Iron County register., 1891-04-16
The Methodist Women.

| The New York Conference of Method
| ist ministers undoubtedly expressed the
sentiment of the great majority of Meth
odist women in voting three to one
| against the proposition to admit women
delegates to the General Conference, or
the supreme legislative body of that de-
nomination. If it were not so, the decis-
| ion would have been the other way, so
| strong is THE femme influence with the
pastors of churches.
| The vote of the laity IN favor CT the in
| novation did not indicate any general de-
| mand among Meth hdist women for the
privilege. 4 small part of the member
| ship only appeared at the polls, long and
heated as the discussion of the subject
hal been, and of the total vote the num-
| ber of women comprised no more than an
insignificant fraction of the feminine
Methodist host The great mass of the
| sisters of the Church took no interest i'm
the question. and they could not be wax
ed to any interest by the most earnest
discussion and the most spirited canvass.
One pastor declared during the debate i'm
the Conference that of all the women
members of his flock, one only took the
trouble to vote. By remaining away
from the polls. the rest substantially de-
clared their opposition to the proposed
change. They do not want to assume
the duty which men would impose on
them. 1hey are cuntent to continue as
they have always been in the Church, the
governed rather than the governors.
The argument against the measure
which was insisted upon most strenuous
ly in the Conference is that the plain
apostolic command is that women shall
not undertake to rule in the Church, and
that if the injunction is disobeyed, it will
form precedent for evading or denying
the general authority of the scriptures.
One of the speakers affirmed that it was
openly proclaimed at the recent w omen's
Council at Washington that When
Methodist women got over st. Paul and
the New Testamant, the Scriptural stand
ard by which the Church is governed
would be swept away" Whether this be
an exact quotation or not, there is 10
doubt that the greatest obstacle to wom-
an suffrage. next to the Indifference of
women to the subject, is the conservat-
ism of feminine religious faith. They be-
leyc that the Bible excludes them from
participation in the government of the
Church and logically they think them
selves equally unfit to share in the govern
meat OF the State.
First of all and most of all, religious
women are concerned that the authority
of the Bible as Divine revelation shall re-
main unimpaired. They would set the
example of obedience to its commands;
anu Tor them 10 ODey the particular IN
junction to keep silent as to Church gov
ernment is easy. Very few Of them want
to load themselves with the task: and
fewer still desire suffrage in the State.
The movement for their political enfran-
chisement gets little impetus from wom-
en-. Its most powerful impulse comes
from men; the greatest obstacle to its
progress is set up by the Indifference or
active opposition of women. The petit
tioL against women suffrage i'm England
was signed by more and more distinguish
ed and influential women than the petit
ton In is behalf: and so it would be i'm
this country Probably ten signatures in
the negative could be obtained for every
one in the affirmative.
Accordingly, it may be assumed that
woman representation in the general Con-
ference of the Methodists will not be per-
mitted for several years TO come, at least.
That result will tend to give a great set
back to the woman suffrage movement.
It will F, owe again that women do not
want to vote; and rot wishing political
power, il will not be thrust upon them.
Whenever they change their minds, If at
any time in the future tie change comes,
they can get the vote at the first eXhibi-
ton Of their general desire for the privil-
ege and their Willingness to discharge the
duty and assume the other obligations of
citizenship which go with it.-New York
Sun.