The herald., 1894-05-22
THE WOMEN IN vtSTMENTS.
A Unique Church Choir in Los
Angeles.
The State Has Not Another of the
Kind.
A Garment Designed by Rector TIA yIer OF
st. Johns Church, Who Made tho
Innovation-How tho OhoM
Was Organized.

There was a time when the Anglican
church was charged by some broad
gauge people with being unprogressivs.
From present indications it does not
seem that the accusation, which was,
perhaps, unjust at the time, will ever
be made again. One of the straws that
indicate the direction of the breeze is
the introduction of women into vested
choirs, which is decidedly new move
ment and especially novelty in Cali
fornia.
The fret vested choir for women was
organized by Dean Bromley of Mel
bourne cathedral, Australia, some years
ago, and stirred up a storm of opposi-
ton, says the San Francisco Chronicle.
The opposition, came, as usual in such
matters, from men who had never seen
woman's vested choir, didn't want to
see one and wouldn't have investigated
If they could. They regarded it as an
innovation and preferred to condemn
unheard any arguments in its favor.
Bishops took sides on the question.
Some inveighed against 1t most heartily,
while others, not less devout but less
conservative, sanctioned the movement
in their diocesss. Others pronounced
the whole thing fad which would soon
die out, but the fad continued to live
and has even developed an exasperating
vitality.
FIom Australia the fad spread to the
eastern states, and now there is a
womsn's vested choir here in
California. The choir is thriving
in Los Angeles, and few church.
going people visit that city without at
tending services at st. Johns Episcopal
church on West Adams and Figueroa
streets. OF course. they are attracted by
the novelty, for the fame of the choir
has spread over more states than Cali
fornia, and members of the Episcopal
church, as we'll as musicians, are anxious
to hear and see what it is like. Almost
always the expressions OF opinion are in
the line OF approval. A number OF visit
ing rectors, who were quite sure the Ell
feet would be garish and theatrical, have
been converted and have returned to
their parishes determined to introduce
q similar innovation.
The rector of st. Johns church, Rev.
B. w. r. Tayler, is the man to whom
the credit of organizing this first woman's
vested choir In California belongs. He
was among those who had prejudice
against such choirs, but his views have
changed now, although he still clings to
the idea that the ideal choir ia composed
of men and boys. He advocates the
woman's vested choir on the ground of
expediency, because it improves the ef-
EniA 81 kn nd Is M
reason in the world why women, duly
vested ia appropriate choral garments,
should not take part in the musical SER
vices of the church.
The rector of ut. Johns is young, but
he has had much experience in the
matter OF cboirs. He entered one him
self at the age of 8. and was the choir
master and precentor for four years in
chapel choir at Kings college, Nova
Scotia. Since then, to use his own
words, he has drilled city choirs and
country choirs, boy choirs and men
choire, good choirs and bad choirs,
choirs unmixed and choirs mixed, and
he has found that, with the exception OF
some remarkably fine boy choirs, which
cost more money than the average
choirmaster has at his disposal, an eff
fective boy choir is the exception and
not the rule. He has come to the con-
clusion that the ideal male choir is pos
Bible only in cathedral towns, whore
musical scholarships are offered to good
voices, or in rich parishes that can al
ford large appropriations.
In the SO out 100 parishes where a
good boy choir is out OF the question,
the material for good vested choir of
boys, women and men is at hand. All
that needs to be overcome is the preju-
dice that hangs to this day around any
thing new. In Los Angeles this preju-
dice has been overcome, and the congre-
CATION of st. Johns not only does not
object to the choir, but would object if it
were taken away.
Some Anglicans say they do not OBJ.
ject to having the voices OF women min
gle in the choir, but they do not want
to see them. They suggest that the
women be kept behind screen or cur
tain. But it is just trifle difficult to
find women willing to submit to such
an arrangement nowadays. to say moth.
ing OF tine theatrical behind-the-scene
effect OF such an arrangement.
OF course. the first question that
arose when the people of st. Johns de-
cided to try the new idea was, What
will the women wear? The choir of St.
Johns occupies place between the
nave and the sanctuary, in the lower
part OF the chancel. 1t is in full view
OF the congregation, and it was, of
course, not desirable to have the women
attired in gowns varying in cut and
color and wearing Partisan headgears.
Something sensible, appropriate and UNI
form in the way OF vestment WAS de-
sired. There were no presidents to
follow. The choir at Melbourne wore
priests SUPPLIES, with black stole or
scarf, and Mr.. Taylor did not approve of
this garb, deeming it too masculine, so
be aimed in designing a vestment for
the new women's choir at something
that would harmonic with the vest
ments worn by the men, but clearly in
dcating the difference in sex Some
members of the congregation suggested
wells, but this WAS rejected as savoring
too much of brides or confirmation
classes. Then some one wanted ths
women to wear cassocks and cottas, with
little round cap, but this was too
much like the vestments of the boys.
At last it was definitely decided that
the costume should bs white, because
it WAS suitable in its significance
and would harmonic with the cottas OF
the boys and men. The pattern evolved,
under the direction of the rector, by
Mrs. w. Ford, one of the members oil
the choir, is eminently suitable, and is
constantly being sent for and copied by
parishes all over the United States.