilade of arguments why
they should be admitted to ordination, and
of the Methodist church in opening her
ecclesiastical schools to women and then
refusing them the right to use the gifts she
has assisted them to cultivate. The Uni
versalist and the Unitarian theological
schools admit women, but SO far no young
women have gone into the pulpit from them.
There are, however q number of young wo-
men who are pursuing theological studies
in Methodist schools. Among the success
full women preachers who are married are
Mrs. Van Colt, Mrs. Amanda Smith, and
Mrs. Willing. Miss Sarah Smiley, Miss
Vincent, of Boston. and Phoebe Hanaford
have been before the public for years. The
Rev. Mrs. Ellen Gustin, of Massachusetts,
is an ordained preacher in the denomina-
ton in which President Garfield vas form
erly preacher, and is pastor OF church.
Referring to the fate of Miss Mary Phillips,
one of the girl preachers said: Il don't
wonder she died, for the opposition we
met was enough to kill any one who is not
kept alive miraculously by the Lord.
Are girl preachers POPULAR" was asked.
with aged people, middle aged married
lar. With wife hunting men, old bache-
lors, or men in love, and With young wo-
men looking for husbands, or those in love,
they are not popular. Spinsters, however,
greatly admire them, and to some extent
envy them for the independence of their
position, matrimonially considered, and the
respect they exact serves to make their po-
sitions enviable to those who have been
watching and waiting for husbands and
have been disappointed. The life of q girl
who has been preparing for the ministry is
one of self denial as to dress and fashion,
theaters, and worldly amusements; and it is
difficult now-a- days in cities to pass through
such ascetic existence outside of convent.
But women know that conscience and duty
calf them as loudly as they call men, and
that happiness comes only with obeying.
Our comfort to the sick and dying, our
sympathy with the afflicted, our simple
life md habits, give US places in the hearts
Of our Pensioners. One preacher said to.
me that wherever men could behold the
spectacle Of vestal virgins dedicated to God
they were more moved than by a thousand
sermons"
The Argument OF Loaded Gun.
Senator Vest, Missouri.
Talking about those times right after
tho war, We certainly did have a branch
establishment of hell down in Shreveport.