The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1891-10-22
METHODIST COUNCIL.
THE NEXT CONVENTION TO BE HELD
IN 1901.
Some Statistics Showing the Enormous In
crease Of the Adherents to Methodism
Presented 1.-THE Church and Public
Morality the Topic Today.

Union of England in the chair. The
committee made report on the sub
ject of week of prayer, recommend
ing that the week beginning Nov. 10
next be set aside for that purpose, and
inviting all the senior bishops and
presidents of the conferences repre-
sented in the council to sign call to
all Methodists. The report was
adopted, after statement by DR..
King that the eastern delegates had
taken the same action as that pro-
posed before coming to the confer
ence.
Through Mr.. McLaren, the commit
tee on Methodist statistics made re-
port which in substance states that
returns had been obtained from all
churches represented in the confer
ence and tabulated, first geographic
ally and then enthusiastically. The
term adherents included in every case
ministers and members, as we'll as
the families connected with con6re-
cations. In some cases estimates
were made, but in no case do they eX-
coed the figures given in the govern
ment census, and in some cases they
are below. While no official statis-
tics were adopted by the London
Ecumenical conference the figures
show that since that conference there
has been an increase Of 80 per cent in
Methodist believers. Some of the de-
tails of the report were read by Rev.
DR.. Morley as follows:
Eastern section-Europe; ministers
4481, members 1884, adherents
42O $50; Asia; ministers 53S, members
"a 1884, adherents 114,969; Africa; min
listers 294, members Il, 147, adherents
1913 ,376; Australia and Polynesia; min
listers 1856, members 99, 140, adherents
1888, 1888; Total for the eastern section;
ministers, 1904 members l ,113,905, adj
herents 5,096,128.
Western section-ministerS 36,G01,
members $3.50, 494, adherents 2O,30l,-
975. Grand total; ministers 1868,
members 6,494 800, adherents 20, $751;
296.
DR.. Stephenson suggested that
foot note be attached to each item of
report, stating the basis Of estimate,
and with the amendment in this
respect the report was adopted.
The business committee acllnOwl-
edged the receipt of memorial con-
corning recognition of the visit Of the
president of the United States to the
conference. A resolution was adopted
making tomorrow's session the last of
the conference.
DIR. Hamilton presented report of
the committee on executive commits
| cinnC nhn rnrnpt q follows.
The committee to whom was refer
red the questions concerning tho third
Ecumenical Methodist conference rec
Ommend that such conference be
held in the year 1901 subject to the
approval and direction of all the sew
eral bodies of Methodists. The COM
mittee respectfully recommends that
in the appointment of the executive
commission, which shall be consti-
tuted on basis of the organization of
the Ecumenical conference and which
shall consist of eighty members, the
commission shall be divided into two
sections called respectively, the
Western section, to consist of fifty
members, and the Eastern section, to
consist of thirty members. Among
other duties the commission is to make
all necessary arrangements for the
next executive conference, subject to
the approval of the several churches
represented. After some discussion a
further consideration of the report
went over until tomorrow, and the
topic of the day, 1.-THE Church and
Public Morality" was taken up.
Judge II. l.. Sibley of Marietta. o.,
whose topic was Marriage and Di-
vorce Laws said his time would bet
ter be spent in stating the doctrine of
the morals involved. The speakers
proposition was that the right to di-
vorce is complemental to and de-
manded by the right to marriage, not
only in the case of adultery, but also
of desertion. Marriage was the |
means, not the end-special cases eX-
cepted. God and nature had made |.
the relation the universal right of ma |
ture men and women, this including |
the right of each party to the union |
to its essential benefit. DesertiOn de- |
prived an innocent party of these, un-
less made the ground of divorce. The
gist of it all is in the principle de-
ducible alike f. ON reason and script
ure, that the right of marriage in it's
essential benefits, and as only acondi-
iton for righteous propagation, be-
comes paramount in cases of wrong to
innocent parties, whereby the funda-
mental obligations of the relation are
abrogated. This view of the institution
makes it a great end, moral and social,
more important than the technical
preservation of it's naked bond. More
over, we believe it accords perfectly
with the scriptures, so read as to give
the life of their spirit on the whole
subject of marriage. Finally, it leaves
to innocent parties an escape from
propagation with the foulness of
known adultery and from being forced
by the wickedness of desertion into
the life Of a celibate.