The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1890-10-28
WOMAN ANDTHE CHURCH.
A Vital Question That Will Soon
BE Definitely Settled.


sion over the question as to wheth' r
or not women shall assist N shaping
the GEM raj legislation AMI poll " of
of ,he church. That is, shall women
be allowed a representation, as dele
gates, at The general confe' ence,
which meets once IN four years? The
religi us press is full of this matter,
and has been for months. end the
question is TO come to a vote IN each
local church ON Wednesd ~, Novem-
Der 10, of this year. Every member
of the church, man or woman, 81
years of age and over, will be en-.
titled tn a vote, and while this is only
an expression of the church at large,
this will virtually settle the way IN
which the several annual conferences
will vote upon this change of policy
of 100 years of history. The annual
conferences by a two-t thirds vote will
decide whether this change shall take
place or Mt.
The history of this agitation is this !:
Two years ago several conferences
sent to the general conference at New
York women delegates. among whom
was Miss Frances Willard. The,
were not allowed seat in this body.
and the discussion was long and AMI
mated. There was The disposition to
fairness on all sides, and the only
obstacle seemed to be that it was, per-
haps, not a constitutional MEASURE.
That general conference is m de up OF
the members of the board OF bishops,
ministerial and lay delegates. or LAY
men" as the Discipline pu's it. Tie
issue is squarely on the interpre alton
of the word '.laymen." 1t is coptenied
that the word does net mean men
alone, but members of the church,
irrespective of sex, meaning to distin-
guish them from the delegates from
the ministry. Finally, ter days IF
discussion about the mater, the
women were excluded and the arrange
ment for getting an expression from
the membership at large was Lit upon.
Before noting 5 'me OF The opiuionS
of the prominent men and women of
the church, it is matter of curio-i'y
that after this question was thus tenn
porari y disposed of, that srme gener
al conference, although it hid sal BIZ
its alton that women have no right
to aid in the legislation of the church,
deliberately went to work and estab-
li>hed the Order of Deaconesses, a
kind If Sisters of Charity, without the
vows Of life service ami ccibacy. l.
is more than that # service, however,
and is the next d cor to giving WON n
the right to the pulpit, when al woman
asked was right TO help aid in shap-
ing legislature.
Out of the dozen or more principal
principal papers of this church in the
United States. only one, The New
York Christian Advocate, edit d by
James Nj. Buckley, ID. d is aga nst
sending women 10 this conference
All the other principal papers are in
favor. La recen issue of that paper
DR.. Buckley says editprially:
Gall objections to the adm ssion o.
women into the general Conference
come at last to tbis-t they are women
and not men, not because they are
inferior in intellect or piety. doe sny
one object por allege that those
likely TO be elected are inferior to The
average Of men in knowledge or
general adaptive faculty nor that
there are none equal in intelligence
and piety to the test of men, but be-
cause they are women, intrus'ed to
God wi b a form of mental and spirit
ual infurnce, and a corresponding
work different from that of men
What kind of en- assembly is the gen.
eral conference Of the Methodist
Epi'copal church Ii is very large
body, with more members than the
legislature of any state, and one-third
more than the house of representa-
tives of the United States. So many,
without limited time TO. spes k NJ,
the demand for the floor is great, and
it is not uncommon 10 see forty or
fifty shouting for the ear of the chair
man and gasticulating wildly TO ca Oh
his eye. 10 secure the floor, peculiar
knowledge of parliamentary law,
strained attention, the most rapid
physical movements, and the most
piercing voice-unIess the member be
fortunately situated-are necessary.
Only the vociferous and unabashed
could hope to succeed. And to give
the foor to woman by courtesy when
they appear as members, would be in
violation of the PRINCIPLES upon which
their admission is urged. Since mas
culine mental and moral qualities
cannot be eradicated, to give woman
ouv onporupifu in tho poporol NON Her