Evening star., 1896-03-28
METHODIST WOMEN
Shall They Be Admitted to Seats in
General Conference2
CONTEST TO BERENEWED AGAIN IN MAY
What is Looked Upon as an I'm
pending Church Crisis.
VOTE AS WE'LL AS WORK

Three women have been elected lay dele
gates to the general conference or quad
rennial International council of the Meth
od:st Episcopal Church, which will be held
in Cleveland. Ohio, in May. A determined
efcrt will be made to have them recog-
nized and seated and an equally deter
| mined effort will be made to prevent such
| action.
This will precipitate conflict that may
result in a split in the church similar to
the one occasioned by the controversy over
| the negro in 1914, resulting in the forma
| tion of the Methodist Episcopal Church
| South.
The question is: "Shall the women of the
Methodist Episcopal Church be allowed a
voice and vote in making the laws OF the
| church,"
The general conference is the only law-
making body of the church. 1t is COM
| posed of over 500 ministerial and lay dele
| gates elected by the various annual con-
| ferences or state meetings in all par;s Of
the world. The preachers elect the minis
| terial delegates, and the laymen the lay
| delegates. A lay conference is held in con-
| nection with the annual conference for the
| latter purpose every four years.
| The lay electoral conference is composed
| of delegates elected by the various local
| churches 1t has been the custom in many
| places to elect women to the lay electoral
| conferences, together with men, and thus
give them a voice in choosing lay repre-
| sentatfVes to the general conference.
| Eight years ago five women were elected
as general lay conference delegates. They
were Amanda G. Ripley of Kansas, Mary
| G. Mind of Minnesota Angie l. Newman Of
| Nebraska. Lizzie d. Van Kirk of Pcnnsyl-
vania and Frances E. Willard of Illinois
The bishops were without Dreccdents to
governing the making up of the roll of
| members instructed the secretary to record
and read the names of the women separ-
ately until conference of unquestionably
constituted delegates could decide upon the
| eligibility Of women. The question was re-
ferred to a special committee, and after a
| lengthy discussion this committee reported
that under the constitution and laws of
| the church as they now read women are
| not eligible as lay delegates in the general
conference" debate took place lasting
five days. in which thrty-five set addresses
| We're made 1t the most important
| since the famous debate over slavery.
Constituting the Law.
Between 1888 ard 1892 a proposition to
amend the second restrictive rule by spec
flying distinctly that lay delegates may be
men or women submitted to the an
nual conferences, but was defeated by 1000
| votes. The preachers mostly voted against
the change and the laity for it.
AT the conference of 1892. held in Omaha.
| no women delegates were presented for
strong in favor Of women
The matter was brought up by the intro
duction of resolution requiring the ju-
dietary committee of the conference to in
quire whether the terms LAY delegates
| lsymen and members of the church in full
connection. as USED in paragraphs 30 to
| CD inclusive of the discipline, express or
imply distinctions OF sex"
This committee. was composed of H. r.
Brill, chairman: c. W Smith, secretary;
J: NJ. Buckley J. L. Bliss. .. H. Moore, J.
Vn,r ~ L -Gx1l
]. c. Hartzell. c. H. Affcnbach. J. D. Ham
mond, John Miley, w. p. Dillingham;, s. s.
Henkle and T. b. Sweet, all OF them rep
resentative men of the lenomina ton. The
committee spent considerable time in dis
cussing the meaning of the terms indica ed.
Its report was that the words used in
the paragraphs given did moi apply to both
sexes. but included men only The reasons
assigned were the evident intent of the
lawmakers and precedents.
AT this juncture measure known among
Methodists as the Hamilton amendment
was presented by DR.. J. W. Hamilton. He
proposed that the church and annual con-
ferences vote on an amendment providing
that lay delegates 'must be male men,
EerS," with the proviso that in case of
failure to pass the words "lay delegates
should be construed to mean either men or
women.
Provisions were made whereby every
member over twenty-one years of age men
and women, was given the opportunity to
vote for or against this amendment.
What Recent Voting Indicates.
Many of the German and foreign confer
cnces refused to vote altogether, and in
English conferences all over the United
States a large proportion of the preachers
refused to vote This action sprang from
feeling that the proposition was not
straightforward, and that it would tend TO
destroy confidence in the action of the gen
eral conference.
AS result of the revulsion occasoned by
the Hamilton amendment. the Colorado
conference took I'D the old amendment
which proposed that LAY delegates may be
men or women" and called upon the other
conferences to vote thereon. The confer
ences of the church in all parts of the
world have been voting upon the Colorado
amendment. Thus far a strou, majority
is reported in favor Of the admission of
women. During the mcnth of April the
last fifteen conferences all in the United
States will vote, and of course definite re-
suits cannot be announced until all re-
turns have been received, which will not
be possible until the latter part of April
In view of the sentiment IN favor of ad-
mlttlng women as lay delegates, three
on,en,, women have been elected and will present
honored are Miss Lydia A. Trimble, Mrs.
Jane Bashford and Mrs. j. W. Parker. "
Miss Trimble is a teacher in the women's s
school at Hok-Chatng, China She is at
her home in Essex, Ontario Canada. on a
furlough. Miss Trirnble went to Foo Chow
IN 1889 as missionary from the women 5
| piahSh VI INC fofelSIl NllSSlOnary SOciety
Mrs. Bashford is the wife of Rev. ]. W
Eashford, president of Ohio WESLEYAN
University. A curious circumstance is that
Mr.. Bashford Is delegate from the Gin
cinnati conference. while Mrs Bashford
was elected by the Ohio conference Her
home Is at Delaware. Ohio. She is known
as "home-maker' rather than as leader
in public affairs.
Mrs. Parker was elected by the North
India conference. Her husband is also a
ministerial delegate.
In case 1t is found that the Colorado
amendment has carried it will yet be nee
essary for the general conference to finally
decide the matter. because the action of
the general conferences is not conclusive
until confirmed by the general conference.
1t Is therefore quite likely that the women
named will have their narues> placed in a
separate list until the conference IS organ
| lied. e
Position of Prominent MethoJi.t..
} If the conference confirms the vote to
admit women. then the objection will be
raised that the three women cannot be
seated because the constitution was not
changed until several months after their
election, thus making 1t necessary to wait
four years before women could be legally
| elected