Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-03-29

with all. Indeed, We know in our
| church, rastors often, when by their
most energetic and faithful Efforts
efforts that sometimes seriously d.
minish theiI power-have failed to
reach the appoi t:onments assigned
them, feel compelled to take from their
own meagre salaries, sufficient to make
| up the deficiency, or lose their standing
with the powers that be. And we be-
lieve further, that unless some stop be
put to the continual advance In this
direction, and our pastors be placed or
| graded on a soul-saving basis rather
than money getting one, our church
will BIO compelled tc open its doors
wider for the admission Of members as
was attempted at the last General Con-
ference to meet the demand and herce
will greatly fall from its first estate, the
cause of moral and Christian develop
ment, in the church at large be much
retarded and our church will become
an organization of rich men, which will
practically deprive the poor man of the
luxury CT church membership; therefore
Resolved, That our delegates to the
| General Conference be instructed to
use their best efforts to so remodel our
| financial system that the laity of the
several districts of the annual confer
ence shall have controlling part in
making the apportionment to their re-
spective charges for all the financial
demands of the church, to tine end that
our preachers may be better Eaid, our
church work more efficiently carried on
and the pastors relieved of the inces-
SAINT work necessary to meet the fnan-
cial demands, heretofore and now, made
by General Conference committees and
the board of presiding elders of the
annual conferences; who make them
on the incorrt ct basis of pastors
salaries and estimated value of church
property, without sufficient knowledge
Of the financial ability of the people.
The Lord loveth cheerful giter,'
not one who gives from social or church
pride or from fear of criticism, nor is
this latter giving spiritually improving.
"Resolved, That in view of the
changes made in the law of the State
of Delaware with reference to the cleo
tion of trustees of the church, our dele
gates be further instructed to use their
influence to so amend the discipline in
section 30l, as that the trustees shall
be elected at meeting of the adult
male members OF the church called for
such special purpose upon a ten days
notice thereof, posted on the doors of
the church."
DIR. Cooper spoke in support of his
resolutions. Other speakers were Samuel
II. Baynard, E. j. Winder CT Oman
cock; II. r. Lewis, Dover district !;
Prof. Eugene Manning of Delaware
College, and Thomas N. Rawlins of
Seaford.
The Lay Electoral Conference at
Friday afternoons session in Ep.
worth Church elected the following
delegates to the General Conference
which will meet in Chicago in May:
From Wilmington district-Delegate,
Hon. Charles B. Lore alternate, Samuel
H. Baynard.
Gideon E. Hukill; alternate, George
II. Moore.
Provisional delegates:
From Dover district Delegate, Joseph
Z. Holland alternate, John w. Fletcher.
From Salisbury district-Delegate
George A. Cox; alternate, L. Z. P.
Dennis.
Most of the session was taken up
with the election. The report of the
committee on resolutions condemned
the army canteen and favored the pro-
posed change in the church discipline
relating to the selection of trustees.
Chief Justice Lore called the con-
ference to order for business after a
devotional service conducted by Mr..
Ellegood.
George W. Todd, chairman of the
committee on resolutions, presented its
report, as fellows:
"As we stand upon the turning point
of the century, we feel we have great
cause for tbankfulness to the God Of
nations for the many blessings that
have come to us in developing our
resources and elevating us to the
highest place among the nations Of the
earth, and for the wonderful achieve
ments wrought in christianizing and
civilizing distant parts of the world
during the nineteenth century, and
rejoice that we. as the Methodist Epis-
copal Church, and as American citizens
have, in His providence. been privileged
to share prominent part in the great
work accomplished.
"And now as we approach the
twentieth century we are not unminn-
full of the increased responsibilities of
properly caring for and outstanding
the people who have recently become
the wards of our nation, and guarding
the moral and spiritual welfare of the
thousands of young men who have left
their homes and enlisted in our armies.
ARMY cANTEEN CONDEMNED.
"As laymen of the Methodist Episco-
pal Church and citizens of Christian
republic, we feel that we cannot con-
scientiously refrain from making our
utteranoes most emphatic; and there
fore
Resolved, That we condemn in the
strongest language possible the institu-
tion of the army canteen under the
influence of which thousands of our
soldiers have become debauched, de-
bilitated and made criminals, and many
of our old veterans about the soldiers
homes have dIseraced their honored
calling, and dishonored the flag of their
country.
"Resolved, That We condemn with
equal emphasis the subterfuges resorted
to by the administration at Washingt ton
to subvert the will Of the people and
annul the recent act of Congress pro-
hibiting the sale of beer and other
liquors in the army and navy; and
Whereas, The humiliating fact
comes to us that in Alaska and on the
islands of the Atlantic and Pacific
wherever our flag has been unfurled as
the standard of authority, the curse of
the liquor saloon is being imposed upon
the people under the fostering care of
our government, therefore
Resolved, That we consider it to be
the duty of all good people to use every
legitimate means to secure the entire
prohibition of the liquor traffic, and
pray that the time NAV soon ccme when