another outstanding feature of to-day, to which the society of friends ought to 96have a special relation, is that which is spoken of as the women’s movement. this undoubtedly expresses much more than a political or social aspiration. it corresponds in some measure to the democratic movement and indicates the stirring of spiritual aspirations. its symptoms are seen not only in the movement for women’s suffrage, and not only in western countries. a recent book, published by the wife of one of the ruling chiefs of india, is symptomatic of great changes that are taking place all over the east. the book is a statement of the positions which are open to women in western countries, and an urgent plea for the opening of these doors to the women of the east also. although lacking in the realization of the difficulty of suddenly making so great a change in india, the book is well worthy of notice as indicating the stirrings of a new life among indian women. hardly any contrast could be imagined greater than their condition in the past and that which is sketched out for them in the future by the authoress of this book. probably many 97will have noticed that an incident in the deliberations of the provisional national convention of china at nanking was the presentation of a petition from the women of that country for the granting of women’s suffrage.

i was recently made vividly aware of the vast difference between the practice of friends and that of other christian denominations by the consideration of a report on the relations between men and women in the mission field, which was presented to a representative missionary conference in great britain last summer. the report urged that an equal share in the management of mission affairs should be given to women, and brought forward a strong array of reasons in favor thereof. it was referred to by a member of one of the largest missionary societies as “a momentous report.” a lady friend described it as “daring incursions into the obvious.” the fact is that we as friends possess the very thing which some other churches are beginning to realize they need. a brilliant writer and prominent free church leader 98in great britain has recently asked the question why, in these days of the higher education of women, should the ministry be a monopoly of the men; and we friends echo, with the thought of elizabeth fry and hannah chapman backhouse and many another in our minds, “why, indeed!” to the spiritual insight and courage of our forefathers we owe it, that in the society of friends we can say “there is neither male nor female.” i wonder if we sufficiently realize how great an heritage this is—how sacred a trust; and if we take sufficient pains to bring our message in this respect to the notice of others. if the women’s movement, with all its great possibilities, is to be a contribution, as it ought to be, to the building up of the kingdom of god, the churches need to adopt a sympathetic attitude towards it, and to express in their own organizations their readiness to adapt themselves to meet its ideals. if they are to do this with confidence, what greater stimulus could they have than the knowledge, which few outside our borders possess, i fear, of the 99uniform experience of our society throughout its history? the church needs to realize with greater vividness how much the consecrated womanhood in her midst can contribute to her life, and to give women the fullest opportunity to make that contribution.