Morning journal and courier., 1883-05-10
Card Playing

And Other Worldly Amusements Discuss ed-NaugatucEx Valley Congregational Conference.
 The Naugatuck Valley conference of Con gregational churches which held it's first an- ! nual meeting at the Birmingham Congrega- tional church Tuesday, discussed theater go- ing, round dancing, card playing and the new revision. Devotional exercises opened
 the meeting led by Rev. H. G. Marshall,
 after which reports of the spiritual condition of the churches were made.
 The Hon. N. T. Baldwin, of TerryvilIe, was appointed as moderator and Rev. F. E. Snow, of Oxford, as scribe The following is the list of churches represented Birming ham, Eagle Rock, Middlebury, Naugatuck, Oxford, Prospect, Seymour, South Britain, Southbury, Terryville, Thomaston, Water bury, First, Waterbury. Second, Watertown, Wolcott, Woodbury, North. The delegates 1 all told numbered about fifty, in addition to
 which were the following pastors viz: Revs c. F. Bradley, J. B. Thrall, H. G Marshall, s. c. Leonard F. E. Snow, Wm. Phipps, F. s. Root, T. J. Bryant, Wm Miller, s. s. Briggs, S. M. Freeland, Joseph Anderson, J. W. Davenport, B. D. Conk- ling, J. R Wyckoff. The forenoon was devoted to matters pertaining to organization and the discussion of the question of the re- lation of the newspaper to the religious life of to day.
 A recess was had at 12:3O for dinner which had been spread abundantly in the basement. At 2 D. m business was resumed in accord ance with the following programme
 20O.-Business-Pl of next meeting; election of delegates toNational Council and General Conferences nomination of mem koV. af af alI0 Work, etc.
 2:30.-Statements respecting the revised New Testament, in brief response to the following questions: 1. How much of it have you read 2. Is it used in the pulpit of your church2 3. What of it's merits and defects? 4. What of it's prospects?
 3:0O-Essay-The characteristics of the tNew Movement in Theology"-by Rev. F. S. Root.
 3:30-Discussion- What is Worldliness What is Spirituality ?-opened by Rev. L. S. Griggs and Rev. J. B. Thrall.
 The papers read during the early part of the afternoon and the discussions that fol- lowed were especially interesting that of F. s Root, formerly of New Haven, particu- larly, is spoken of as an unusually able pre- sentation of the status of the new religious departures of to-day. Mir. Roots paper went to show that the new theology does not break with the old that it simply holds on to all ths truth of the past, adding thereto as much more az it can.
 Upon the question of what is worldliness and what is spirituality, quite an animated discussion took place, "Worldliness'' by some of the speakers being defined to be dancing. theater-going, card-playing, etc., to which Rev. Dr. Anderson replied in an eloquent and forcible manner, laying down the broad principle that men have no right to make arbitrary distinctions in matters pertaining to human conductf that God has not made, or to raise up barriers in that di- rection that the future will pull down. If 8 man was conscious that to go to theater or play game of cards would injure him, or his neighbor, then of course he should not indulge in such amusements. But if he could play game of cards without injury to himself or others, because somebody else could not do so was no reason why he should be debarred from what is in itself intrinsicaI- ly harmless. The motive, and what the act led to, was what it must in each individual case be judged by.
 NIT. FreeAnd, of Thomaston, followed in @ similar vein He saw no harm in dancing, but that was an abomination Drinking wine, dancing and going to the theater were in themselves not to be gweepinely condemned.
 The new revision was discussed fayorabIv but Mir. Bradley adhered to the old version in the pulpit. Mir. Anderson used the new iT, pulpit and home. Rev. Mir. Davenport used the revised in the pulpit, and Rev. MT. Conk- ling used it in the family.
 Rev. MT. Snow said that his people gen. orally had the revised edition, but he had noticed that 1t lay on the shelves unused, ttHow about the old version in this respect ?s'
 The next convention will be held at High R0efr