The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-07-17
WOMAN N THE CHURCH.
The Nssd Of Her Work Explained by
Frances N. Jones, Of
Helena
A Faithful Band, the Most Famous
on the Roll Being Florence
Nightingale.
Mrs. Jonss Is the Ttsst Dsaoonsss u Mon.
tara and il Stationed i
Hslsna.

1tes OOoo - the ObtnS Ao10oUoSo IN m40s
tara and IL Stationed Il
Helena.
Az the recent Episcopal convention In
Butte. Frances M. Jones. Of Helena. . dea-
great attention. Il treating Of the o1ioe OF
deaconess and her work. The time has
come. said Deaconess Jones, whom the
church In America feels the nssd OF wo-
mans work. and that In a regular. systsm-
atc and authorized manner. where her
time can be given fully md, altoRether 70
the church's needs. sithsr in parish schools
OF among the sick. whore knowledge and
system 20 together. whore her authority
cannot be- e.allcd 10 question. whore heE
wisdom and judgment are recognized; not
only acquired by a previous courss Of two
ysars' training and instruction. but BY the
close living OF = heart and mind ''sst apart
conseoratsd TO Gods service, the daily.
hourly consciousness Of her need and me-
cessity for suoh close oomnnunion, the innes
ind higher living. shat she cause mot
TO offend ION Of Christ's little
ones.". This long felt nssd has developed
tie d~eaconess OF to-day. Through Ill she
ages womsn's work has been needed and
recognized; AZ tho work Of the church rose
above tho ordinary level hr help and in
duence became moro marked, and names
stand ont in the old records of the past
bringing their oharacte. . be!o Q us. a. ltv-
Ing and close - those OF many OF the pres
eut day. with a thrill to our hearts and .
2mnfk tn nnf AYNQ an nANN mr. mAmnrY f000ll1
their noble and self sacrificing love Tor the
master they served. We Q he Worshippod by
the dread name OF Jehovah" or 10 later
times when Gsthsenane a Calvary gave
70 the world its suffering messiah. pei nit
ting women to call him "RAbbonni."
A glance at tho church Of the apostolic
md sub-apostolic times shows the need
there was then for her work. which gave
rise to the FIST ordering or setting apart"
Ut d~eaconesses. though prior TO that time,
down the long gallery Of the wemsn OF tho
Old Testament. whose lives bore witness to
their complete INSTRUMENTATION. and the
vivid c~oloring OF which wets stamped upon
those of others by their strength and power,
proved the outpouring Of the holy ghost
oven then. Gou has used as instruments al
va ious times women from every IL OF
life. but all were fitted for his service. and
rifce. the emptying of self, 80 that the full
ness Of the holy ghost might dwell therein;
that the "windows Of her soul," having
nothing within Of sslf to cloud
them. might reflect and send out into tbs
lives of others the clear shining Of God'l
eternal love for mankind. Ihe bsnehcent
beams that draw ny from the earth ths dewa
OF our love, "even our tears" from which
springs
First the blade. and then the ear.
And then ths full corn in tho car.
The first fruits of on, love and service ia
him, the fullness and richness of which
will only have reached Its highest plane
when the ''eyes are incapable OF tears" fol
they will look upon tho aierv Of him whom
We 81 all behold, and not another"
This was the spirit that Ian-nst the warp
that lay. not upon the u.face of theil
lives, but revealed BY their shining
here and there. . each movement
OF mind or body shook put the
outer folds and revealed the interior
shining. the brightness. OF which tod II waa
not of the natural but tue supernatural
love. even OF the Holy Ghost. As women
were last at the cross and frst 81 the grave,
az. woman. behold thy Son" in his agony,
go woman was the first word of tie risen
lord to mortal ca .. Through oil his life
md GutfefinRs and resut 70 :tioA life, woman
was held in her riRhtful place. II vac only
through the darker pages Of the ohurch'a
lbBbOkyS 1uh14Auk . pAO y
darker pages OF history, that va see woman
and her work perverted and set aside. But
wherever the chorch set up her banner of
truth and love woman's han stsadied IL,
content to suffer loss of all save honor; and
death was courted in that she might safer.
thereby saving others LEES gifted in the
power of heavenly endurance
The Dsaconess Phoebe. ono of a body OF
women lodged to do missionary service.
for the wording of ST. Pauls commentator
OF Phoebe sugRests. II IL does NOT assert.
that che was only one Of \ nnmber who co.
cupied the snme position. she was not the
SCI want but a servant OF tho church which
Co, inth. We know nothing moro about
her. Glad would we be- might we question
her with regard TO the nnture OF her "Di-
aconal duties" but wc must be content to
look on her only ms she fits. q silent figure,
ncrose the field OF apostolic history to dis.
the s~ub-apostolic age We find mention Of
other deaconesses in many ancient authors.
and the younger Pliny in his famous Istter
to the Emperot L njan concerning the
usages of the Christian community In
Bithynia, declares he ELECTED the
maidens who we're known no "ministrae."a
word most easily translated M deacon
%esses." Also we end .ofuso testimony
from ao-cnllel apostolic constitutions
whatever their precise datv) giving o
trustworthy picture Of tho life Of tho anti
Nicene church, ne seen also by the PRAYER of
their ''setting apart" aud used At our own
'isetting apart" on Epiphany. 1898, in Phil
adelphia.
But. after the sixth century in the west
and the twelfth in tho east. tho institution
disa, penred. having been completely super.
coded bv that very different thing, the CON-
~ventual system. 1.-The d~eaoonsss went
out. the nun came in" But there nre
strenms that disa pear only to r~s-rise, aud
thus it WINS with what We mny call the
"diaconal succession" for. with the post
reformation times, comes again into view
the wo.k of women, II here again tho
old name of tho Pauline Epistlss.
"feaconess." In Germany arose n faithful
bnnd of women. and what this faith anu
work Of one humble p lest did towards the
enrolment of this large army Of devout
and self, sac 'ifcinR women the wor 4 knows
full we'll. Fleidner's history is wonderful
illustration of the way in which 4 Ian
eminent for no gifts save those called
''morar' may succeed in accomplishing the
most tremendous results. Insionihcnus in
person, unattraotive in manner. poor In the
gift OF spsech; neither u brilliant nor a pro-
found scholar; this poor Luthe an minister
Prussia, conceived the idea and carried il
out Of reviving the primitive ministry of
women. This was in the autumn Of 1888.
The first asylum was opened In the sum-
mer house OF Fleidne,'s garden. and. be-
fore forty years had passed In Germany
alonc there we're NO fewer than thirty-four
''mother houses and upwards Of LOO
d~eaconesses. the most famous nane on the
roll being that OF Florence Nightingale.