Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1905-07-13
WOMAN OPPOSE DIVORCES.
AS Methodist Preacher She Refuse;
to Remarry Couples.

~ hCHiai'y SOdplCo'
Women as ministers of the gospel
are not so numerous that they do not
inspire considerable interest, especial
ly If they happen to be pastors of con-
gregations in small towns or cities.
TO the credit of the woman preacher
1t can be said That she is uniformly
successful when 1ae essays the role
of a ministerial leader of flock. The
women preacher of America are, as a
whole wise with the intuition of WON
ankind, sensible and unusually con,
servative.
At Paris, H., the pastor of the
First Methodist church Is a woman
Miss Lee Anna Starr. Miss Starr has
been located in her present parish
for tle past year and during her in.
cumbency the church mas become
vastly more popular and its capacity
for good has increased several fold.
Miss Starr Is an exceptionally intel.
ligent woman. She is well educated,
gifted more than ordinarily with
oratorlcal ability and, above all, it's
thoroughly imbued with human under.
standing. She has been in the gospel
ministry for ten years and has had in
that time but four years charges-a
small number for the average Metlo.
dist preacher who has been engaged
in regular ministerial work for that
length of time.
Two of Miss Stars charges have
been held four years each, and In
both of them she voluntarily resigned
her labors in the belief that she could
do more good elsewhere. These two
charges We're Mendoza, o., and Can
ton, I'll. TO each of these places Miss
Starr has frequently returned to visit
the farm friends of her former con-
gregations. In each she is a Welcome
visitor and When she goes to either OF
the places she is received with open
arms and public demonstrations of the
affection in which she is held by the
public as well as the members and
congregations in former pastorates.
Miss Starr recently attracted a con,
siderable amount of public comment
Through her attitude toward the re.
marriage of divorced couples. One or
the first wedding cermonies she was
required to perform since she became
pastor of the Paris congregation was
of couple whom she did not k now.
When approached by another party,
a friend Of the couple who wished to
be married with the request taat she
perform the ceremony, Miss Starr ac-
quiesced, but stated that she must
! first be assured that neither of tle
parties had been divorced Wlen
| Miss STAIRS requirement became
known it excited no little comment in
Paris and throughout that section
owing to the unusual nature of her
demand, Marriage OF divorced people
/ had not been an uncommon OF
currence, while such a thing as q
/ preacher refusing 10 perform the
ceremony in such cases was prac.
! ticaliy unknown to that section. As
It happened, the couple had neither
of them been divorced, and Miss Starr
performed the marriage cermony in =
perfectly satisfactory manner
In instances of like nature. where
Miss Starr is not acquainted with the
antccedents of contracting parties,
she aas made II an invariable rule to
first ask them the question: Have
/ YOU ever been divorced "
ut is a rule of the Methodist
church" said Miss Starr, that min,
listers shall not mary a person VINO
has been divorced, except the divorce
has been secure on grounds sanction,
ed by the scriptures. | have perform.
ed many marriage ceremonies and
only once have | varied from my rule
not 10 otilciate at wedding where
either Of the parties has been
divorced
Several years ago. In another
place, was asked to officiate at a
wedding. | did not ask my usuat
question beforehand and | was very
mucn surprised to learn, just as the
wedding march had been commenced
and We were ready to so in for the
ceremony, that the bride-to-be was a
Divorce. refused to go on with the
cermony at that time | was then
told that the former husband OF the
woman had deserted her and that
after she had failed to locate him she
had secure 4 divorce thought that
under the circumstances TIE woman