The Pulpit Versus the Millinery
Tacoma and North Yakima ministers spark a public outcry by demanding women remove their hats during church services.
Dr. Daniel L. Rader, pastor of the First Methodist Church, has raised an hysterical storm of protest from the women of his congregation by insisting that they remove their hats during worship. The edict, while bringing joy to the men of the congregation, is causing much annoyance to the other sex, especially to the young women who wear headgear which they are not averse to displaying. Dr. Rader declares he cannot preach when he 'doesn't see the eyes of his congregation.' In North Yakima, Rev. Alfred H. Henry of the M. E. church created a similar stir by requesting the ladies to remove their hats.
“Dr. Rader declares he cannot preach or at least cannot preach as well, when he 'doesn't see the eyes of his congregation.'”
While fashion trends have changed, the attempt by male church leadership to police women's attire during worship remains a recurring theme in American social history. These disputes highlight the constant tension between Victorian social expectations and women's agency over their own public appearance.
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