The following appeared in Lehre und Wehre V. 46 (1900) p. 180
Luther League of America. From May 22nd to 24th, this association held its meetings in Cincinnati. There two female members, Sister Jennie Christ and Miss Magdalene King, gave speeches. Sister Jennie spoke on deaconess work and Miss Magdalene on women’s work in the church. The latter said, among other things, “The future of the church depends on the children, and the future of the children is in the hands of woman…. It is as natural for woman to work for children as it is for the sun to shine or for flowers to bloom…. Woman has a special influence over boys. She softens and uplifts them. She encourages and guides them and gives the sympathy for which the heart longs.”–What Miss King says here is not exceptionally deep and ingenious, but otherwise quite correct. But if she had wanted to act on her words, she would have stayed at home, where the very children are for whom she shines and blossoms, and left public speaking to men. And as for the Luther League, it should, if not before, at least after this speech, have made a decision at once to send Miss King and her sisters home from the League to the women’s sphere. And if the Luther League cannot or will not see this, then the respective synods have the duty to make it clear to the Luther League that according to God’s Word, woman is not to teach publicly, but is to remain silent in the congregation. 1 Tim. 2:12, 1 Cor. 14:34-35. Moreover, we would like to note here that “The Lutheran World” should not take its mouth too full when it brags about the Luther League. It writes, for example: “The Luther League is one of the broadest organizations in this country. It embraces all young people’s societies of every name and description of every division of the Lutheran body in this country.” But from our Synod, for example, not a single society belongs to the Luther League. We mention this because we consider it not an honor, but unionism and a denial of the truth to join the Luther League. And without proof, even the “World” should not accuse us of this sin. F[riedrich]. B[ente].
