New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-01-12
WOMEN IN THE CHURCH.
THEIR CHANCE OF GETrISG INTO TIE
GENERAL CONFERENCE.
HISTORY OF THE CAMPAIGN-AN ANALYSIS OF
THE VOTE RECENTLf TAKEN IN
THE CHTPfIFS

THE CHURHES.
Tho General Conference # the Methodist Epis
.onal Church was compOcd entirely of minis
,ors until the wear 1872 Prior to that time the
question of admitting lay delegates was discussed
az various periods, and some srccSsions from the
Church had occurred gowing out Of the lack OF
law representation and similar causes.
In the wear $50 tie General Conference SUD
,nit,ed 10 vote Of the adult lay members the
question of lay representation. This vote was
taken throughout the Church in 1851. ne
.,oioritv voted aAinst the admission of lay dele
Gates 70 the Gcieral Conference. II is not sur
nrising that thcmniStry voted in the same way
Rut the advocaes of lay delegation, 80 far from
being dishclrtned, renewed their agitation ana
awakened mluh general interest in tie que ii H.
80 that it beame an important matter OF discus
sim in the General Conference Of 1868. at Chl-
caoo Ii eas then ordered that the question
shouId no admitted TO vote of all the adult
members O the Church, women as well as men
On this seoud trial the measure succeeded by
decisive DaIorlty.
The ministry, finding the expression of the
,oitv 81 decidedly favorable TO the movement,
olso vofd in favor of it by the requisite three
fourths majority.
Thelay electoral conferences TO choose lay dc e
,,ates O the General Conference assembled in the
fall q 1871 and the spring Of 1872. In some OF
these conferences women were present as mchi-
hers and II does not appear that any qucsuoh
was ever raised as TO their right TO he there
Ia1nen were for the first time admitted as mem
he's of the General Conference III Brooklyn III
1S2 The question there arose as to who were
Z. Ike considered laymen, and the General con-
erence passed a resolution declaring that IN all
matters connected with lay delegation TIE word
. laymen" must he understood to include all mem
hers of the Church who are not members oi Ahhu-
al Conferences.
Women were elected as reserve delegates 10 some
of the General Conferences subsequent to that
date. Their names were printed in the published
lists of reserve delegates to tie Ueneral confer
cnce. and so appear in the journals of that body
Prior TO the General Conference OF looo some
of the lay electoral conferences elected women as
REGULAR delegates to the General Conference
Prominent among them were Miss Frances WI /
ard. of the Rock River illinois Conference, and
Mrs. Angie T. Newman, OF the Nebraska Confer
cnce The General Conference of lssS net Ill
New-York and the very interesting, animated
and able debate in regard to the admission OF
these elect women" will be remembered by many
of our readers.
The result of the discussion the rejection OF
these delegates by majority OF the lay vote 50
small that two votes changed from the negative
,o the affirmative would have given majority III
tbeir. favor The majority of tie ministerial vote
AGAINST their admission was thirty-four. This re-
sult having been reached on the ground that
there was not sufficient constitutional provision
for their admission, ii was resolved 10 submit TO
= vote of the entire adult membership of the
Church the question Of the admission OF women
as Law delegates to the General Conference.-The
81 H.. l,,-f 1o vat. pf fha min tpT
The months OF October and November last were
set as the time for taking the vote Of the alty,
and the entire adult membership Of the Church
were afforded an opportunity to express their
wishes at that time For months prior 10 the
time of voting the Church papers tcemed with
articles discussing the subject in all It's phases.
ID was urged in favor of the measure that
women by their Intelligence, their devotion 10
the church. and their interest i'll It's institutions
and operations were entitled 10 recognition In It's
chief legislative body; that the submission of the
question of lay Delegation to them as well as 10
tie men in ! 500 recognized them as an essential
part of the laty: that the definition of laymen by
the General Conference of 1872 clearly included
them, and that tie spirit of Mcthodism III recog-
Wiling the rights of women in the church dc
manded this measure.
H. was opposed as being against precedent.
against the teachings nf Scripture, and as Likely
10 lead In woman suffrage III the State and 10
the ordination of women preachers, which
were held TO be great evils. II Is not a little
singular thai Methodists, who have always
held that th, writings Of the Apostles must not
be So construed 10 prohibit III these days the
exercise by women Of their gifts IN speaking In
public, and in public prayer, should be fouhd
using thess Scriptures prohibiting their al
ba trtfp
Shin which they claimed Oh their side IN this
question a scholarship that would De destructive
Of the entire position and timc-honOrcd usage Of
Moth, lists in regard 70 women III the church.
The vote has now been taken in all the churches
and The Christian Advocate of January | con
,aintd a summary of the vote in the various con
fer,lc,s so far as it possible to ascertain II
Al nat time including about twO-thirds Of the
WHO'D. church. The total number of votes re-
porud was 291,3l4, Of which le2,?7l were ia
fave and 1888 Ill opposition, showing
maDrity of 73,24s in favor Of the measure. "
is likely that the votes yet TO be reported VII!
lie very much in the same proportion. ..
4 little analysis of this vote viii be interesting
as showing the different elements entering in'o IT,
A, some of the conferences have territory IN dIl-
ferent States, the districts in such cases are
counted, in our summary, in the States IN winch
the largest part of their territory is located. me
vote of the NewEng land States is ,2j0 III favor
$50 opposed showing majority OF 20 per cent
in favor of the measure. The vote OF the Middle
States is 27,2j2 III favor and 34,26l opposed.
showing "A per cen: i'll favor and 90 per cent in
oppv,ition The vote Of the whit, conferences in
tine Southern States is 1871 in favor and 1920
opposed-showing about IS per cent in favor OF
the measure. The vote OF the Western States is
u35l IN favor and 1855 i'll opposition, bcin-
so per cent in tie affirmative. In this class the
votes of six Of the great Western States are very
significant. "a follows: ONO, affirmative,
24,s75; negative 9,544; Indiana Affirmative,
1852; negative, aga; ILLINOIS, Affirmative,