Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-03-07
WOMEN IN CHURCH WORK.
Rev. DIR. Sutherland Talks of Her Place in
Modern Religious Life-The Quotation
From Paul That Is So Often Used to
silence the SEX.

Rev. DIR. Sutherland Talks of Her Place in
Modern Religious Life-The Quotation
From Paul That Is So Often Used to
silence the Sex.
Last night Dr. Sutherland, of the Second
Presbyterian Church, preached the fifth of
his series of sermons to young women. His
special theme was: sfWoman's Position
and Work in the Church." In the course
of his remarks he said: ''It is not too much
TO say that for the advanced and aggressive
attitude of the Church to-day we are in no
small degree indebted to woman. The
fruits of her devotion and zeal are seen in
every department of Christian work;
and in thus devoting herself fully
and unselfishly to the Masters service
within the sphere of the Church. She is full
filling most important part of her mission
in the world. II, as some say, woman is more
capable of religion than man, by that very
fact Is it obligatory upon her to be religious.
Her very capacity is the measure Of her re-
sponsibility. And there is no duty or privf-
le@e within the sphere of the Church's activ-
ities for which she is fitted by nature, by
training and by grace, from which there is
any divine authority for excluding her. l
am quite well aware that this has not been
the prevailing view among Christians but,
nevertheless, think il is the only rational
and tenable view. As men in the past went
10 lDe SCRIPTURES lOI Tue pIOOl anu SdhCblOH
of human slavery, so there are those who
even at this day go to the Scriptures to
prove that woman should be denied the
privilege of speaking in the church, no
matter what her abilities OF qualifications
NAV be.
"The particular passage which is relied
upon to sustain this view is Paul's statement
in l. Corinthians, xiv: Let your women
keep silence in the churches The
real meaning of this prohibition it seems to
me is strangely misunderstood and misin-
terpreted. What were the facts? The
miraculous gift of tongues was bestowed
upon men and women alike. Each were
anxious to speak. Their anxiety led TO con-
fusion because several got up to speak at
once. Paul asks them, How is it then,
brethren, when We come together every one
of you hath a psalm, hath a doc
trine, hath tongue, hath reve-
lation, hath an Interpretation. Let all
things be done unto edifying. Ii any
speak in an unknown tongue let it be by
two or at most by three, and that by course,
and let one interpret. But IL there be no
interpreter. let him keep silence in the
church, and let him speak unto himself and
to God Now having said so much to the
men, Paul turns to the women present and
says: Let your women keep silence in the
churches for it is not permitted unto them
to speak" Having silenced the men, he
goes on to say that even the women, who
leges, must not have the privilege of talking
at random.
. That is just as good doctrine to-day as 1t
was in Paul's time. Neither a man nor
woman who has nothing helpful or edifying
TO say has right to be heard in the church
sembled congregation of worshipers are
too nrecious to be wasted with rambling
senSeless jabber even if it should have a reli-
gious favor and pious tone.