The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-10-20
The CHURCH UNIVERSAL.
Address Of the Ecumenical Confer
ence to the Methodists Of
the World.

encouragement In the Develop
rnent Of the Church In tho
Past Decade.
Position of the inference on Various SUBJ
jacts Of Inportnnce--Dfvorce and
Amusem ents Discussed.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 10. Tho eleventh days
session OF the eoumen ical Methodist conn
Gil opened with William Warden. OF the
Wesleyan Reform union, England. in the
chair. The committee made its report
upon the subject OF the week of prayer.
recommending the week beginning Nov u
next be set aside for that purpose. Report
adopted. The committee on Methodist
statistics reported that since the London
ecnmenical council there had been an in
crease of 30 per cent. III Methodist be-
levers The report shows tho ministers
nun her 42,G95. members, 6.485399. and ad-
herents, 25,37s,OO0. A resolution was
adopted making to-morrow's session the
last Of the conference. The re-
ecutiye session recommended that
the third ecunenical council be held in
1901, and that the executive session consist
OF eighty members. divided into two sec
tions called respectively the eastern section
and the western section, this body to ar
range for and make the necessary arrange
ments for the next conference. The report
went over until Tomorrow, and the topic
OF the day, 4.The Church and Public Nor
atty" was taken up.
Judge H. i. Sidley, of Marietta, o.,
spoke on marriage and divorce laws. His
proposition was that the right to divorce is
conplernentnl to and demanded by the
right to marriage, not only in cases of
adultery, but also of desertion. Marriage
was means, not an end. Special cases ex-
cepted, God and nature had made this re-
lation the universal right of mature men
and women. This included the right
Of each party to the union
to its essential benefits. Desertion de-
prived an innocent party OF these
unless made ground Of divorce. Th onas
college, Devon. England, spoke on the atti-
tuda OF the church toward amusements.
He said there is nothing in the spirit of the
| New Testament opposed to the moderate
and rational use of amusements. 1t ls OBJ
viously not her duty to be hostile toward
4 the urgent need of children was play, and
4 as for athletics, the jollier the better II they
were s,sar.nlasa, but If training made moth
4 ing bit splendid brutes.s church colleges
should put them ont. The Sunday paper
i he said, was indictable before the bar OF
i<t 4 49, -, ~rh hnk< orffN
criminis.
4 Rev. Mr.. Bolmer, of Manchester, Eng
Il land, said it was strange the church failed
to recognize the need of the people fol
amusement. He strolled once into the
Lyceum theatre and found SO preachers
there that he thought Tor moment ne was
in an ecumenical council. People would &c
to the theatre. Theatres ware full while
chapele were half empty, The churct
should purify the theatre ana to do 1t church
members would have to 90 there. Mingled
cries of ''No..' and ''You are right.") Rev
Mr.. Hubbard, of Baltimore, feared that tn
gates were too widely opened. We hav'
got in the dance and theatre and by-and
bye we will get in the circus" said he
"A During the afternoon session. Dr. Chap
man, of England, from the COMMITTEE
charged with its preparation, read the ad
dress Of the ecumenical conference t
Methodists throughout the world. 1t send
greeeting to brethren in every land to whicl
the common faith has spread, and glorlte
God for the prosperity he has given Metho
dist churches. under which they have grow,
until they number twenty-five millions o
adherents. 1t says that by the most inex
orable tests Methodism has been proved tt
be singularly adapted to the needs of man
"Although many adjustments and devel
opmerts must undoubtedly be made to &C
complish fully our, mission, let us beware
of thinking that any vital changes are
necessary Faithfully .! using o our cdpa pa5esen len,
prosperity will grow. We. rejoic'
TO recognize tho substantial unity which
exists among various Methodist bodies
the firm basis in a common creed. We ar
proud of the same spiritual ancestry; VI
sing the same holy hymns; our modes o
worship are very similar, and, what is mos
important of ali, the type Of religious ex
perience is fundamentally the sam
throughout the Methodist world Rejoic
ing in these things we think the time ha
come for the closer cooperation OF Metho
dist ohurches both at home and abroad
which shall prevent waste of power and un
haiowed rivalry.
ave need to combine our energies. TO
the work we have to do is vast and urgent
Skepticism and indifference, 30 natural tt
the human heart have been reinforced b.
! the abuses of science and philosophy. In
I hard lot of millions makes it difficult TO
them to believe in God. Their
is SO much that the churches have no
done 20 redress the wrongs and heal TIL
suffer ings of mankind, that it is hard TO
many to believe in their divine mission
Let us preach and live the gospel of lntec
ritv, dismissing all narrow conception o
our duty. Let US trace the moral evil Q
men to its true sources, to their Surround
ings their physical natures their ignol
: ance, their pnssions and their will. and sc
ourselves to deal eomprehensively wit
' them. 70 do this it will be necessary fo
the members of our churches to make fu
use of their political rights, or to allow til
GREAT powers of law and government an
Their still greater influence to fall into th
1 hands of ungodly men would be incredibl
folly and sin.
God forbid that any of our churche
should become the instrument of politics
!. parties. When II member takes his plac
In that political connection which is mos
in harm my with his ideas and conviction
! let him never forget that there are gIeal
moral interests superior to all party exl
cenoiss, in which he must seek first TN
Kingdom of God and His righteousness
: Every proposal that impetils the sanctit
: of home purity Of women, Innocence Q
children. that violates the Christian Sab
a bath, that sanctions and increase
wrong, should be impartially an
great evils which admit in some degr 90 q
public treatment we cannot he silent. Ii
: temperance, the fruitful mother of broo
of evils ia largely ereated by legnl tompt'
n ton. Is IL too much to ask that our pee
ple combine to use all legal instruments
abate this wanton solicitation of men
, | vina and crimeY Lot ug discourage i'll ever