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Show Issue Is Raised That Has Aroused Interest in Methodist Church of the South. MANT "LEADERS, FAVOR EQUALITY OP THE SEXES Others Question Advisability of Placing Weaker Vessel in Position of Powef. By Leaded Wire to The Tribune. NEW YORK, Feb. 10, Tho demand of the 000,000 women in tho Methodist church, South, which reaches lo California Cali-fornia and north to Columbia for an equal voice wilh tho men in tho councils coun-cils of tho church is viewed with lively live-ly interest by the ministvy and membership mem-bership of the great Methodist body in the northern states. "The goneral conference of the Methodist Episcopal church. South, will do wisely to givo the women what t.hey ask,'7 tile. J?n I)r, TT. K. Carroll, secretary sec-retary of tho Ecumenical conference, said today. ".Our own general conference confer-ence placed women practically on a level with men in the matter of voting sixteen 3'ears ago, and only good has resulted. Women not, only vote for delegates del-egates to the general conference but arc eligible thoniselvs to serve, iu that, capacity. They are" not eligible lo Hie annual conference, however, for tho single sin-gle reason that those conferences aro composed exclusively of clergymen, Thev arc represented in the quarterly conferences bv various officials of their pox, such as Epworth league presidents, the president, oi the Ladies' Aid society so-ciety and o.thers." Women Might Presch. "Would women preachers be eligible for membership in tho annual conferences'."' confer-ences'."' "Vos,'' Dr. Cnrroll replied, "if we had women ordained to the ministry they would be on a par with all other ministers in our bod-. But I. don't think wo aro likely to carry that equality of tho sexes as far as to ordain women. I don't know as any earnest move in that, direction would meet strenuous opposition op-position on nry part, but the idea does not strike me as favorable. I dou't. believe, however, that women havo as much right as men lo help shape the policies of the church and to havo their say as to how the funds hoy assist iu gathering shall be expended. 3 L is just as well tor them to have their own special spe-cial organizations,' They cau make them more efficient by maintaining them M,.ir K.r mivnlnif tvIHi ,mlP ntlinv tures in the denominational machinery. But it was only fair inasmuch as those organizations havo been from tho start under the control, and, one might say at the mcrey of tho general conference, to give to Women their full share of representation in that body. That is all that the Methodist women of the south aro asking of their general conferences." confer-ences." Mr. James Vi. Joy, one of the editors of tho Christian Advocate, the Meth-odis-t organ here, when asked whether the equality of the sexes in suffrage had been benelicial or otherwise, said: Question Not Settled. "It would be difficult to say whether women have done any more by their votes than they might have dono by their mfltienco alone without tho votes. The church owes a great deal to its wonieu and in my opinion no harm can cotno from their having a voico in its councils. But. now Jiat they have the right to share in the honors and duties ol the men they do not seem to care so much about it. Eew women arc elected as delegates lo the general conferences and it is bcausc few care for the honor." Incidentally inquiry was mado as to the stat.usi of women" in other religious denominations in regard to participation in church councils. Rev. Dr. Charles J. Thompson of the Presbyterian board of home missions, said: "In the Presbyterian church every 'mcmber has a vote on all matters submitted sub-mitted to the laity and women arc on an equal footing with men." In the Congregational and Baptist denominations the churches are each independent in-dependent of each othor aud acknowledge acknowl-edge no ceutralizod body. The sexes arc of equal voting power in the majority ma-jority of these churches. This is true also of tho Methodist Protestant, the Unitarian and tho Universalist denominations. denom-inations. All three of thoao admit women wom-en to ordination as ministers and preachers. Thcro is no hard and fast, rule about womon voting wilh tho laity in tho Protestant Episcopal church. Tn general gen-eral they havo not received this privilege priv-ilege but thero aro some cases, and whore they aro permitted to vote for delegates at. conventions. |