Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-05-31
THE AMUSEMENT QUESTION.


ausochtes OF constitutional Procedure
HOwled Down, and the Committee
Recommendations acknowledgement i
Scene In the NJ. Il. General Conference.
Philadelphia Ledger Special.
Chicago, ILL.,, May 27.--The most ex-
traordinary session OF the General Con.
ference thus far.t was held yesterday
morning. For over an hour il would
have been difIioult to persuade On out.
slider that this Was religious gather
Ing Delegates howled after the manner
OF ward heelers anxious to put down an
opposing speaker. Fifty angry men,
with flushed faces and threatening
gesture, were on their feet at the same
time. The speaker who, under the
rules, was entitled 10 the floor, was re-
fused hearing common courtesy was
forgotten. Every law Of propriety was
violated. Though the presiding bishop
exercised the greatest tact and tried In
the most gracious way to restrain the
body, 1t would not be restrained. The
bishop, therefore, was dehed; appeal
was taken from his ruling, and nothing
was left undoue that might add to the
| tunult and confusion. No General Con-
ference in the history OF Methoaism
| witnessed such a scene before. The
church at largo Is openly disgraced by
this proceeding, and stands humiliated
| wherever this thingfis known. As a
display OF passion, prejudice, bigotry,
contempt for law and brutal insistence
upon its own will, this session is like
| chapter taken from the middle ages,
when religious councils ordered their
| doings after the manner of savages.
Your correspondent from his place on
the platform had an unobstructed view
| OF the whole proceedings, and he is
frank to say that though he has Mt
tended all manner Of conventions, trades
unions, strikers Indignation meetings
| and election campaign gather ings,
| Saturdays session of the Methodist
| General Conference for confusion and
angry display was the worst he had
ever seen. Some 800 men owe the
church profound apology. Their con
duct was disgraceful and dishonorable
to the last degree.
| The amusement paragraph caused the
whole trouble. The report presented by
ex-Gov. Pattison, Friday, was SO frank
and definite tnat the opponents of any
change in the Discipline saw that their
case was hopeless. The strong men of
the conference, without exception,
favored the report. 1t meant nc change
in the attitude of the church toward
amusements. IL anything it made that
attitude more definite. Z All that the
report did was to remove the paragraph
in question from position that is
clearly unconstitutional and establish
II in such way as would make it
really operative. The chairman of the
Judiciary committee, Chief Juatioe Lore
of Wilmington, In conversation with
your correspondent, pronounced the
paragraph clearly unconstitutional. The
best legal minds in Methodism are of
the same opinion, and ex-Gov. Patti.
cons report, therefore, simply removed
this difficulty and at once commended
itself to the leading men Of the con-
ference. 5
Hence, men like DR.. Raymond, presi-
dent of Wesleyan University: DR.. Bash
ford of Ohio Wesleyan University; DR..
Guy OF Williamsport, and others Of like
standing in the church, took the plat
form, and, while strenuously contend
ing for the time honored standards OF
the church, urged the necessity of re-
moving the paragraph from the penal
code. Dr. Buckley took the same
position. So did DR. Hanley. DR.. Guy,
who led tho opposition eight years ago,
frankly confessed that he had made a
mistake, and now supported the report
of ex-Goy. Pattieon. The minority
report had small representation, the
appeal to certain preiudiues and assail
the motive of those who disagree with
them. M EtE
It is probable the report would have
been adopted had not Mr.. AFTER, a
prominent layman from Cleveland, in
trcduced an amendment, which may
| probably have been satire on the
original paragraph. This amendment
read as follows: ITO amend by insert
ing the following after the words or
patronizing dancing schools, opera,
| grand opera, living pictures, tableaux
charades. prize fights, bull, fights, dog
fights, cock fights, yachting, roller skat-
ing, football, baseball, curling and
playing the following games: Back
CANNON, billiards, checkers, chess,
dice, croquet, polo, pool. golf, lawn
tennis, cricket, one cid cat, two old
cat, shiny, lacrosse, old SOW, pillow,
Denmark, blind mans buff, prison
goal, tug Of war, crokinole, matadore,
railing, crap shooting, pitching quoits,
archery, ten pins, shufiieboaId, BIZ
cycling, grab bags, basketball, house.
ball, hand up, baltic collie, crack
about, over the barn, house over OF
hally over, cornernnll, black baby,
marbles, game Of authors and that dan
gerous game OF chance of casting lots
for seats of General Conference dele
gates. ,"
When Mr.. AFTER had read the first
part Of his amendment many Of them
laughed heartily, fer there had heen
complaint among the speakers that the
paragraph was not explicit. But as be
went on the opposition raised derisive
howls, then came a stream OF points Of
order, followed by clamor and confusion
impossible to describe. Bishop Vincent
tried to stay the angry tide, but the
opposition became mob and refused
to obey even the plain simple rules OF
the conference. A most frivolous appeal
was taken from as manifest a ruling as
was ever pIade, and when this failed q
yea and nay vote was demanded. Many
OF the delegates voted under misappre-
hension, but mob law prevailed, and
the Institutional paragraph remains
to aonoy and distress the church fol
another quadrenniun. There is general
indignation at the result. Many OF the
delegates feel that a greBt outrage has
been committed.
| ----=---------
"The Noblest Mind
4.