Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-05-22

ALnene- eighteen oruaIned -mlnIstresSeS" OF
the gospel, representing thirteen different
denominations, sat on the speakers plat
form at the religious services held in tie
Washington hall of the Art Institute by
the Worlds Congress of Representative
Women. The women ministers who occu-
pied the front row We're the Revs. Mrs.
Tupper Wilkes. of the Unitarian church
at st. Paul; Mrs. Mary Stafford, co-pastor
with Mrs. Emily Gordon, of the Unitarian
church of Sioux City, la: Miss Florence
Kollock, of the Universalist church of
Pasadena, Cal; Miss Anna II. Shaw, of
the Methodist church at large; Mrs. Caro-
line j. Bartlett, the presiding minister of
the meeting and the pastor of the Unita-
rian church at Kalamazoo, Mich; Mrs.
Mary Noreland, of the Congregational
church sIrs. Jeanette Olmstead, of the
Congregational church at Olivette. o.
Others ON the platform were the colored
evangelist, Mrs. Amanda Smith, who
short time ago returned from missionary
work in Africa, and the Rev. Airline
Brightman, of the Seventh Day Baptlsts,
of Austin. Ills; Mrs. Jane 5. Richards,
Susan a. kimball, Isabella Horn, and FL
mira :. Taylor, of the Latter Day Saints.
Rev. Jeanette Olmstead invoked the divine
blessing on the work of the congress, dwell
ing on the new aspirations toward life of
devotion to the ideals which would be the
fruit of its session, making women more
true to the divine impulses that come over
all.
Rev. Emily Gordon recited the hymn,
"Rise Up, Rise Up, Women" and Rev.
Florence Kollock offered prayer expressing
the hope and the conviction that the con-
gress would be red letter day in the mem
cry of ns tionS, and that its work and aspi-
rations would make all more just in judg-
ment of other nations and their work, and
result in the lasting good of the human
race.
"In the progress of the great work which
has been begun creeds and Schisms shall be
lost" she said, land it shall become patent
to all the world that the gospel of liberty,
the gospel of iUsti5e to the weak and the
strong alike-that these are the gospel of
Christ"
Miss Catherine NJ. Fisk then sang the
"CrCatiOn Hymn" Miss Anna II. shaw
was introduced and delivered the sermon.
Miss Shaw took the xviii psalm, verse ,, o.
the revised scriptures for her teXt.and said
in part: This text in the original transla-
ton was, The Lord gave the word; the
multitude that published the tidings are a
great host but the revised edition mas
given better version: The lord Civ
eth the word, the women that publish the
tidings are great host
"All the women who have spoken at these
meetings have voice the one cry, to b c
free; they have been expressing the one
aspiration that truth shall be our guide,
and not tradition. All the work has been
imbued with the one great spirit which
takes truth for authority, not authority for
truth. We have learned that we have had
enough of creed, and it is our blessed eX-
perience that no woman may say again:
1 am all alone of all the women in the
world This has been our love feast.
The limited vision of those women who
| think that their truth must he the truth
| for all, and will recognize no other creed
than their own, is disappearing through
such work as has been done. To teach
liberation has been the mission oft he con-
Sress and those who have taken part shall
go forth women in whose souls has been
planted the germs, not of one exclusive
truth, but of many truths"