Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-10-20
TWENTY MILLIONS.
Number of Adherents Claimed
by Methodists.
THE FIGURES AS GIVEN BY SECTIONS


sentation in the Next Conferences
Talk on sunday Observance-The Sun
day Newspaper Attacked by st. Louii
Mana Good Word for Theatres
Creates a Commotion.
WASHINGTON, Oct 2O.--After adoptins
| report in favor of recommending that
the week beginning Nov. Is next be set
aside as week of prayer, the Methodist
ecumenical conference listened to a report
on Methodist statistics which contain,
some interesting figures. The report was
read by Rev. DR.. Morley and stated that
the figures given were corroborated BY
census figures where obtainable were
sometimes lower. but never higher. II
is shown that since the London ecumen
lcal conference there has been an increas,
OF 10 per cent. in the Methodist churches.
The term ''adherents" covers ministers,
| members and families connected with the
| congregations in every case
Details of the Report.
Some of the details of the report as read
| by Rev. DR.. Morley were as follows: Min.
listers, 4,4s1; members, s15, ,2s4; adherents,
| 4,909, COL. Asia-ministers, 533; members,
l cficct- ouLSESutSt AIT1Cd-lDl lnlS-
| ters, 294; members, IL 147; adherents 2S3,-
| $50. Australia and Observation-Disclosures,
1S6; members, SO 40; adherents, ASS, 1sS
| Totals for eastern section: Ministers,
| dC4; members. l. 1l3, ,905: adherents, $685..
ES Western section: Ministers, sc, col
members, 53S0. 494; adherents, 15 1876, 1S6
| Grand totals: Ministers, 43 695; members,
| o. y, 800: adherents, &c. .2Sl, ,z9b.
Plan for the Next Conferences.
A report was read presenting plan for
| representation to the next conference. 1t
| provides for holding it in 1901, and for an
| executive commission of eighty, divided
into two sections, with fifty members
| from the western and thirty from the
eastern. The distribution of members
| among the western bodies was as fol-
| lows: Methodist Episcopal, IS members;
| Methodist Episcopal south, s; Methodist
| church in Canada, 4; African Methodist
| Episcopal church, 8; African Methodist
| Episcopal Zion, s. Colored Methodist
| Episcopal. /; Methodist Protestant, /;
| United Brethren in Christ, L; American
| Wesleyan, 1; Union American Methodist
| Episcopal, 1; African Union Methodist
| Episcopal, 1; Free Methodist. /: Congre-
| gational Methodist, 1; Primitive Method
lists, 1; British Methodists, /; Independent
Methodists, /; United Brethren in Christ
| told con stitutionl, l; Evangelical associa-
ton, 1.
Objections to the Scheme.
The report met with some opposition,
Rev. DR. Emory. of the Methodist Episco-
pal church, objecting to the small number
of members allowed for his church. Mr..
| Atkinson, Of England, did not relish the
minority representation accorded to the
| eastern section, but thought after all
L hat eli IL h. IL LII
balance of power He hoped and expect
ed that the next ecumenical conference
| would be held in Australia After some
discussion the further consideration of
the report went over.
"CHuRCH AND PUBLIC MORALS"
Opinions Expressed on Sunday Papers and
| Amusements.
The topic for discussion was 1The
Church and Public Morals" The general
trend of the argument as to Sunday OBJ
| seryance was that the church should lend
its power to rescue Sunday from the evils
| that people now commit on that day.
Rev. Ruddle, of England, said there was
| nothing in the New Testament against
the enjoyment of radical amusement.
Amusements have their right in this
/ WOrlu III tutlE proper place. DlsuOp ~. -.
| Foss, of Philadelphia, said that the church
| must consider the candid need of amuse-
ments that are harmless and not attended
with evil associations; the Christian
standard was based on New Testament
ethics and lofty notions, and such amuse-
ments as could only be used in the name
OF the Lord Jesus.
Jumped on the Sunday Papers.
Rev. E. NJ. Messick, of st. Louis, Metho-
dist church south, spoke on the Sunday
question, and characterized the Sunday
newspaper as being the greatest enemy to
its proper observative. The church, he
said, was responsible for Its success as its
members encouraged it by advertising in
it, subscribing for it and reading it, to
the sacrifice of the Bible The Sunday and
paper, he added, was factor of Sunday
the church of God was its ally. 1t should
not be recognized. The church should
cry against it and declare war on it to the
knife.
| Spoke for the Theatre.
J. E. Balmer, of Manchester, England,
the youngest delegate to the conference,
startled the delegates from their quiet re
pose and brought forth cries of mo, nor
from them, by saying that the church
should not estrange itself from amuse.
ments, and that they should attempt to
purify the theatres. He said that he had
| attended the Lyceum theater in London,
and had greatly enjoyed what he had seen
there Upon entering that theatre he had
seen so many preachers in the audience
that he thought he was in an ecumenical
conference. The theatre, he said was be-
coming purified because so many Chris.
tians attended it.
| Methodists the Only Exemplars.
Rev. Mr.. Waller, of England, thought