Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1897-09-30
WOMEN WHO PREACH.
Statistics That Show How They Are
Increasing in Number.

There are now twenty women who
are settled pastors over Uniterian SO
cieties besides a number who are
qualified as preachers. The Rev.
Miss Stafford, who is president of the
Iowa Unitarian association, is n of
the most conspicuous of the ONE
pastors. She is about 40 years old,
energetic, affable and a good speaker.
Two other women pastors are the
Rev. Marion Murdoch and the Rev.
Florence Buck, both stationed as CO.
pastors at the First Unitarian church
in Cleveland. Still another Unitar-
ian pastor is the Rev. Mary T. Whit
rey Of Unity church, South Boston.
She is not only an able pastor, but a
woman of force in church councils;
the same may be said of the Revs.
Mrs. e. r. Wilkes of Oakland, Cal,
Harriet l.. Pierce of Pomona, Cal;
end the Rev. Harriet d, BoyntOn, the
last being, with her husband, the
Rev. Richard w. Boynton, pastor at
Roslindale, Mass. Other women who
are doing good pastoral work, and
are settled over Unitarian societies,
are the Rev. Ida G. Hultin of the
First church, Moline, H.; the Rev.
c. ]. Bartlett-Crane of First church,
Kalamazoo, Mich; the Rev. e. E.
Gordon OF the First church, Iowa
City, and the Rev. l.. w. Sprague, co
pastor with her husband of the
New South church, Boston.
There are siXty-five women in the
ministry of the Uniyersalist church.
those who are licentiates are, in near
ly every instance, pursuing their theo-
logical studies preparatory to ordinaS
ton. OF these ~siXty-fye, more than
one half are married and are rearing
or have raised families. These hold
pa%storates jointly with their hus-
bands. and not a few are the wives of
clergymen-husbands and wives. min
i~stering to different parishes on the
same circuit.
The Congregational church of to-
day draws no line of eligibility to pas
toral ordination between men and wo-
men. According TO the latest pastor
al lists, no Seyer. there are only sew
enteen ordained women preachers in
the Congregational church. Half a
dozen of them are in the New Eng
land states, and the majority of them
are stationed In the far west,
The Methodist church, cave in one
instance Of concession, has refused to
Crdain women rs preachers. That n
il stance occurred in the Rock River
conference some years since, when
Mrs. Jenie Fowler Willing received a
local preachers license. a few more
Licenses were granted later. Finally
they were revoked in every case, the
conference fearing that a too general
desire on the part of the women to
/ ecome licentiates without marked
Qualifications which would fit them
for the position.
While the women preachers of the
Methodist church are more properly
evangelists, yet many women have
gained for themselves the name of
able preachers in the full sense of the
term, Mrs. Maggie Van Colt, or us
she is more often called, Mother
Van Colt, has for many years been en-
gagged in active evangelist work in al
most every state in the union. Pos
sessed OF a rich, powerful, l~ow-toned,
and well-modulated voice, and a ON
handing appearance, she has never
failed 20 gain OF first the respect, then
the love and perfect sympathy OF her
hearers. She is at present directing
the work of a home for ]friendless girls
at Catskill, n. Y. Mrs. Jennie Fow-
Ter willing. sister of Bishop Fowler,
breaches with much force and elo-
Quence. other well-known women Of
the Methodist denomination are Mary
SparkeS Wheeler Of Philadelphia,
Grace Weiser Davis Of Jersey City,
and Mrs. +. q. Robinson of Indian
apolis.