The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-05-25
OPENS WARFARE LIN MERRY WIDOW HATS Dr.. Dickinson Sounds First
 Note of Alarm MEN ARE STAYING AWAY First Baptist Pastor Says He Will Not Object If Ladies Decide to
 Remove Hats In
 Church.
MEN ARE STAYING AWAY

"There is a great problem confronting the churches of America today" said Dr. A. J. Dickinson, pastor of the First Bap- list church. in his pulpit yesterday. To the inquiring faces he replied, "The la dies hats
 The first attack on the merry widows has been made in Birmingham. North ern cities have taken the lead in the mat ter, and churches all over the country have even gone so far as to put the ban on the new hat
 The matter has been carefully consid- cred by the pastors, elders and others in Birmingham. At teachers meetings 1 and other places many of the ladies have signifed their willingness to re- move their hats in church.
 l It has been figured that the merry | widow hat has resulted in a falling off of the male church attendance of 30 per cent. The man who is hidden behind a mass of straw and never catch a glimpse of the minister or the choir, spends his Sunday evenings somewhere else, it is claimed
 The ladies, of course, have to follow
 
 hearts insist upon it. In fact the ma jority of men consider the merry widow beautiful creation with the exception of the price.
 So Birmingham is not going to be so drastic as other cities. She would not banish this beautiful scenery for the world. She wants to the flower gar dens on their way to church, she wants to see them pass into the house of wor- ship, but when the first strains of the pipe organ are heard the Instructions, if the movement spreads as it is ex- pected to, will be removed to the ladies' laps, while induistive men will once more be able to see what is going on. It Is understood that the ladies are the chief laders in this move They are deeply concerned with the salvation of their other halves. and would not throw anything in the way of their betterment. They have gotten out their Bibles and read the mandate of Paul as given in the eleventh chapter of Corinthians: Every man praying or prophesyinr. having his head covered, dshonoreth his head. But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoreth her head; for that is even all one as if she were shaven. For if the woman be not covered, let her also De shorn: but If it be a asshames for a woman to be shorn or shaven. let her be covered For a man indeed ought not to cover his head forasmuch as he Ia the image and glory of God but the ia exIo man IS not of the woman, but the woman of the man. Neither was the man cre- ated for the woman, but the woman for the man. For this cause ought the wom- an to have power on her head because Of the angels. Judge in yourselves. is if comedy that woman pray unto God un- covered? Doth not even nature itself leach you that If a man have long hair 1t is shame to him? But if a woman have long hair it is a glory to her. for her hair is given her for a covering"
 Now there are many opinions on this passage some declaring that 1t was in- tended for the women of the age who covered their faces and were always wholly yelled. Others say that if the woman was created for the man. she ought not to get her headgear in his light. Others say that this was merely a rule of the early church, and not a mandate of Christ, but merely to settle local disputes.
 At any rate, 1t Is a live issue in Bir- mngham. Dr. Dickinson did not go into any discussion of the matter but mere- ly called attention to the fact that the hats are keeping men away from church. and stated that if the ladies wished to take off their hats he would not object.