The New York herald., 1922-08-06
WOMEN PREACHERS
TO MEET AUG. 15-17
To Plan Extension Of Their
Sphere and Numbers at In
ternational Assembly.
TO GATHER IN INDIANA
Head of Organization Reviews
Struggle of Sex for Pulpit
Recognition.

WINFIELD, Kan. Aag. 5 (Associsted
Press) The attitude women preachers
SHOULD take on the problems Of the day
and the status of women in the various
religious denominations will be among
the discussions at the annual assembly
OF tho International Association OF
Women Preachers at Winona Lake,
Ind. August f5-i7. II was announced to-
day by the Rev. NJ. Madeline Southard.
president
President Southard will address the
convention on "A Sphere. or Hemi-
sphere and other speakers will in
clude DR.. Lee Anna Starr. DR.. Sara E.
Wise the Rev. Lida Ierrick and the
Rev Carolyn Hosford
THE assembly will discuss the status
OF women in all the denominations. her
place In preaching in counsel. In ad-
ministration and methods OF opening
desirable positions in church work TO
young women so that they will not of
necessity be drawn off into other fields"
President Southard said
The sessions will be open to laymen
and clergy alike, it was stated.
auakers Advanced women.
Credit was given to the Society of
Friends (Quakers) for what was
termed it's advanced position on sex
equality, by President Southard in dis
cussing the progress of women in the
various religious denominations.
The Socioty of Friends, which arose
in England almost 800 years ago took
the amazing stand that there Should be
sex equality" she said. mo church has
had so large proportion of preaching
women. Women were the first Friends
preachers in London. Oxford, Cambridge
and in America. They were among the
early martyrs Of the. church. Perhaps
we owe women suffrage indirectly to
the Friends. Susan b. Anthony was
reared In the tenets of that church and
accustomed TO freedom of women. When
she found that in educational and even
temperance meetings women were sup
posed TO keep silent her wrath was
oroused-and the end was the Susan
b. Anthony amendment.
@The Disciples OF Christ and the
Christian Church, with headquarters at
Dayton. o.. has always given oppor-
tunity for women to preach Some of its
women were preaching and holding re-
markable revivals in pre- Revolutionary
days.
Women Win Recognition.
Interest attaches to the Methodist
Protestant Church in this matter be-
cause VI was to this church that Anna
Shaw went for ordination when the
Methodist Episcopal Church refused her
license. After stormy controversy she
vas ordained by the New York Confer
ence. In 1884 its General Conference
held this action unconstitutional. But
In this the States have considerable
measure of authority. Some went on
and ordained women. scene objecting.
The climax came when. in 1892, the Rev.
Eugenia st. John was sent as minis
terial delegate from kansas, and two
women lay delegates with her There
was sharp division over seating these
women in the General Conference. The
women won out. In 1900. DIR. Lee Anna
Starr was seated as ministerial dele
cate and asked to preach before he
whole General Conference. "A few con-
ferences still refuse to ordain women.
but in most cases they have equal rights.
The Salvation Army recognized. sex
equality from the very beginning. The
/ founders, William and Catherine Booth.
were both great preachers and most OF
| their eight children became prca elers
\ One OF them, Evangeline Booth, Is Com
mander OF the Army in America to-day
! During the war certain organizations
gave definite orders that nc women b.
permitted to do their religious work II
is of interest 20 note that the organiza.
tion Of which the men at the. front spea
with warmest praise is this, one whose
highest officer is woman. and in which
women are more largely used for .eli.
sious work than any other.
The liberal churches Unitarian and
Gniversalist. ordain women. The Bat.
tie Hymn Of the Republic was written
by 2 Unitarian minister. Julia Ware
Howe"