on were ordained, and I was left out.

On Monday morning, however, when the Conference met in its final
business session, my case was reopened, and I was eventually called
before the members to answer questions. Some of these were extremely
interesting, and several of the episodes that occurred were very
amusing. One old gentleman I can see as I write. He was greatly excited,
and he led the opposition by racing up and down the aisles, quoting
from the Scriptures to prove his case against women ministers. As he
ran about he had a trick of putting his arms under the back of his coat,
making his coat-tails stand out like wings and incidentally revealing
two long white tapestrings belonging to a flannel undergarment. Even
in the painful stress of those hours I observed with interest how
beautifully those tape-strings were ironed!

I was there to answer any questions that were asked of me, and the
questions came like hailstones in a sudden summer storm.

"Paul said, 'Wives, obey your husbands,'" shouted my old man of the
coat-tails. "Suppose your husband should refuse to allow you to preach?
What then?"

"In the first place," I answered, "Paul did not say so, according to
the Scriptures. But even if he did, it would not concern me, for I am a
spinster."

The old man looked me over. "You might marry some day," he predicted,
cautiously.

"Possibly," I admitted. "Wiser women than I am have married. But it
is equally possible that I might marry a man who would command me to
preach; and in that case I want to be all ready to obey him."

At this another man, a bachelor, also began to draw from the Scriptures.
"An elder," he quoted, "shall be the husband of one wife." And he
demanded, triumphantly, "How is it possible for you to be the husband of
a wife?"

In response to that I quoted a bit myself. "Paul said, 'Anathema unto
him who addeth to or taketh from the Scriptures,'" I reminded this
gentleman; and added that a twisted interpretation of the Scriptures was
as bad as adding to or taking from them, and that no one doubted that
Paul was warning the elders against polygamy. Then I went a bit further,
for by this time the absurd character of the questions was getting on my
nerves.

"Even if my good brother's interpretation is correct," I said, "he has
overlooked two important points. Though he is an elder, he is also a
bachelor; so I am as much of a husband as he is!"

A good deal of that sort of thing went on. The mo