The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-07-18
=
WOMEN PREACHERS.
Reasons Why They Should
Fill Many of the
Pulpits.
GOOD SERVICE TO THE CHURCH
Not So Many Empty Pews If They
We're Called = News From
The Churches.


The interesting question, why Is IT
That Women Almost Never Fill 4
Pulpitg' has come once more to the.
front. A writer In the Newark News,
has something to say on that topic which
is well worthy Of attention. He asks
Way IS 1t that women almost never
fill a pulpit? Why Is that. when, in
Isolated Instances, they enter 1t, they
are frowned on by the great body Of
orthodox theologiarns as if they had com
mitted the objectionable sin, whatever
that may be?
The narrowness, the intolerance, the
bigotry Of churches have seldom been
more strikingly exemplified than by the
general exclusion of woman from the
study and practice of what is called d.
Unity. Since the first agitation of wom-
ans rights in this country. near fifty
years ago, she has been allowed to preach
IN 3 few cases, as she has been allowed
to do everything else, but only in Uni
verzalist, Unitarian and Independent pull
pits. The strdot ~ortnodoxists are as vio-
lently opposed as ever to her ~ccupane
of the sacred desk, SO n~ar1ed-are UNI
willing to listen to any presentment of
her claims. To their mind the sacre-
dotaI Office can be filled by man alone.
Amy opinion or suggestion to the con-
trary is the rankest of rank heresy.
She is merely permitted to serye-to
serve always and superabundantly. She
is forever called on to work. 10 do Most
Of the drudgery. to PROSTATE and efface
herself for the churches and their advan-
tage. Even when she is chosen a dele
gate, as she is occasionally, to a general
assembly. she is either unjustly, basely
rejected or her claims are disputed. In
stead of protesting and raging with
righteous indignation. as she would be
fully justified in doing. she meekiy re-
tires rather than introduce discord. How
much the churches depend ON and profit
by her humility, which would be beauti-
full if It We're not slavishi
What an endless, unceasings sncalce-
liable debt OF gratitude the churches the
world over owe 10 woman. 81 has sup
Of Christianity. Her influence has al.
a been vital, inexhausfible, all inn
pcrtant- What would they, what could
they have done without her? Her help,
her sustainment, has never been greater
than it is today. She has remained
faithful. answering. when man has
them together? But for her would they
not have persisted? Has not her abso-
ute conservation kept them aEve2 Is she
not their strength. their health. their
very soul? In the old world not less
than in the new She may be always
found al church, but the mass OF men
are absent. She devoutly w~orships, while
they c~riticise, doubt, renounce. She is q
theologfc creature naturally. Man is not.
She is constitutionaliy a believer. He is
constitutionally a skept.c. She hungers
for faith, cleayes to 1t, is eomforted by
it. He Will not, as a rule, accept faith
unless il agrees with his temperament
or his reason, and his tendency is
against the supernatural.
Woman would seem to be specially
adapted by birth. culture and aspiration
for pastorshsp. The few who are pastors
appear to haye found their vocation.
They discharge their duties conscientious
" and satisfactorily. Those who have
heard them usually want to hear them
again and again and are apt 10 ask why
they are so limited in number. There
can hardly be fifty women in the pulpit
in the whole republic, and there are
thousands and thousands of men, most
of them, like most members of other pro-
LESSONS, obviously disqualified for their
calling. Hundreds of them are able.
eloquent, interesting, as WI all know.
But are not these shining exceptions
compared with the multitude? Are not
their congregations drawn more by a
sense of duty to be performed thar by
any expectation of the matter of man.
ner Of the promised discourse?