Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-11-17
Third Business Session of General
Missionary Committee.
THE PORTO RICAN FIELD DISCUSSED
The Conditions There as Related
by DR.. Carroll.
f . NDS APP ROPR1A L Z D

missionary committee of the Methodist
Episcopal Church was begun this morning
at Q o'clock, in Foundry Church, 18th and
G streets northwest. Owing to the dim
light which came through the stained
glass windows of the church from the
clouded skies, the gas was lighted IN the
auditorium where the committee sits. The
interior presented a brighter aspect than
was impaired by the dull atmosphere out
side, and the members of the committee
were better able to follow the business
transacted with the aid of the printed list
showing the purposes for which money is
appropriated.
Each member is furnished with a tablet
pad, the sheets of which contain blank
lines, where the amount of the money al
lowed fer each cause can be recorded as
soon as the committee reaches a decision.
The money provided the previous year is
set down in one column, and then the next
column, which is blank, is filed up by the
members In this way the progress of the
business is noted by each member, and 1t is
evident in looking over the assembiage
that a general use is made of this aid
The session was opened promptly at ,
o'clock, with Bishop McCabe in the chair.
and after devotional exercises the minutes
of the last session We're read and approved
There was only a handful of members pres
ent, but the number was gradually IN
u. /
the home mission work. which occupied the
attention of thu committee yesterday, was
resumed again this morning, the special
part being the Norwegian and Danish work.
MOrmons Making Progress.
In the course of the discussion Bishop
Vince mt said in regard TO some of the COM
munities of these people in the northwest
that the MormOns were making steady
progress in that locality, as well as else
where that they approach the people by
distributing literature and by personal visi-
tati0n, and secure a good many ignorant
people.
When the work among the Germans was
taken w it was stated that there We're
100000 of that nationality IN the city of
Chicago, and that the Methodists had four
teen churches carrying on the work. Sur
prise was expressed by some Of the mem
bers of the committee that the German
population of Chicago was so large.
The presiding officer, Bishop Mccabe,
whose vein of humor is always in a work
able condition, relieved the steady grind OF
the transaction of business every now and
then by some remark which made every
body smile. For instance, when subject
came up that Bishop Merrill was especially
familiar with it was suggested that II be
passed over until the bishop came in. AT
that moment the bishop entered the church,
and the presiding officer at once called out
as the late conner passed up the aisle;
The late Bishop Merrill will now be
heard"
plea was made for an Increased appro-
priatiOu for the work among the French
Catholics in the manufacturing towns IN
New England, and it was asserted that
this was the least productive of any work
now done by the church among the for
eign-speaking people of this country. on
the other hand, 1t was claimed that the
discouragements from this quarter were no
grea ter than IN other parts Of mission
work. and the assertion was made that 1t
ought to be maintained, one of the speak
+k,..
among the French Canadian Catholics by
the Methodists the Catholic Church was
obliged to give closer attention to the needs
Of the people. and to modify Its methods.
It was pointed out by Rev. DIR. Buckley
that the spirit Of Professionalism. which al
lowed individual freedom Of judgment and
action in political matters injecting
the rising generation of these people SO as
to effect materially their solidarity in poll
tics and it was growing more difficult to
keep their votes in q. block and deliver
them in that shape. The committee deCid
ed to grant the increase asked for this
work.
Mexico and Porto Rico.
When the appropriation for mission work
In Mexico came up Bishop McCabe related
some of his experiences In that country
where he went to preside over 6. conference,
which tended to show the opposition of the
Catholic Church. In one town. he said.
after laying a corner stone OF church. he
made an address, in which he asked for
money, and said they would have to give it
outright, as he could not promise in re-
turn to get them out of purgatory The
Catholic priest Of the place the bishop
added was passing at the time, and stop
ped TO hear what was said as the speech
was interpreted in Spanish. That night the
bishop went on the corner stone and the
wall Of the building were torn down but it
was subsequently, rebuilt and the church
edifice is now in use.
In the discussion of the work among the
Chinese on the Pacific coast il was stated
that the Chinese population was constantly
growing.
There was some question raised as to an
appropriation for work in Porto Rico, and
1t was stated that the church had been
rather slow in beginning operations in a
country that was now much a part of
this country as the District Of Columbia:
More So interrupted Bishop Fowler
Bishop Nfnde, who has visited the island,
spoke In favor of establishing two missions
at once there. He said that what was
needed in the work was good Methodist
practices. He especially favored the open
ing, Of girls schools. especially at Ponce
and at San Juan. He thought it was a
most promising field much more so than in
Cuba. He did not think 1T was necessary
for the church to establish missions in the
latter island, as the Methodist Church
South was already there.
DR.. II. K. Carroll, formerly the editor OF
the Independent, who recently visited the
island as an United States official then
of the island was Frustrated as the result
OF the war, owing to the cutting off of the
revenues paid by the state to the church.
The Catholic Church owns very little prop
erty there, and owing to the system of
state support the people had never been
trained to give voluntary offerings The
priests had generally gone back to Spain.
and the speaker quoted Father Sherman,
an American Catholic priest as saving that
ii was IA good thing for the people that the
priests had gone The result is DR.. Car
roll said, there are now but few priests in
the island. The people had fallen off from
the church, mainly because the priests rep
resented Spain, and in this way were sep
arated from the native population of the
island.
Welcome American Rule.
He Went on to say the people welcomed
the change to American rule. and he
gave some Illustration of the method of
teaching followed in the schools, which