Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-04-30
WOMEN DELEGATES
Question Of Their Admission to the
New Church Conference.
COUNCIL OF MINISTER'S IN FAVOR

COUNCIL OF MINISTERS IN FAVOR
The Subject of Missions Treated Of
at Length.
AL NM ASSOCIA TON
The question Of edmitting women as dele
gates to the New Church conference came
up for consideration before the council OF
ministers in session at the National Church
this morning. The action taken upon the
question was not final. but 1t was agreed
to make favorable report upon the propo-
sition to the conference itself, the body
which has final Jurisdiction.
Rev. 8. 8. Seward presided at the meeting
of ministers this morning, and the religious
exercises were conducted by Rev. Mr..
Brown.
The committee appointed yesterday 10
consider the question of ordaining M. De-
cembre as the minister for the Paris society
reported favorably and the matter will be
recommended to the conference for action.
As to Women Delegates.
The most important discussion Of the day
was started by the report Of a special COM
nittee recommending that the conference
adopt an amendment to the constitution
providing for the recognition Of women del
egates. The proposition met with consider
able opposition and was discussed for the
better part Of an hour. AS at present con-
stituted. the conference consists of all New
HMM Nt,to R0fr ohAr.
two delegates-at-large from each state as
ISOLATION and one delegate for every fifty
members in the several societies Rev. Mr..
Mann offered as substitute to the report
motion to the effect that the proposed
change to the constitution Is not necessary
at the present time. Several of the minis
tiers expressed the opinion that the time is
not ripe for such a radical departure and
that 1t would be better to make haste slow
ly. When 1t came to a vote. however, the
substitute was lost by vote of. p to
and then the Recommendation embodied In
the report was adopted. The matter now
gees to the conference, and 1t would hardly
be safe to regard the vote as an indication
of the ultimate fate of the proposition.
Rev. Mr.. Ager presented a report to be
transmitted to the conference on the sub
ject Of New Church education. The report
commented favOrably upon the paper read
by Rev. Mr.. Whitehead yesterday and
urged the necessity of additional funds for
educational purposes and larger endow-
ment for Urbana University.
The Subject of Missions.
Some minor matters of business were
attended to. and the council devoted the
rest of the morning to the consideration Of
papers on tho subject Of missions. Rev.
Willard H. Hinckley spoke on The Quail
fcations of n Missionary Prof. T. F.
Wright, on missionary Districts" and
Rev. j. C. Herrick. On missionary Work"
Rev. Mr.. Wright. who is the chairman of
the board of missions. read paper, in
which he described the districts into which
the mission field is divided, and showed
how far these districts are now supplied
by the board or otherwise. Out of twenty
two districts in America he showed that
fourteen are provided for while all have
at least some care. In the foreign field the
American confer cree and the English con-
ference are attending to Sweden. Denmark.
Germany. Switzerland. Italy and Austria,
with some provision also made for India
and Africa. The French brethren are act
ing for themselves.
At the session Of the council this after
noon the class on sociology was to the
fore. and several papers were read on the,
theme. The Relation of the Kingdom of
This World to the Kingdom Of the Lord"
Among those VINO presented papers were
Rev. John A. Hayes, Prof Wright and
Rev. E. d. Daniels of Laporte Ind
Sociological Reform.
Mr.. Daniels said that the church is but
larger individual and, that as the in
dividual has a civil as well as spiritual
side ID him. SO does the church. In her
spiritual capacity she Is to attend purely
to the regeneration of mems hearts, but
in her civil capacity she Ia TO promote
sociological reform in every wise way.
Civil declarations can receive delegates
from the church in her civil capacity; for
all religious beliefs and of no religious
belief. The church in her treatment of
civic reform should distinguish between
eternal principles Of right and justice and
those petty party questions concerning
which all men differ. The former she
should treat, the latter she should not. An
individual citizen may treat party Ques-
tons to his hearts content. but the church
is the church of tie democrat and of the
republican, where men come to worship
the Lord alone. ard every person should
know that his party views will not be
assailed there.
Rev. Adolph Roeder Of Orange N. j.,
cited from the writings of Swedenborg a
number OF quotations setting forth his
views on the question of the relation Of the
church to sociological reforms.
This evening the annual meeting of the
Alumni Association of the Theological
school will be held. The Rev. Julian K
smyth of Boston will preside. Address by
the Rev. Louis G. Hoeck Of Newtonville,
Mass, on The Need For Practical Ideal
on Entering the Ministry" and by the Rev.
Adolph Roeder of Orange. N. j., on Pres
for the Work Of Well-Equipped New
Church Ministers" An opportunity will be
offered for general discussion
Yesterdays Late Sessions,
The principal feature of the session yes
terday afternoon was the annual address
to the council delivered by Rev. Edwin
| Gould Of Montreal. Before that, however,
the committee on biblical study reported
two papers on the subject: THE New
Church. and the Higher Criticism" by Rev.
Edwin Gould Of Montreal, and Rev. Jacob
r. Werren. professor Of Hebrew in the
New Church Theological Seminary at
Cambridge, Mass.
Rev: Mr.. Gould. in his address to the
council. spoke on the theme, THE Revela-
tons Revealed and in the course of his
address he presented Swedenborg's theory
OF Interpretation of the book. according to
an internal or spiritual meaning, regarding
the letter as grand symbol of spiritual
truth He concluded his paper as follows:
SwcnderborE's Revelations.
THE Lord. himself. has opened the sight
20 t~,t