Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-16
SEEK VOTES FOR
NE 7 / D DIST
v TOME n
ission Leaders Want Represen-
tation in Church Councils.
Hot Campaign Opens.

Believing that inaswuC1 as they
ave charge Of over S25o,000 Of mis-
sion funds yearly they should have %
right to vote In the councils Of the
Methodist Episcopal Church South.
women members OF that denomina-
ton are vigorously pushing the move
ment for equal suffrage In the church.
They are now publishing a maya
zine called The Laity Advocate, IN
which they set forth their claim to-
votes and they believe that the Jan
nary number will be the last one nee
sary to convert their church brother.
The local forces are headed by Mrs
John N McEachern and Mrs. Luke
O. Johnson. wife OF the pastor Of the
new Trinity Avenue Methodist
Church, the latter being member Of
the board OF missions. but still denied
the right to vote. She conducted
campaign similar TO the present one
several years ago,
Silent Work in Progress.
There is growing sentiment
among the women of the Atlanta
Methodist Churches in favor OF the
movement and each church has
large number OF women silently but
effectively working The forces are
not organized. but the women con
slider Mrs. Johnson and Mrs Nc
EaChern q s leaders
The movement Ia not af1liated In
any manner with the woman's SUI
frage cause, although Mrs. Mary l..
McLendon, president OF the Georgia
organization. is aiding in the cam
paign She Is a Methodist and q
member OF Mrs. Johnson's church.
THE fight for laity rights Is not a
political affair In any sense Of the
word" says Mrs McEachern. THE
pastors and presiding elders thrust
upon us Offices forbidden by the dis
cipline deeming It necessary, and the
church allows us to be dcaconesses,
in fact, 1t permits us to do most Of
the work, but refuses to give us any
legislative rights whatever At the
last North Georgia Conference the
resolutions recommending that a bill
10 amend the laws Of the church be
introduced at the general conference
which meets in Oklahoma In May
lacked passage by only two votes.
We shall carry the Tight to the gen
eral conference then"
Relic OF Dark Ages"
Mics Belle II Bennett president OF
The Woman's Missionary Council Of
the Methodist Episcopal Church
south. viii be in the city soon as the
Guest 90 Mrs. Johnson. II is not
kro"n whether she comes In the In
'"r"st of lalty rights for women or
ret
The Lalty Advocate Is issued by
the Woman's Laitv League and Is
rubl shed al Nashville, the headquar-
ters Of the movement In an editorial
u calls a relic OF the Dark Ages" the
practice OF the church OF letting tic
women, who constitute two-thirds Of
the n embership do most NJ the work
and still refuses them suffrage
II says that originally the deacons
and deaconesses were on the same
footing that in the day OF Pentccost
they all received the power Of the
Spirit and alike prophesied and
spread the glad tidings OF salvation
until the Dark Ages came and swept
away the equality that had prevailed
throughout the early centuries OF the
Christian Church
II further states:
Woman's Liberation URGED.
We are seeking to impress upon
the men Of the church the great truth
that the rise and fall OF woman In her
work and position In the church is
directly connected with the rise and
fall Of the spiritual power of the
church. There is involved in our
movement a world wide evangelical
ton and the great social redemption
Of our land Al this means the
evangelization the individual devel-
opment and the liberation OF womets
everywhere II involves the salvation
and education Of the worlds child
hood