The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-08-05
STATUS WOMEN
PREACHERS TO
BE DISCUSSED

Winfield. Kans.. Aug. 5.-(By The
Associated Press -The attitude wo
men preachers should take on the pro
blems of the day and the status of
women in the various religious denom-
nations will be among the questions
discussed at the annual assembly of
the International Association of Wo-
men preachers at Winona Lake, Ind,
August 1917, it was announced TODAY
by the Rev. NJ. Madeline Southland
president.
Rev. Southland will address the con-
vention on "A Sphere or a Hemis
phere," and other speakers will in
clude Dr. Lee Anna Starr Dr. Sara
B. Wise. the Rev. Ida Herrick and
Rev. Carolyn Hosford.
"The assembly will discuss the stat
us of women in all the denominations
her place in preaching, in counsel,
in administration and methods of
opening desirable positions in church
work to young women so that they
will not of necessity be drawn off into
other field" Rev. Southland said.
The sessions will be open to laymen
and clergy also it was stated.
Credit was given to the Society of
Friends (Quakers) for what was term
ed the advanced position on sex
equality, by Rev. Southland in discuss
ing the progress of women in the
various religious denominations.
THE Society of Friends. which
arose in England almost three hun
bred years ago and took the amazing
stand that there should be one sex
equality" she said. mo church has
had so large a proportion Of preach
ing women. Women were the first
Friend preachers in London, Oxford,
Cambridge and In America. They
were among the early martyrs of the
church. Perhaps we owe woman suf
frage indirectly to the Friends. Susan
B. Anthony was reared in the tenets
of the church and accustomed to
freedom of women. When she found
that in educational and even temper
ance meetings women were supposed
to keep silence her wrath was arous-
ed-and the end was the Susan B.
Anth W amendment.
The Disciples of Christ and the
Christian church with headquarters
at Dayton, Ohio, has always given
opportunity for women to preach.
Some of its women were preaching
and holding remarkable revivals in
personal---very. days.
Interest attaches to the Methodist
Protestant church in this matter be-
cause it was to this church that Anna
Shaw went for ordination when the
Methodist Episcopal church refused
her license After a stormy contrO-
versy she was ordained by the New
York conference. In 1884 their Cen
eral conference held this action un-
constitutional. But in this the states
have a considerable measure of au-
thority. Some went on and ordain-
ed women, some Directing. The clim-
ak came when in 1892 the Rev. Eu-
genia st. John was sent as minis
terial delegate from Kansas and two
lay women delegated with her. There
was sharp division over seating
these women in the General Confer
ence IN which the women won out. In
1900 DR.. Lee Anna Starr was seated
as ministerial delegate and asked
to preach before the whole general
conference. A few conferences still
refuse to ordain women but in most
cases they have equal rights.
"The Salvation Army recognized
sex equality in the very beginning.
The founders William and Catherine
Booth, were both great preachers and
most of their eight children became
preachers. One of them, Evangeline
Booth. is Commander of the Army in
America today HDuring the war GER
tain organizations gave definite ord
ers that no women be permitted to
do their religious work. 1t is of in
terest to note that the organization