The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1902-04-08

Especial to ssThe Jersey City News
ELIZABETH, April 9, 1S02.-Method.sts
when they are gathered together in ar
nual conference recall the cid German
prove1b of Take three Germans and you
have four opinion" This was exempli-
fed at yesterday afternoons business
session of the Newark Methodist Episco-
pal Conference, now drawing to its close
in ST. James's Church. An innocent little
paragraph in a report precipitated a dis
play OF the opinions, and all came about
IN this way
Yesterday afternoon being set apart to
clear up The closing business of the con-
ference, and that meaning the reading OF
the reports of standing committees, blsh-
op I. w. Joyce, having his appointments
to prepare, armed Rev. DR.. Henry Spell
meyer to preside in his place. Among
these reports was that of the Committee
on Sunday Schools read by Rev. Wesley
Martin, and in it was a recommendation
to the effect that more time should be
given to teaching little children in the
Methodist Sunday schools the New Testa-
ment in preference to the Old This view
was endorsed by Rev. DR.. s. L. Bowman,
who insisted the Old Testament was tho
OF Scrfptural history.
'sThe ceremonies are all past said Rev.
Dr.. Bowman, land the pledges Of the Old
Testament fulfilled and the laws of Moses
are not practiced in the Methodist Church.
OF today. It seems TO me that to spend
half the time in studying the old fashion
ed way is a waste of time and
Here at this point the Rev. ]. L. Hayes.
IL ,frrn
had been igettfng in his seat as if he was
st. Lawrence OF unhappy memory on the
gridiron, jumped up and, in his shaky.
cracked falsetto voice. exclaimed
ITS all very well to say don't study
the Old Testament so much 'Tis true il
was written in Hebrew and the other
in Greek, as for myself I could never get
beyond conjugating 'tuto. (Roars Of
laughter.) Children love the old Bible
stories and"
Yes, I agree with the brother" inter-
rupted Rev. Dr. Charles r. Barnes of
Centenary Church, Jersey City. II be-
Heye in teaching children the Old Testa-
ment. Why, NOT long ago l examined a
class and asked who was the first man
and the reply I got was Mckinley.
CAfuch merriment) Again / asked who
was Isaiah, and my class couldn't tell
me- Some thought he was a Dago and
others an Iri9hman. G-auglter) l asked
them whether he was a North American
Indian or a Hottentot and they inclined
to the opinion that he was both. (Roars
of laughter.) You can't sever the Old
Testament from the New, brethren, and
/ wouldn't advise you to try it..
Rev. DR.. Bowman here rose to explain
that he didn't mean to eliminate entirely
the Old Testament and happened to say
something about its teachings being in a
sense defunct. This word "defunct"
brought the Rev Samuel X. Doolittle, of
DuneIlen to his feet. With righteous in
dlgnation he warned the conference to be
careful about saying in front of those
dreadful newspaper men that ministers of
the Methodist Conference thought the Old
Testament 'defunct.n He was working
himself up to the point of hysteria VIXEN
Acting Bishop spellneyer smoothed his
ruffled feathers by telling him that moth
ing of the kind was ever said. Rev. Mr..
Doolittle subsided and didn't do so much.
Much ado about nothing" observed
Rev. Jesse L. Hurlbut, laughing, as was
everybody else at the outburss, "the
studies of the children are well taken
care of and all that there is to be done
is to endorse the system prepared by my
successor Ito him belongs the credit), and
the Old and New Testament will not be
disregarded.''
Yes chirped the irrepressible Rev. j.
L. Hayes, wen leave the Hebrew of the
Old Testament to Brother Bowman. and
the Greek of the new to Brother Barnes.
and everything will be lovely. (Great
laughter).
After the tempest in a teapot the sec
ond point in the Sunday School report
was a suggestion that on a certain Sun
day there should be rally in all the
churches and a collection taken for the
Sunday School Union.
sgThe only question in my mind" quick
" observed Rev. DR. ]. H. Egbert. of
Union Street Church, Newark is whether
or not the collection win not interfere
with the rally (Merriment).
At this iuncture a tail. lean. eadaverous
young man walked u the aisle Of the
church. carrying a camera. He had bare
" reached the communion rail when lit
the Rev. DR.. Jonn r. Bryan popped up
from between two herculean brethren
and asked the Acting Bishop to permit
the Conference to be Photographic for a
New York paper
s'anitas yanitatis was promptly eradi-
Gated from the ecclesiastical mind and