South Congregational Church history and catalogue, 1852–1865 · scan page 174

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164  THE    EX-PARTE    COUNCIL.
"  From  the  nature  of  a  Church,  as  composed  of  renewed
persons,  and  as  having  power  of  sell-government,  I  do  not
think  any  argument  can  be  drawn  against  the  voting  of
females,  but  rather  the  contrary,  for  they  are  members  of
the  Church.  The  argument,  i.  e.,  against  female  voting,  is
from  the  general  customs  of  society,  founded  as  those  cus-
toms are  supposed. and  claimed  to  be,  on  the  differing
natures  of  males  and  females.  The  argument  is,  that  the
custom  of  non-voting  and  non-speaking  in  public  by  fe-
males, which  prevails  outside  of  the  Church,  should  pre-
vail in  the  Church.
"  To  my  mind  the  argument  is  not  very  strong.  And,  as
custom  is  not  universally  against  female  voting,  if  I  was
pastor  of  a  Church  in  which  females  had  been  accustomed
to  vote,  I  should  not  endeavor  to  break  it  up,  unless  there
was  a  general  disposition  to  dispense  with  it.  I  should
not  make  a  contest  agaiiist  it.
"  Yours  truly  and  in  haste,
S.  W.  S.  BUTTON."
What  Dr.  Dutton  in  1856  said  he  would  do  in  a  sup-
posed case.  Rev.  Mr.  Carroll  has  done.  When  the  latter
took  charge  of  the  South  Church,  1st  June,  1862,  he  found
that  "  females  had  been  accustomed  to  vote  "  there,  and
did  "not  endeavor  to  break  it  [the  practice]  up," — ^there
not  being  "  a  general  disposition  to  dispense  with  it."  Yet
for  taking  exactly  the  course  which  Dr.  Dutton  said  he
would  take  in  similar  circumstances, — for  this  among  other
things,  —  the  latter  assists  in  excluding  Mr.  Carroll  and
his  Church  from  fellowship  with  other  Congregational
Churches,
Another  curiosity  is  revealed  in  this  letter,  viz  :  the  basis
of  "  the  argument  against  female  voting."  The  Ex-parto
Council  objected  to  such  voting  as  contrary  to  the  Scrip-
tures and  Congregational  usage.  The  petitioners,  in  their
Rejoinder,  drop  the  Scripture  argument,  and  mention  only
'•  the  custom  of  Congregational  Churches."  But  Dr.  Dut-
ton, in  the  above  letter,  mentions  neither  of  these  bases,
but  only  "the  general  customs  of  society,"  "outside  of  the
Church"     For  not  conforming  to  the  world  in  this  particu-

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Silent Grounds Collective, Church Burial & Death Records, CH-P004-0174. South Congregational Church history and catalogue, 1852–1865, printed page not verified, PDF page 174. Hallock, Gerard, 1800-1866; digitized copy contributed by University of California Libraries https://archive.org/details/historyofsouthco00hall/page/n178/mode/1up Accessed September 8, 2026.

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