Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-17
AS ONE WOMAN SEES IT
What Can One Do When the Cat Has
Bitten or the eunnle's Head?
Why, Train the Cat and
Buy Another Rabbit
BY SARAH ID. LOWRIE

"What are you going to do about the
Eniscoppss,! Conventions turning down
II reminded me of a brief letter I saw
from a son aged Eve to his father:
.The cat has bitten on bunny's head.
What to dot"
What indeed One can say It Of both
caiamitics, the one to the Episcopal Church
IN this diocese, and the other fatality to
What to do? Nothing at present. at all
events.
7 WAS looking down from the organ loft in
Holy Trinity Church while the laymen
called or bawlcd out their votes. And !
observed an interesting phenomenon. Almost
universally the laymcn from the big. rich
parishes and from the High Church parishes
voted NO. while the small parishes and
less rich voted AYE as a rule.
The clergy voted Aye" by an apprecia-
Die majority, so that 1t was the lny vote that
defeated the measure. and the we'll do
and. IN a worldly sense. important lay vote
that killed the poorer. more humbly placed
vote. AS 1t was question of having 10
share an important position with women,
and by that sharing eliminate some men.
1t is natural that where a man liked his
position and found satisfaction in welding
whatever power It entailcd he should con-
slider gravely whether he was called upon 10
give Il up. In the case Of High Church
nen there IS policy Of thus far shalt
thou 20 and no further" touching women
that permits them to worship the Deity n.
the shrines Of holy women not few" and
remember their women saints birthdays or
deathdays in devotional state Of mind.
but which discourages an attitude of rclig-
ious equality between the sexes among Tue
living.
A POLICY Of fifty. fifty in administration
"A has not yet been recognized with regard
to women In any Of the church boards or
standing committees of the diocese. although
more than one parish is trying 1t out. BUT
policy OF ffty.ffty regarding work and
Eifts has been the rule in the diocese for
many long year. 1t IL a policy not always
successfully carried out, however. in prac-
tice because the ratio Of work in most
par parishes is sixty five for women to about
five for men in general. the remaining thirty
per cent being carried by the rector.
There is a general belief that women do
church work because they just love to busy
themselves near sanctuary. I think they
do 1t because they realize the Importance o,
tho church to the community and to their
families; and rather than see it fail or be
carried by the clergy alone. they come for
ward to help put the thing through for the
sake of the husbands and children. who.
whether they 20 to church or not. are still
benefited by the church. If the men would
transact the work Of the church with the
same ardor and interest and fidelity TINT
they earn their daily family rations. the
women would gladly give then. fifty fifty
share in all those activities.
7 THINK the rub in the present state Of
i affairs comes in because the men depend
on the women to crcnte most Of the interest
In the church and to follow out the pre-.
cepts OF service and teaching and giving Of
n m fnr hor, ~
sole direction Of the ultimate policies of
the church. from the spending Of the money
to the making Of prayer books.
OF the two, hossing for God or working
for God. the part graciously left by the
majority OF the laymen the other day Mt
nitcly preferable. And I for one nm glad
If there is to be division of functions
TO belong to the sex honorcd by having the
work end come my way. But I think
since we women are set upon helping the
church progress out Of the stand pat into
the forward ranks. it might be as we'll next
year. instead of petitioning the convention
TO permit women delegates, TO suggest to
that august body that when the talkfest is
over the laymen go to it and bc represented
among the church workers on a fifty fifty
basis.
hope 'ha, do not sound vixcnish, or
soured. or mad. or anything. One is
always little sad about the church as II
Is, because one has such hopes and con
victions for what It might be.
l am continually surprised by hearing
echoes Of those hopes in the most unex pected
quarters. was coneratulating very sue
Cessful owner Of newspaper on a very
great Sunday paper. 1t was a Western
paper and was n great moneymaker as
well as most enlightened journal. said
that in view Of the fact that 50 many
persons were non -churchgoers his paper
II ,ha,, fn, tbo ~, ,ula i.n,
they had on Sunday. He shook his head
and sighed.
'No.' he said. Il cannot fatter myself
that in any degree what they get in ny
paper makes up to them rcligiously for
what the church could give them. And
the newspapers cannot function for the
church in society," he added gravely. Moth.
Ing can, 1t Is the great stabilzer and
interpreter and the high court of appeal for
the country-that IT, It ought to be; It
could be! Why isn't ~
IF YOl' massed all the objections to going
i to church that you hear or feel you would
pair off contradictory statements that would
nulify one another, such as: Too much
is made of works, too little of spirit for
They do not practice what they preach or
they talk too much of hell and blood and
sin and not enough of love and faith and
hope for They never preach against the
real sins Of the congregation or rebpke
the deadly fragrant misdemeanors that nrc
under their noses
The truth is persons over forty give every
reason but the real reason for not going 70
church. Under thirty they announce rho
reason without conjunction Going 70
church bores them.
The undergraduate is bored BY most q,
his college classes for the same reason and
the committee MEMBER Is bored by the com.
mittee reports for the same reason, /
neither intends to make any use of what he
hears
T EFT either or both Of them listen to a loo.
Lture hearing on the particular specialtv
each intends TO pursue as his business In
life and he will be sitting up taking note,
which he will later verify by experience
Medical students Ike baseball as we'll a,
undergraduates, but they go to clinics instead
Of to match game. Men in the school of
architecture still draw on the margin ~
their textbooks, but they do not draw tho
professor they copy his shorthand jottings