The Portland daily press., 1891-10-20
ALMOST TOOK IT FOR THE conference
a Methodist Saw SO Many of His
Brethren at the Play.
The Theatre, Dancing and Cards
Discussed In the Council.
Wicked Sunday Newspapers Get
Considerable Condemnation.

menlcal Metn0dlSt council today Judge ID.
L. Slbley of Marietta, Ohio, spoke on "Mar-
riage and Divorce Laws" He said the
! Roman church made the bond indissoluble
! until death, while agnostics and sociologists
urged that when the tie Of affection ended,
the legal bond should be severed. Those,
he asserted. were extremes the Protestanism
rejected. 1t always had been held that
adultery was valid cause for divorce and
generally desertion was also. A warning
was uttered against the tendency In some
quarters to confne divorce to the first ground
The speakers proposition was that the right
to divorce is complemental to.and demanded
by. the right to marriage, not only In the
case of adultery but also OF desertion. Christ
gives one ground Of divorce and st. Paul,
neither nor both stated the law Of divorce,
though each gave a case which illustrat es
that law. Hence 1t follows that the law it.
self Is not a matter of scrlptural statement.
So 1t must be deducted from the right to and
the nature Of the marriage union, and two
causes are given justifying its severance. In
substance we think 1t is this: adultery, de-
sertion and other acts which, like the first,
destroy the sexual purity of the relation or,
like the second, operate to deny to the in
nocent party and to society substantial
benefits.
In the afternoon, the first essay was upon
the Lords Day." and paper prepared by
Rev. s. G. Stewart, of the A. M. E. church
SON Of the a. M. E. church Of Bermuda. mi MI.
Stewart held that the Sabbath should not be
day of amusement but a day sacred to the
Lord. The Sabbath was everything to the
people Of Christianity-a day Of rest from
labor, of prayer and OF Thanksgiving. Reli-
gion could scarcely exist without the Sab
bath. Morality did not exist long separate
from religion. No morality meant death.
All Christian nations should guard the Sab
bath as the Sabbath was the promoter of
public morality. Those acts should not be
carried on by government, or with its sane
tion, on the Sabbath, that could as well be
done another day.
Thomas Ruddie, B. A., head master of the
Bible Christian College, Shebbear, England.
amusements. he said the discussion must
be strictly limited to amusements that have
ne other end and NO other effect than the
pleasure they afford US while engaged in
has indirect tendencies which to a very large
extent stamp its character for good or evil.
In this way, the question of gambling Is ex-
clude1 from consideration. What ought we
TO say to young man who says: II have
worked hard today in the close atmosphere
myself: either to go to a concert or play
tennis"t The most obvious fact forced
upon us when we con- suit the New Testament
with view to answering the question at
had absolutely no time for amusements.
From this fact, no argument can be drawn
against amusements that would not be
equally valid against commercial and in
dustrial pursuits. If we remember Our
anointed head to ~ the % sacRciot6 sack
and gloomy countenance, and
st. Paul's ever vigilant defence Of spiritual
liberty, we must be constrained to admit
that there Is nothing in the spirit of the New
tional use OF amusements. The Romanists
have made 1t the Council Of Perfection" to
live unnaturally. The Puritans fastened
yoke unbearable on every single believer.
Both utterly failed In their purpose. On
Justified. that the sole business Of ff' every man
is to save his own soul from the wrath to
come: Such principle Is false and mistak-
en-. The earth on which we dwell Is adapt
ed to mirth. Every reed may become mus
ical pipe. every meadow a pleasure ground
and the dullest student Of the world around
him might learn 1t was meant for enjoyment.
Whatever may be the duty of the church
toward amusements. obviously it is not her
duty to be hostile towards them.
Rev. b. 81. Messick of st. Louis found
nothing so deleterious as the Sunday paper,
"The abomination of desolation," it had be-
come so through itself. People advertised in
SuucCilUCu 1Ol uuu lcdQ III luobodu VI
the Bible. The Sabbath and the Bible stood
for all that was good and great; the Sunday
paper the reverse. The church stood for
Sunday papers. But the Sunday paper was
indictable before the bar of God, and the
church stood with it, particeps criminis.
Uncompromising hostility. war to the death,
should re the watchword of the church.
Rev. Frank Ballard of England said the
practical question was how Sunday rest was
to be obtained; Whenever e an effort @ was was
workmen there went up hue and cry
against Sabbath breaking.
Rev. j. w. Haney of Illinois denied that
the church was responsible for Sunday news
papers. The church should condemn every
amusement. such as the theatre, which natu-
rally caricatured the church, and also the
Sunday newspaper.
j. E. Bolmer of Manchester, England,
said the strange thing was that the church
failed to recognize the need Of the people for
amusement He strelled once into the Lyce.
um theatre and found SO many preachers
there he thought for the time he was in the
Ecumenical council. The people would go
to the theatre. and the church should go In
Ders would have to go there. [Cries of Oh.
mol" and 'You are right" the theatre had
improved of late. and the Improvement had
been brought about by Christian people.
Rev. ;aa MT Hubbard feared T the gates were
dance and theatre, and bye and bye we will
get in the circus" said he.
DR.. Waller thought that theatre going,
card playing and dancing should be con-
demned outright Ministers who winked at
them failed In their duty.
The address from the Ecumenical Council
to Methodists throughout the world was
unanimously adopted. 1t glorifies God for
the prosperity He has given the Methodist
churches which now number 25,000, 900 ad-
herents. This growth, the address claims,
proves that Methodism is siugularly adapted
to the needs of man. The address says:
"We rejoice to recognize the substantial
unity which exists among the various
Methodist bodies its firm basis Is the COM
mon creed. We think the time has come for
closer cooperation of Methodist churches at
home and abroad which shall prevent waste
Of power and unhallowed rivalry" The
address fayors the use Of legal instruments
to abate intemperance and urges that
gambling. betting and reckless speculation
which resembles gambling be discour aged.
1t opposes unfair competition and favors
arbitration to avert war.
A report was adopted recommending that
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