The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-05-29
THE PHILADELPHIA CONFERENCE.
The Marriage and Divorce Question
and the IS Color Line.,

PHILADELPHIA, May ~ bishop Fowler
presided at the general conference of the
Methodist Episcopal church.
The report of the committee on temporal
economy came up. The recommendation
that not less than two nor more than thirteen
stewards be in each circuit was adopted, and
a change was ordered in the discipline to con-
form with this action. The present number is
nine.
The committee on the state of the church
called up its report for final action Gov
ernor Pattison, chairman, presented the
report on marriage and divorce. 1t
recommends that no divorces be granted
except on grounds justified by the scrip
lures, and also that a commission be APP
pointed to confer with tn governors of
II the states to endeavor to secure the en-
ctment of uniform laws on this subject The
report was amended by making it the sense
of the conference that divorces shall not be
granted but for adultery, and any one d.
vorced for such reason, if he be the guilty
party, cannot be married again by any min
lister of the church The report as amended
was adopted.
A portion of the report of this committee,
which was expected to cause considerable
debate was that referring to the "color line"
as it is called. 1t came up in two ways.
The committee presented a report de-
claring it the policy of the church
that no member of any society within the
church shall be excluded from public wor-
ship in any and every edifice of the denomn-
alton, 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 action is IN
called for. The minority report was
voted down. Mr. Pattison made warm de-
Tense of his report, and was frequently in
terrupted by applause. A layman called for
| IA vote by orders, but he was not sustained.
A clergyman did the same with the same re-
| suit A motion to postpone was lost III
| nafly the main report was adopted by an
overwhelming majority.
Methodist Protestant Convention.
| BALTIMORE, May 29.--In the Method isl
| Protestant general convention a memorial
was presented from the Louisiana confer
| ence asking recognition, with a statement
| of the church operations in that state. Re.
| ferred.
The report of the committee on educa-
| ton, containing a favorable review of the
operations of the Westminster and Adrian
colleges and their schools of theology, was
adopted
A resolution was adopted requiring of the
several conferences q per-capita tax of II
cents upon the members Of the churches fol
the support of educational institutions.
Rev DIR. Drinkhouse offered resolution
| providing for the appointment Of three fra
ternal messengers to the general conYen-
ton of the Reformed Protestant Episcopal
church. Adopted. Also, a resolutions &c
open correspondence with the Congrega-
tional Methodists with the view to union
of those churches with the Methodist Pro-
testant church. Adopted.
The consideration of amendments to the
constitution occupied the remainder Of thu
| soSsnn