Woman's chronicle. (Little Rock, Ark.) 1888-1???, 1889-03-23
Woman and the Church.

EDITOR OF WoMAN's CHRONICLE: Through the
Woman's Journal became aware of your enter
prise aud hasten to clasp hands with you in your
grand work. Though the mighty river intervene,
chord is struck in the land of the cotton and
cypress which finds an echo in old Kentucky
Women are moving along the line and forming in
battalions to storm the citadel of injustice, and
making ready to demand their elevation to the
plane of ecclesiastical, legal and political respons-
Utility. A few brave souls are bearing the burden
but daily encouraged by the conservatism of
once violent opponents. At our next legislature
we expect to loosen some of the rivets that bind
our shackles. We shall make every effort to have
Womans Property Rights bill passed have
women physicians installed In female wards of our
lunatic asylums the age of consent raised, and
indeed any subject that concerns our emancipation
discussed for if agitation is only brought about
our battle is half won.
In my humble opinion the most strongly fortified
garrison of womans subsection is the Church.
Being myself an Episcopalon, have been making
large inquiry of late as to the validity of the Gus
tom of excluding women from becoming members
of vestries or being lay readers, and CORE
sponded with several bishops, each of whom
acknowledges there is no ecclesiastical or common
law preventing this larger liberty. The feeling of
unrest and injustice that is taking possession of
numbers of church women is strengthening daily
and unless justice is in some measure meeted out,
will continue to increase until it breaks our eccle-
sastical systems. Women are growing weary of
attending church in such numbers as to make it's
strength respectable, of church-cleaning and debt
lifting, and being relegated to the position of nom
entities with no influence or power in church coun-
ellis. Weary of having Christ ignored and Paul on
the subsection of women preached. If what Paul
says must ever be preached and Jesus deserted as
he was by his friends on his way to the crucifixion
by all save few weeping women, let some of our
clergy select some passages from the 10th chapter
of Romans, or any of the thirty-eght passages of
the sacred book bearing on the same subject Let
us hear of Mary, the first ambassador to tell of
vision of Christ but if the resurrection had in the
Providence of God been delayed till the present
day, Mary would have been stopped with the char
ter bearing the ''good tidings" and they would
have been transferred into the keeping of some
male representative, though Paul says there is
neither male nor female in Christ Jesus.
Let the women enter the councils, chances and
pulpits of the Christian church, and they will do
more toward equalzing the numbers of the sexes
in the pews in decade, than men have done in
800 years. The enemy could never be routed on
the field of battle if half the ammunition were
locked up in the magazine. Men and women con-
stitute humanity, and one sex can no more bring
about the dawn of the day of Christ, than one can
take in the beauties of landscape with one eye
shut. But such multiplicity of thoughts throng
the mind on this important subject, it is hard to
select the most vital points Women are coming
to the point that they will not support by presence,
vitality or financial aid, minister who does not
base his Christianity on the Golden Rule.
Ever for the doctrine of Christ,
Mrs. JOSEPHINE X. HENRY.
TerS0iueS, Kentucky March 10, 1885,
Tbo fret An,n Aon