Woman's Work in the Church-Correspondence Between David Lipscomb and Silena Moore Holman

Calvin Habig

A bit of complicated correspondence between the editor of the non-instrumental churches of Christ journal, "Gospel Advocate" and Silena Moore Holman, a member of the churches of Christ and the president pf the Tennessee chapter of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (1899-1915) during the period of its greatest influence on state politics. During her tenure as state president, the organization grew from 200 to over 4,000 members and was credited with the successful campaign for statewide prohibition in Tennessee.  Most of the correspondence is from 1888, but there is a short revival of it in 1892. Her actual correspondence to Lipscomb over women's issues continued to 1913, but I have only included the original dialogue.   Later correspondence, while published by the Gospel Advocate was not responded to by Lipscomb.   I have also attached the tribute given at Holman's funeral in 1915.

Calvin Habig

2870.Womens Work Correspondence.docx

I published the above correspondence a bit prematurely.  In my notes on David Lipscomb's work, I noted that the correspondence is confusing...and it is.  I left some parts out that should have been in.  Since I found that I needed to revise it, I also inserted three other articles on the place of women by SMH in the Gospel Advocate, but not technically part of the correspondence between Mrs. Holman and Lipscomb.