Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-08-28
HAS NO OBJECTIONS
Discussion Regarding Women Sing
ing in Vested Jhoirs.
REV. ]. b. LYNCH THINKS IT PROPER
Decision of Bishop Burgess Of Episco.
pal Diocese in Long Island Against
Permitting Women to Sing is Meet
ing With Disapproval.

The question as to whether or not
women shall be admitted to the vested
choirs of the Episcopal church is now
receiving much discussion among the
clergy of that church. Some time ago
the Courier published an extract from
an eastern paper giving the decision
of Bishop Burgess of the diocese of
Long Island against admitting women
to the choirs Of the cathedral missions.
Rev. j. H. Lynch, rector of
Trinity church, of this city,
stated that the matter had never
come up in this diocese but his
opinion on the question was that it
was, entirely proper that the women
should wear vestments. The follow
ing letter was written by Bishop Gail
or Of the diocese of Tennessee, in re-
ply to a clergyman who wanted to
know whether the bishop thought it
improper for women to sing in vested
choirs. Neither bishop has any
authority or control outside of his own
i diocese:
Rev. and Dear Sir:-You ask me
/ whether | consider it wrong or indie
: corous in this diocese for women to
sing in choirs with men and boys, and
! to wear white vestments for the sake
of uniformity, ETC., and MY answer
1 without the slightest hesitation is, No.
! OF course it is not wrong nor indecor-
GUS.
i Women have as much right to as
Il sist in the service of the church as
men have, and their attire while so
/, assisting is matter of taste.
/ 81. C The place of women in religious
:. in l,,,n, N
}, lowered but rather elevated by Chris
; tianity; and the ancient Jews had wo-
men-and women vested-ss members
|. of the choir in the Temple worship.
8 (See Hastings "Bible Dictionary"
| Vol IV.) There is nothing in the ma
: ture. of Christianity which would JUS
tify us. in forbidding women to offer
what they have to offer-whether it
be song or service-to the worship OF
J. Christ.
I'll. The attire of choristers is not OF
ecclesiastical prescription, but is a
: matter of taste. Our canons speclfi
: cally prohibit any lay-reader, and a
:, fortiori any chorister from wearing
! ! the dress appropriate to clergyman
officiating Therefore the choir vest
y ments are to be regulated by usage
: and aesthetic preference. AS they are
= usually white, there is no reason why
y women, when they sing, should moi
8 wear a white garment for the sake O
y uniformity. To most people this is al
L improvement on the practice of hav
9 ing the women hidden behind thu
e screen, or decked out before the con
II gregation in fashionable hats ant
gowns.
y iii. The exact shape and cut o
=. the garments that women are allowed
- to wear when singing In the churcl
= may be to some minds profound ant
. momentous question.It is not so to us
= The apostle says that ''in Christ there
Ia is neither male nor female and on
!. reason for the use of vestments by thu
7 clergy in the service of the church il
- that they are of such character a.
! may efface all suggestion of sex or in
:, diyidual eccentricity. and makes III
i. realize that it is always Christ who i
y the Minister of the Sanctuary. Romal
= Catholics may think that they need
y female ideal distinct from Christ, blu
> we do not Christ is that ideal of hu
:. manity for both sexes, and to say tina
" the official vestments of His minister
IL are intended to be distinctively mascr
II line garments, in any rigid technica
Is sense. appears to some of us to vic
s. late the fundamental principle of on
y worship.
~ INV conclusion is that you do n
AZ wrong to churchmanship or good tast
:, in permitting women to sing in you
III choir and to wear some sort of whit
W garment over their black gowns fo
. the sake of uniformity. 1t is a matte
y too trivial to deserve extended argl
~. ment and it reminds me OF the sayln
- of the late Bishp of London that 7
le clothe matter of taste with absolut
~ Importance is to make religion ridic'
"a lous in the eyes Of all thinking men.
as 1t is the business of a gambler
VI take chances