The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-05-27
BISHOP MORRISON
 OCCUPIES PULPIT
Breaches Commencement Ser mon to Birmingham Seminary
10TH CENTURY WOMAN
Woman Is the Silent Force In the Universe-She Ia the Beauty of Every Depart
 nent.

commencement sermon to the students of the Birmingham seminary at the Il o'clock services at tho First Methodist church yesterday morning. Ills discourse was a lofty tribute to womanhood, and was directed primarily to the woman of the twentieth century. It pointed an ideal conception of true womanhood and the way to the ideal
 The music of the service was furnished by q choir of selected voices from the chorus class of the seminary, and Mrs. the choir were tastefully rendered and Mrs. Saverins solo was beautiful.
 The pulpit was decorated with bank of ferns, the class flower in honor of the senior class. The student body of the school occupied the entire middle section of the auditorium and half of two of the side sections There were about 300 pupils in the body. and all being dressed in white they presented a beautiful appearance.
 Bishop MorrIson's Sermon.
 Bishop Morrison took as the subject of his sermon, "Woman As a Factor in the
 
 from the twenty-ffth and twenty-sixth verses of the thirty-flfth chapter of Ex- odus: And all the women that were wise-hearted did spin with their hands and brought that which they had spun, both of blue and of purple and of scarlet, and of fine linen. And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom, spun goats hair''
 The bishop opened his sermon with the explanation that the text was not taken as suggestion of a literal example for women of the twentieth century, but as an example of true woman. The women in the text were aiding in the building of the tabernacle, the house of God. And this Is the work of the church today" said the speaker. q do not mean the church In the common use of the word, but all who love God; that is the church. The work of the church today consists In the seeking to build tabernacles."
 Now, when we inquire for the sphere of woman's work" continued Bishop Nor rison, I've will find 1t Just as we find the work of every other; that Is, by study ing Gods plans.
 Trend Toward Freedom.
 To-day slavery has vanished; the civil war is passed, Spanish oppression Is no longer, and we find every form of oppres- sion being suppressed. That Is the divine aim-to free humanity. Observe the trend. It is to uplift humanity. Even the forces of nature, science and all the marvellous work of the universe; everything working for the freedom of the universe from sin.
 Prince Albert of Great Britain once said, Young gentlemen, find out which way God Is going In your generation, and then take that way, and see that your way does not cross His So we say to- day. If you are crossing His movement, the universe itself is against you, and you had better fall into harmonious moye- ment with him.
 These women, in the text did not take the heavy work neither did they sit in council to make the laws, but they did the part which was more suited to their tal- ents. l know of no instance in the Bible of woman trying to do things not intended by God.
 
 twentieth century, said the speaker. He then brought out some of the frivolities of the time, and the efforts on the part of some women to keep pace with the time. In speaking of one instance, he stated that being at hotel, at dinner, he noticed an interesting being al an ad- joining table The being had on gaudy vest, had the hair clipped rather short, and while the face was effeminate. it was doubtful as to the sex. The only thing which placed doubt in the speakers mind was some fluffy material about the sleeves. Still undecided, the only thing which established a definite conclusion in the mind was the fact that when the being arose from the table 1t had on skirts, and he then knew that 1t was a woman and not man. This. the speak CT stated was merely one of the at- tempts to go beyond the reasonable to keep up with the times. While you as- pire to the highest, young women. as- plre to the best" said the bishop
 Breadth of the Field.
 "The field today is broad for women in fact, there is no limit. Woman has all the possibilities of development Of thought. The individual determines the thought and not the sex. The world de- mands thought, from the press, from the pulpit; everyone has to think. Gods thought is the handspring of nature, and progress is mans rising to couple his thought with Gods thought.
 "rhe seas. rivers. and forests are Gods thoughts; the ships on the rivers, and the towns on the lip of the sea are mans thoughts, and the two coupled together form progress. So, with man. when he is truly repentant for his sins and goes with his repentance to God, then you may point to him as a man who has been saved
 'The mission of woman demands this thought. Woman is no angel and l am glad that she is not; but there are some, however, if l had to live with, Socrates wife for instance, 1 should want her to be an angel as soon as possible Woman is connected with all that goes to make sentiment. She is an important factor in the moulding of morals and manners, and she rules with dominion, if in silence. I exhort you seniors to go into the world to think, and not suffer those intellectual powers to become indifferent.
 "Woman is the silent force in the unl- verse; but the silent force Is perhaps the most effective. The earth was once