WOMEN IN CHURCH CONFERENCES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 888, 6 August 1910, Page 11

WOMEN IN CHURCH CONFERENCES.

The Old World is slow to move in tho matter of giving women representation by their own .sex in the church courts, says the Sydney "Daily Telegraph," in speaking o£ a cablegram stating that the Wesley ans had asked synod to recommend that:female representatives bo admitted to the deliberations of the church conferences. The idea was really first conceived in Sydney, where in the time of "01(1 York Street," a lady member of conference—Mrs. Christmas—was one of the most central figures of the gatherings, and offered-many valuable suggestions as to tho work of the Church. A lady also .represented one of the circuits at the Tecent Victorian Conference; and at the General Conference held in Adelaide a few weeks ago a motion was passed recognising the. right of circuits to be so represented at the conference. The mode of election is a simple one, since any class leader is eligible for .election, to the" quarterly meetings, and by the members of the churches to the conference, if it is considered expedient.

Several prominent. Jfethodist ministers were interviewed regarding the matter, and for the most part all agreed that it would be a good thing if women were given a more prominent place in .the courts of the Church. It was pointed out by way of justification for. such proposal that nowadays the bulk of the congregations was comprised of-women; and that if it were not for "the ministering angels" the sacred edifices l might be as empty as barns in drought time. Apart from the places they filled as actual wor* shippers women were the saviours of the Sunday-school.. When • tired man rolled over in his snowy bed on the Sabbath morning to sleep off the effects of -a Saturday evening's outing, the wife was not infrequently trimming up the oifspring for Sunday-schbol, to which institution in many cases she accompanied thim. ■ The point that was laid' most sb-ess on, however, was "that there were many directions in which, the presence of women in deliberative" circles would have a good effcct. One of. 1 these is that they would not weary-of the sessions, like many of the representatives do, but they would- loyally stick to their posts until everything tliat called for reasonable and careful discussion was -reasonably and carefully discussed; their presence would prevent any undue heat being manifested during tlio progress' of the deliberations, anu : generally they would improve the tone of debate. The influence of women is growing daily, and now that she has done so well in the various professions into , which she. has entered,, why should she not succeed just as admirably as a church legislator?"