The Sisseton weekly standard. (Sisseton, Roberts County, S.D.) 1892-1929, 1907-09-27
I range o. their activltles covers

to the conversion of all her trade
people: Phoebe, q deacon of the
church of Cenchrea, and its tinancia
and missionary agent Qgnatius of An
tioch tells us that these deacons were
not ministers of meats and drinks, bui
ministers of the church of Cod; PRS
ella. a lady of distinguished learn
ing, who became the theological in
structor of n of the most eloquent
of the apostles; Philips four daugh
tiers. who with their father We're itin
Grant evangelists, and a vast number
of other devout women, stand as q
perpetual REPUTATION to those who seek
by scriptural authority to limit the
field of woman's ministry in the
moderu church.
From preapostolic times to the pres
ent there has never been a period of
great religious awakening when Won
en- and mel have not stood together
in the forefront of the struggle.
Ecclesiastical history will forever as
sociate the names of Helen aud Con
stantine, Monica and Augustine, Eu-
sebia with the Gregory of Nissa,
Marcella with ~Athanasius and Paula
with Jerome,
That many women were not only
accorded positions of trust and honor
but were ordained and set apart for
The work of the ministry is shown by
the writings of both sacred and pro-
fame historians. When, in the second
century, Pliny the younger was sent
by the Emperor Trajan to investigate
the doings Of the Christians he re-
ported officially that he found women
in the ministry Of the church. From
The apostolic constitution has come to
us the following formula for the Or
dination of apostolic women: "Eter-
nal God. Father OF u Lord Jesus
Christ. Creator of men and women,
Thou who didst fill with Thy spirit
Miriam. Deborah, Hannah. and Hilda.
look down Thou also upon his Thy
handmade and bestow on her the Holy
Ghost. that she may worthily perform
the work committed to her to Thy
honor and the glory of Christ
IN SillpllSily Oi tle uelloSi \
ideal of the unity of the human race,
with its equality of honor, rights.
duties and privileges. taught by Jesus,
was not understood by even His i'm
mediate disciples. What wonder,
then. that when these simple lessons
We're carried ou by men of lesser
spiritual insight and narrower sym
,.,t,., .l- -.zy ,l~, ~, -
their deep spiritual significance, we're
gradually lost in dogma: that AFRO
Sance began to manifest itself in
claims OF superior wisdom II au-
thority, and the simple service of low
ing ministry, which revealed itself in
honor preferring one another was
supplanted by a ~hurdensome cere-
monial and sybaritic and powerful
hierarchy
1t is q well-established fact that in
times of great religious awakening
and persecution, where there are no
honors of Office or pecuniary compen-
Sation for service. women are &C
corded greater power and recognition
than in periods of the church's pros
perity. Therefore, when the hierarchy
established. when the position OF
tended for and not a burden to be
borne, when the office of deacon, pres
byter or bishop was a %sinecure Gag
erly sought by men who employed
every possible device or intrigue to
reduce the number of classes eligible
to these positions. ome We're natur-
ally the first to be prescribed.
This reaction against women was
begun in the third century by Tertul-
liam. Influenced by his mighty ambi-
ton upon his conversion to the new
religion, he Immediately began to re-
the simple life of Christian
ity. Imbued by the pagan contempt
for women. he waged u%nrelenting wal
against them, declaring "Woman!
thou oughtest always to walk in
and rags. thine eyes filled
with tears of repentance to make men
that thou hast been the de-
struction of the race. Woman! thou
arr lue SdIc Ol nell.
Many of his disciples we're in &C
cord with these sentiments and fol-
lowed his example with unflagging
zeal. They diligently preached of the
of self-effacement, of the love-
illness of s%elf-sacrifce and modesty.
of the admirable qualities of womanly
and subsection, emphasiz-
ing the immodesty of her preaching
and teaching.
While the church denounced wom-
as the source of all evil, in in
shutting the worship of the Virgin 1t
her. 1t was not the woman
her human desires, hopes and
aspirations that it exalted, but the
saint. secluded from life's interests,
struggles and temptations.
1t was but natural hat during the
period of the church life,
while the, attitude of it's foremost
teachers and writer's was that Of AFRO
giant contempt for women in all of
their human capacities. they should
gradually lose the position which they