The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1891-10-20
SOCIAL PROBLEMS.
Eleventh Days Proceedings of the
Methodist Conference.
SABBATH OBSERVANCE DISCUSSED.

mcthodists Should Lend Their Power
TO Rescue the Day from Irreli-
gious Acts-The Youngest Delegate
Arouses a Storm of Negatives by
Advocating the Theater.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 20.--The eleventh
session Of the Methodist conference
opened with Mr.. William Marder, of
England, in the chair. The session was
devoted to social problems, and the
speakers strongly urged legal restraint
on gambling and other vices. The con-
ference adopted committee report rec
ommending that the week beginning
Nov. 10 next be set apart as a week of
prayer by Methodists everywhere. BY
the report of the committee on Metho-
dist statistics a total membership of
6.494, 800 is shown, who are guided by
1895 ministers. The number of adher-
ents is given as 25,376, 104.
Sabbath Observance.
The afternoon session of the confer
ence was presided over by Bishop E. r.
Hendrix, Of Kansas City.
Ah CSbdJ OI bu6 Ht LAY
was to have been read by Rev. 7. q.
Steward, Of Baltimore AFRICAN NJ. L.
chuch), chaplain in the army, but ow-
ing to his absence on official business
Rev. A. j. johnson read the paper. The
essay said that Methodists should lend
their power to rescue the Sabbath day
from the evils that the people commit
on 1t.
An invited address was delivered by
Rev I. Bromage, of Manchester, Eng
land. This day, he said, was great
factor in the home life, and were it not
for its occurrence home life would be
really unknown,
A second essay was read by l. Ruddle,
of Devon, England ,on the attitude Of the
church toward amusements He said
there was nothing in the New Testa-
ment against the engagement of ra-
tonal amusements. Amusements have
their right in this world In their proper
place.
Concerning Amusements.
+ The invited address on this subject
was delivered by Bishop G. D. Foss, of
Philadelphia. He said, on this subject,
the following must be considered: The
candid need Of amusements, the cor
dial appreciation of all amusements that
are harmless, and not attended with
evil associations; the Christian standard,
based Oh the New Testament, ethics
and lofty notions; and such amuse-
ments &C could only be used in the name
OF the Lord Jesus. A Christian pastor,
he said, in his proper place should be as
shelter, and should go after the
wandering sheep to bring back the torn
and bleeding.
Rev. Joseph Nettleton, Of London,
said that three things were to be con.
Bidered in amusements. First, does it
edify; second, does it lead another man
TO sin; and third, does it glorify God2
Rev. Il. M. Messick, of st. Louis, spoke
on the Sabbath question and character
lied theSunday newspaper as being the
greatest enemy to its proper observance
The church was, he said, responsible for
Its success, as its members encouraged
1t by advertising In it, subscribing for it
and reading it to the sacrifice of the
Bible. The Sunday paper, he added,
was factor of the Sabbath and the
church of God was its ally, 1t should
cry against it and declare war on it to
the knife.
Advocates the Theatre.
J. E. Balmer, of Manchester, Eng
land, the youngest delegate to the con-
AVAShSSt oe"ANo sho utltBdleS lTOlu Lu6lr
quiet repose and brought forth cries of
"No, No." from them by saying that
the church should not estrange itself
from amusements, and that they should
attempt to purify the theaters. He said
he had attended the Lyceum theatre in
London and had greatly enjoyed what
he had seen there, and upon entering
the theater he had seen so many preachers
in the audience that he thought he was
IN an Ecumenical conference. The thea
ter, he said, was becoming purified be-
cause SO mSny Christians attended it.
Rev. DIR. Waller, of England, thought
II was not in the province of the church
to provide amusements.
Rev. j. M. Buckley, Of New York,
said that the preachers whom Mr.. Bal
mer saw in the London theater We're
probably not Methodists, and therefore
were not an example to copy from. If
they were Methodists their presence
there boded no good.
The conference held a night session
which was devoted to the discussion of
missionary work by missionaries in for
eign lands. The programme consisted
Of several addresses upon missionary
work and five minute discussions of the
topic under consideration. Rev. j.
Smith Spencer, president of the South
African Methodist conference, was the
principal speaker. He said there were
$500 workers of the Wesleyan Metho-
dist church in the southern park OF the
hartf TDnfina,.t