The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-05-29
An Unusually Interesting Day in the
Methodist General Conference.
Radical Declarations ON Some of the Lead
ing Questions of the Tme-COngre-
gational Church Statistics.
THE nEETHoDISFS.
The Marriage and Divorce Questions in the
General Conference.


lay representation
Thereport Of the committee on temporal econ
omy then came up. The Recommendation that
there be not less than two nor more than thir-
teen stewards in each circuit was adopted, and
change ordered in the Discipline to conform with
the action. The present number is nine.
The committee on state of the church called
up its report for final action. Governor Patti
son, chairman, presented the report on marriage
and divorce. 1t recommends that no divorces
be granted except on grounds justified by the
Scriptures, and also that commission be APP
pointed to confer with the Governors of all the
States to endeavor to secure the enactment of
uniform laws on this subject
The first motion was amendment making
it the sense of the conference that divorces
should not be granted but for adultery, and any
one divorced for such reason. if he be the
guilty party, cannot be married again by any
minister of the church. On this question sew
eral delegates desired to exercise the privilege of
calling the yeas and nays, and they made this
demand No notice being taken of them, they
created confusion. but the bishop declined to
acknowledge their right. The report as
amended was adopted
A portion of the report of this committee
which was expected to cause censiderablede
was that referring to the color line" as it is
called 1t came up in two ways. The commit
tee presented a report declaring it
the policy of the church that no member of any
society within the church shall be excluded from
public worship in any and every edifice of tho
denomination, and no student shall be excluded
from any school of the church on account of
race, color or previous condition of servitude.
The minority report stated that in view OF the
action already had on the question, further &C
ton was uncalled for. The minority report was
voted down
Mr. Pattison made warm defense of his re-
port, and was frequently interrupted by ap-
plauSe
was not sustained Kindergarten did the same
with the same result. motion to postpone was
lost. Finally, the majority report was adopted
by an overwhelming majority.
The committee reported series Of resolutions
denouncing polygamy and declaring it to be the
sense Of the representatives of Methodism in
General Conference assembled that it is the duty
of the legislative department of the government
to proceed without further delay, to enact laws
such as will summarily depose from political and
official power in the Territories of the United
States those who practice advocate polygamy
or favor it a religious right.
An effort was made by Revs. DIR. Buckley and
Curry to amend the report by striking ont the
chastisement, not alone to those who practice,
but to those, as we'll who advocate the Utah sys-
tenn
Governor Pattison made strong appeal for
telling effect upon the delegates and audience,
and the report was adopted with applause.
The two remaining reports of the committee
We're also adopted. One OF these submitted GER
tain provisions to be inserted in the Discipline
concerning official boards The other was as
follows:
Your committee on state Of the church. having CON
sdered the memorial referred to them from the Phila
delpha society for alternating the miseries OF public
prisons, recommend, in accordance with the society
request, that a committee of correspondence be
appointed, who shall communicate with this and SINH
lar organizations throughout the country, in the
interest and promotion OF such phantrophc institu
tons and work.
multiplicity Of reports Of minor Importance
were submitted by different committees and
adopted with slight amendments.
The committee on itinerancy presented an ad-
dtional report establishing points for eXamina-
ton of annual conference journals"
One of the most important Of the papers thus
presented was the report of the committee on
Book Concern which shows that the profits
cruing in New York and its depostaries were
S2Sl, 022; in Cincinnati, $l0l, 092, making the
sum of 1882, ia total profits. In addition, the
Eastern and Western houses paid dividends to
the annual conferences amounting to $45 900. In
summing up, the report stated that the affairs of
the Book Concern for the past quadrennium were
more prosperous than ever before. This report,
as well as number Of others submitted by the
same committee, was adopted.
THE CLOSING SESSION.
In the evening and final session of the Gener
al Conference of the Methodist Episcopal
Church the tables were expeditiously cleared of
all remaining business.
The report of the committee on itinerancy,
requiring conference examination of all
candidates for the ministry, was adopt
ed, as was also the report of
the committee on Sunday schools, which adj
vocated greater public use of the catechism, the
publishing OF one book a week for
the next four years by the Book
Concern for the good of the Sunday
school libraries. and the aiding of the French
church in publishing books in France.
A resolution was adopted amending the book
of Discipline so as to prohibit any preachers of
fieiating in public service in any parish
to which they do not belong and when requested
by regular pastors not to do so. Another change
in the disciplinary laws was adopted allowing
minister to withdraw from the conference to
which he belongs without thereby losing his
membership in the church.
A proposition was agreed to that change in
the ratio of ministerial representation in the
General Conference be made from one delegate
to forty five ministers, TO one for every fortyfve
to ninety ministers. and referring the subject to
the annual conferences
The other business of the evening consisted in
the passage of resolutions asking that the gates
of the New Orleans Exposition be closed
on Sundays and recommending celebration in
1885.
A flood of complimentary resolutions and
lnotisns of thanks to the bishops secretaries
and other officers, TO the pastors and people of
the City of Homes for their hospitality, were
passed
The closing devotional exercises then
began Bishop Wiley led in prayer,
and Bishop Simpson, senior of the
church. made q brief and feeling address, the
doxology was sung, and the venerable Bishop
pronounced the benedction, and the conference
adjourned sine die
The Methodist Professionals.
BALTIMORE, May 28.--In the Methodist Prot
estant General Convention, memorial was pre-
scented from the Louisiana Conference asking rec
IGNITION, with a statement of church operations
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