The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-20
INTERESTING
DEBATE
NO ADDITIONAL MISSIONARY BISHOP
FOR EASTERN ASIA.
It. A. Goodwin's Review of the Pro-
ceedings-Short Session of the
Presbyterian Assembly.
special to the Indianapolis Journal.

in the race. Nicely made a speech to-day
that won him a host of friends. DR.. Spell
meyer. who was one of the leaders yester-
day. had only 1S votes on the last ballot
to-day, while DR.. Berry had 296.
This General Conference seems to have
been struck with a blizzard of economy"
was the opening sentence of one of the
speakers who opposed the reduction of the
number of secretaries, and he was not far
from the truth, though blizzard is hardly
the right word to represent patient,
painstaking effort to reduce expenses wher-
ever it can be done without impairing eff
ficiency. BY neglect and Indifference a
class of expenses had become common
which" as one brother said. enables
bishops to ride in parlor cars while those
who contribute of their scanty incomes
ride in the common coaches" This was
applauded loudly, indicating the average
sentiment of the conference on the gen.
eral question.
There was comparatively little opposi-
tion to the election of two missionary bish-
ops for India and Malaysia, and several at
tempts were made to proceed TO their cleo
ton, the chief hindrance being the tempo
rary absence from the platform of Bishop
Thoburn to give the names of the two men
who were practically chosen by the India
conferences and await only the form of
election here. They have been many years
in India and understand the language and
the customs of the country-Rev. +. w.
Warne and Rev Z. W. Parker. 1t is well
enough the election did not take place, for
the episcopal committee was taken by sur
prise in the afternoon by committee from
the board of bishops, who say that in their
opinion there should be resident bishop
at Shanghai whose district should en-
brace eastern China, Japan and Corea. The
missionary committee soon fell in with the
views of the bishops and created the new
diocese and it is understood that DR.. Bash
ford, the gifted and scholarly president of
the Ohio Wesleyan University, has con-
scented TO take the office of missionary
bishop for that district. There will be no
competition for the place if he will consent
10 take ii.
BY the way, the most threatening erup-
ton in the near future is likely to come
from the committee on education, and
Bishop Hurst and his American Univer-
sity are to furnish the explosive. The pres
idents of the several church schools charge
him with bad faith towards the colleges OF
the church. When he sought and obtained
ence, eight years ago, at Omaha, ii was
distinctly understood that the national was
to be for post graduate students only, and
that il would not be opened for students
until at least 100000 was obtained for en-
dowment. But the bishop, as the chan
cellor, proposed to open a department of
liberal arts at once. But the most Objec-
tionabe thing in the whole transaction is
the persistence with which the bishop and
his agent, or vice chancellor, have invaded
the territory of the other schools that are
struggling for existence, in quest of endow-
ment funds. Several well-authenticated in
stances are at hand in which the bishop
and his agent have gone to men of wealth,
who had promised financial aid to the local
college, and have belittled the local col
lege in order to secure the money to such
an extent to turn the benefaction into
the treasury of the National University,
and in many cases deriving the weaker
college of the fund without getting 1t for
the national The committee of education
has several times had the bishop before
them for explanation. But even worse than
this, IL will be alleged that he has used his
episcopal Office, at conferences, in the in
terest of his enterprise. at the expense of
the local college.
But this is only one chapter of the edu-
cational committees contribution to the
interest of some future days work The
several matters relating TO higher criti-
cism have been referred to this commit
tee and 1t seems that majority of the
committee is composed of those who fear
the foundations will be removed unless
they curb the ''pesky' theological schools
some way, and the scheme is to require all
trustees to- submit their faculty to the
bishops for approval before the new pro-
fessor can teach in the school, and a ma
jority of the board of bishops must con-
cur in the election before he can discharge
the duties of his office. 1t is not improb-
able, therefore, that such a scheme may
get through conference, for the ma
jority of the preachers, at least, belong to
the i-higher-critic period. Then what?
are entirely Independent of the bishops in
their corporate machinery, except that the
Boston school requires two bishops to in
dorse the orthodoxy OF the profess
sors. Well. the Methodist Episcopal
Church seems about to enter a
new era, making heresy hunting lively
avocation, If not its vocation. Putting this
proposed action with fact mentioned
are you? 1.-The Methodist Episcopal
Church has no creed and never had" said
he. What we call our Articles of Faith
is only an Authorization of the thirty nine
articles of the Church of England slightly
modified in a few places, and consists more
in telling what We do not believe than
what we believe, while what most distin-
guished early Methodism, such the wit
ness of the spirit and sanctifcation. are
nowhere mentioned in the articles, and the
so-called standards are myth"
The temperance committee had Its final
meeting on Friday and cleaned up all un-
finished business The last days work was
not materially different from the earlier
meetings, except that it handled another
branch of the general subject. Having
settled the Mckinley case, IL took up to-
bacco and cigarettes and agreed upon re-
port that Methodists ought not use or buy
or sell tobacco. They think no young
preacher should 1t in any form, but the
old preachers may be borne with II they
cannot be broken of the habit by moral
means. They do not, however. think II best
now to make its use or nonuse a test OF
membership, but everybody should be
taught not to use II or keep 1t on sale.
An attempt was made to indorse all tenn
perance organizations and wish them well,
and dozen or more were mentioned by
name. including the Sons Of Temperance.
Good Templars, w. c. T. L.. Anti-saloon
League and so on, but one brother could
not indorse one of the organizations, which
he refused to name, but which was under
stood TO be the Anti-saloon League, and
they were all left unnamed, but Endorsed
in bulk, for which. Of course, all viii be
duly thankful
They did, however, do one thing of some
significance-they proposed TO transfer all
that related TO temperance that is included
in Chapter PAS OF the Discipline, the chap
ter on .'amusements," TO Chapter pa, the
chapter on Immoral conduct" so that any
Methodist that signs petition for sa-
loon, or rents a house for a saloon, or does