Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1888-05-06
CONFERENCE
rHE GREAT WOMAN PROBLEM
Under Discussion by Clergy and Laity ALI
Day Yesterday
AID IT RETAINS UNSETTLED.
Lively Scenes Among the Reverend Gentle.
men.

NEW YORK, May The interest In
the Methodist Episcopal General Confer
ence increases daily. To-day there was q
larger audience present than on any previ-
u day of the Conference. Bishop J. F.
Hurst presided, and the religious services
were conducted by Rev. ]. d. Wilson, of
South Carolina. A woman seated in the
first box ON the second tier arose at the
conclusion of the singing of the hymns
and said: "Can / have the privilege of
saying q few words." All eyes were truned
toward her. She was about forty years of
age, f~ashionably dressed. and evidently
suffering from hysteria. Chaplain McCabe
led her out of the Opera House. She re-
fused to give her name. Rev. DR.. j. M.
Cuckley claimed the floor. He said he
only wanted to set himself right in re-
gard to certain remarks he had made in
regard tn the eligibility of women as de-
legates. He claimed that as the house
had adjourned yesterday without fixing
any special order the rules would have to
be suspended before the debate could be
continued.
Bishop Hurst decided that the point Of
order was we'll taken. Ga his wi point
of order DR.. Buckley could not continue
his speech. On motion the rules were sus.
pended for the purpose of giving the Com
mittee on Rules en- opportity to report. A
number of amendments were made to the
rules. They were unimportant but they
created much discussion. The Committee
on Fraternal Delegates reported that they
had arranged for Q reception to the foreign
delegates on Tuesday evening. Lay dele
gate D. T. Deshing was excused from at
tendance. His daughter died at q hotel
last night and he will take her remains
home. Bishop Andrews made the follow
ing announcement Of committees appoint
ed by the Bishops: :
Committee on the Judiciary-Samuel
E. Uphman, John Miley, Luke G. Queal,
Charles W. Smith, Isaac w. Joyce, VIM.
F. Spoke, Eli Fritter, Louis r. Fisk, M.
B. Rees, Jo'eph G. Hartzell, John W.
Locke, VIM. Koencke, John W. Lacey.
Committee on Ecumenical Conference
Daniel Dorchester, James N. Fitzgerald,
Charles N. Sims, Thomas b. Nicely Charles
W. Super, Henry N. Ketson, James H..
Rulla, Russellel Beeler, d. William Digs,
James II. Dsputie, James Marvin, Henry
Liebhart, Robert s Maclay.
The rules were again suspended, and
Gen. Clinton B. Fiske, of New Jersey,
took the floor to advocate the admission Of
women. As women were made class lead
ers, preachers, and members of quarterly
conferences, they were entitled to seats in
the conference. Their cause was q holy
one. Gen. Fiske contended that there
was nothing in the law of the church
which says a lay delegate shall not be a
woman. II would be revolutionary to
turn the women out by q vote of the gen.
eral conference, and the church could not
afford to exclude them. IL was foolish 20
say that if women are elected men will be
excluded, and if half the lay and clerical
delegation were women the body might be
q great deal better thsn it is. No lawyer
would deny the right of the women to
seats in the conference, for the law of the
church entitled them to admission. "Are
we 80 cowardly," asked Gen. Fiske, "that
we would refuse that woman for fear abe
would fill the place of q man ?"
Rev. A. ]. Kinnett, OF Upper Iowa,
Secretary of the Church Extension Society,
favored the admission of women, and eaid
that Bap,ists and Congegationalists ad-
mitted them to their conferences.
Rev. d. II. Moore, Of the Colorado con-
ference, commended that women should
not be admitted. In closing DR.. Moore
offered q substitute to all the previous
substitutes. 1t was to the effect that as
the eligibility Of women as lay delegates
had been challenged on constitutional
grounds, il was Of the utmost importance
that no doubt should exist in
regard to the introduction of women. he
moved the previous question. The mo-
ton was recorded, and IL looked
as il the question would be settled then
and there. Considerable excitement ex.
listed while the vote wa being taken.
When the announcement was made IL was
discovered that the motion was lost. The
vote stood 1872 ayes to 1877 nays. Rev.
W. N. McElroy, Of Illinois, was in favor
Of the women, while Rev. ID. Gray, Presi-
dent Of the Dickinson Female Seminary Of
Williamsport, Pa, wa opposed 70 the
women being present while the vote was
being taken on the question. Alter nome
desultory discussion an adjournment was
had until Monday.