WOMAN MUST OBEY.

Otaki Mail, 7 September 1923, Page 4

WOMAN MUST OBEY.

( THB MARRIAGE VOWS. : PROPOSE!} CU-.NG-E REJECTED. j Proposals to ik-iote tins word " oin-y " ; from tlie bride's vow iu the luanr.igo j service were defeated iu the House of Laity of the Cuuicii Rational Assem- 1 blv at Westminster recently. These proposals were contaiinxl in a ' series of amendments moved by whs.-,. Maude Hoyden and seconded by Mrs. Creijrhtoii wiili "the object of bringing 1 * the vows exchanged iu the marriage | ! service into better harmony with the ( l position of women to-day." it was proposal to substitute the, words. "Wilt thou love him and comfort him.’" tor the words. "Will thou obey him and servo him?" to omit the giving of the woman to be married to the man. and to omit the v.oiu "With all my wordly goods I thee endow. ’ ’ A further proposal teas to alter the promise to "obey" to a promise to "cherish" ami to insert a runic providing that woman should give a ring to the mail. "A large body of public opinion is now ready for this change, which is i not merely the desire of a few extreme j I feminists," declared Miss Hoyden. ! I "The vow to obey is of an extraordiii- i j arily obsolete character, and specially | j inappropriate to the relations ol the ; ■ sexes. "It is only in the marriage service! that so unlimited and absolute a vow ; is demanded. Man ami wife should j be placed on terms of equality. The j Church should have taught that seif-! cunirol is necexsn rv in matriaue. am! ; ' that the wife’s feelings should lie con- j suited and her will accepted at lcasi j as often as the husband’s. "I am horrified at the incredible j levity with which some people to-day , , enter into marriage."- j j Lord Hugh Cecil said that the ser- j , , vice expressed the. teaching of Si. Paul | ; | regarding the family. ! "He taught the sebordinut ion of the- i [ wife to the husband." added Lord I 1 llugh Cecil, "but subordination does! ( not imply any degree of inferiority. A . { ) qualified obedience is implied.’ ) : Mr. Atheist an Hi ley protested against J n attempts to make the Bible conform j to the modern world instead or ’lie : ; modern world -*• the Bibb*. 3 ! "The Homan and Greek Churches. ’’ j ! observed Lord Swlborne, "do not insist j i on obedience. The word "obey" was j 1 1 put into our service at the Reforma--1; lion. ft is oil! of place in the twen-j 1 ' ticth century, ft cannot, bo taken in a | yj ; qualified sense. " j p ' Two of the nmendmeuts were with|f drawn, and the others were t 0..-, J An atlvinpi by Mr. M.tci.ed ; o ttunK per with the Teti Connitambrjen’s in | the Catechism also failed. He proposed to substitute for the shortened j Catechism version of the Comron'olments the veision in the o'h chaptet . of Deutronomy. Miss Mamie Kov.len took • xcjdion. to the inclusion of "wife- in the ieniji, • < 'u'nnKi ndinent : "Thou shnlr uni thy twigh bourns house. thou shah cov**t thy neigh nevT Y wn*-. rv r ni> vant, nor hie maid. nor hi- o;;. nor his ass, nor anything that i.» his.’ ‘•ft is offensive to women the; the v/i/o is classed in the same cat ©C"ry as a niuLi ’? o.v or hi.-' ns-.** f3**-la red M Hoyden. 1 The motion to omit the short ened ? version, was agreed to. lint the p* -0 " \ pored substitution of in -in2: version, therefore. will not b© of- j j fccted.