Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1920-05-20
take VOTE ON
WOMEN AS ELDERS
Important Matter Comes Up Be-
fore the Presbyterian Cen
eral Assembly
lRv Associated Pressl

hSH'D/
Philadelphia, May 20-Admis-
sion of women to ordination as
ruling elders of the Presbyterian
church is question that will be
submitted to a referendum vote
of the entire denomination in the
United States, if the recommen-
dation of a commission which has
been studying the subject for the
past year is approved by the Pres
byterian General Assembly which
opens its annual sessions here to-
night,
A survey, taken by the Com
mission on the Official Relation of
Women in the Church, in which
the opinions of leading ministers,
elders and women was obtained,
led its members to these Conclu-
sions:
THAT the Scrip pturcs did not
forbid either women elders or
women preachers that three 9TH
ed denominations ordain women
to the ministry but that few w0-
men avail themselves of the priv
ilege; that four other denonina-
tions did not have women preach
erS and are not inclined to have
them; that the evidence shown is
favorable to women as elders but
unfavorable to women as minis
ters; that of the Presbyteriaus
canvassed- 90 per cent favored
women as elders, 48 per cent fa-
vored women as ministers, while
81 IL per cent opposed any
change in the present usage of
the church,
An elder in the Presbyterian
church occupies a spiritual office
but does not preach. He assists
the minister III his religious dut-
les and, as a prebyter, is a mem
ber Of the governing body Of the
church endowed with the function
among others, of maintaining de-
nominational doctrine and admin.
istering discipline. For centur-
| les the office has been filled ex-
clusively by men.
Last year three Presbyteries,
it was said, made overturcs to the
General Assembly. One from
the Presbytery of Columbia river
asked that women be made eligi-
bic to ordination both as minis
ters and ruling elders. Another
from the lPresbytery Of Dallas,
Texas, asking that a committee
be appointed to investigate the
whole question of enlarged op-
Iportunities for. women in the
church, and the Presbytery of
Saginaw, Mich, urged that they
be ordained as ruling elders. The
Moderator thereupon appointed a
commission to inquire and report
composed of>Rev. S. Hall Young
chairman, the Rev. Edgar w.
Work, and Rush Taggart, all of
New York, the Rev. William Bar
rett, of Bellnfontaine, Ohio, and
| John T. Manning, Of New Haven,
| Conn.
| The commission said it found
! that the Methodist Protestant
the Congregational and the CHRIS
tlan churches ordained women tC
the ministry but few availed them
selves of the privilege. -Four 9TH
er denominations the Lutheran
| Episcopal, Baptist, and Methodist
Episcopal, it was said, ''do not
have women preachers nor does
there9 seem to be any particulai
inclination in these churches tc
accord them this office.
"In practically all Of these sew
: EN- churches" said the report
: women are admitted to every
, other official position in the
| church except the ministry. They
I serve on official boards, are trus
, tees, deaconesses, ETC., and there
is a growing tendency to admi
: them to official equality with mei
| in the matter of council and over
: sight in the government and ser
vice of the church."
Those opposed to any change il
< the present usage in the Presby
] terian church were quoted by th'
commission as urging that ordin
alton Of women would lower til,
dignity of the office, afford an ex
cuse for men to shirk their duties
+ retard or defeat the union 0
f Presbyterian churches i'll the Tn
Lifted States, keep men from
y church and countenace and &C
e celerate a dangerous feministi
v movement"
e Arguments quoted in favor o
IS the change included statement
y that it would accord with TIL
spirit of the age and with wo
mems civil equality, that womel
: and girls composed the majorit,
k of the membership of the churcl
i l.. 4 4 L, 1,