The Cordova daily times., 1920-05-27
WOMEN ELDERS DISCUSSED AT
 PRESBYTERY

to ordination as ruling elders of the Presbyterian church is a question that will be submitted to a referendum vote of the entire denomination in the United States, if the recomm mendation >of a commission which has been studying the subject for the past year is approved by the Presbyterian Gen. eral Assembly which is in annual ses- Sion here.
 A survey, taken by the Commission of the official relation of women ln the church, in which the opinions of leading ministers, elders and women was obtained, led it's members to these conclusions:
 toThat the Scriptures did not forbid women elders or women preachers; that three other denominations orda1n women to the ministry but that few women avail themselves of the privil- ege. that four other denominations did not have women preachers ana are not inclined to have them; that the evidence shown is favorable to women as elders but unfavorable to women as ministers; that of the Pres bvterians canvassed 60 per cent favor ed women as elders, AS per cent fav- cred as ministers, while 31 per cent opposed any change in the present usage of the church.
 An elder in the Presbyterian church 2,ccupies a spiritual office but does not preach. He assists the minister in his religious duties and, as Pres byterian, is a member of the govern ing hodv of the church endowed with the function, among others, Of mann taining denominational doctrine and administering discipline. For cen turies the office has been filled eX- clusiveIy by men.
 Last year, three Presbyteries, 't was said made oyertures to the General Assembly. One from the PreSbytery ~ of the Columbia river asked that Wom- en be made eligible to ordin2tlon hoth as ministers and as ruling elders. Another from the Presbytery of Dal-I las. Texas. asked that committee be appointed to investigate the whole question of enlarged opportunities fer women in the church and the Pres bytery of Saginaw, Mich, urged that they be ordained as ruling elders Thc Moderator thereupon appolated tcommission to inquire and report. The commission was composed If the Rev. S. Hall Young, chairman, the Rev. Edgar w Work and Rush Tag gart, all of New York, the Rev, Will liam Barrett of Bellfortaine, Ohio, and John T. Manning of New Haven, Conn.
 The commission said it found that the Methodist Protestant, the COngre- gational and the Christian churches 0rGain women to the ministry but few availed themselves of the privilege. Four other denominations, the Luth- eran, Baptist, Episcopal and Metho- dist Episcopal, it was said, "do not have women preachers nor does there seem to be any particular inclination in these churches to accord them this office"
 In practically all of these seven churches" said the report, women are admitted to every other official position in the church except the min Ktry They serve officially on the boards, the trustees, deacOnesses, etc, and there is a growing tendency to ad- init them to official equality with men in the matter of council and over sight in the government and service of the church"
 Those opposed to any change in the present usage in the Presbyterian church were quoted by the commits sion as arguing that ordination of women would lower the dignity of the office, afford an excuse for men to shirk their duties, retard or defeat the union of Presbyterian churches in the United States, keep men from the church and countenance and accel- crate dangerous feministic move ment."
 Arguments quoted in favor of the change included statements that it would accord with the spirit of the age and with women's civil equality, tAat women and girls composed the majority of the membership of the
 
 ether sex and that they were en- titled to the honors as well as the labors"
 The commission declined to express any opinion on the merits of the question, stating that it was divided,