The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-12-27
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RULE THAT Is OPPOSED. .


"Imprueent and Unchristian Con- 4
y duct-In cases Of neglect Of duties 4
. OF any kind. imprudent conduct, I
q INDUCING sinful tempers or words I
Q the buying. selling or using intou- 4
. eating liquors as beverage. sign
. ing petition In favor Of granting II Z
y cense for the sale Of intoxicating Z
Q liquors, becoming bondsmen for Z
. persons engaged In such traffic, Z
. renting property as place in or Z
= on which to manufacture or sell Z
. intoxicating liquors, dancing, play Z
ing at games of chance, attending
y theaters, horse races, circuses, dam Z
o cling parties. or patronizing dancing {
. schools, or taking such other 4
. anusements as are obviously of 4
. misleading or questionable moral Z
. tendency, or disobedience to the or q
. der and discipline of the church. &
. First, let private reproof be given Z
. by the pastor or leader and il 4
= there be an acknowledgment of the Q
. fault and proper humiliation, the &
D person may be borne with. On the &
. second, offense the pastor or leader .
. may take one or two discreet mem .
(
. Tense let him be brought to trial, .
. and IL found guilty, and there be no Q
. sign Of real humiliation. he shall be Q
expelled. Prom the Book OF Dis Q
. ctpline Of the Methodist Episcopal .
. Church 4
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ituous liquors or drinking them, unless In
cases OF extreme necessity; the putting on
OF gold or costly apparel; the singing
those songs or reading those books which
God; laying up treasure upon earth and
ing" 80
laying down definite rules for his follow
ers, and many contend to-day that it is
dangerous to go any nearer the line of
specincation, since times. places and Gus
.oms vary SO widely that no hard and fast
The Reverend Doctor a E Ballard
vice president of the Ocean Grove Camn
Meeting Association. believes. however,
lation of prohibited indulgences. He is
me author OF the famous paragraph, hay
ing introduced It in the General Confer
ence OF 1872 where it slipped through,
DOCTOR BALLARD DEFENDS RULE
Doctor Ballard, who Is 50 years Of age.
eSAeafuSu ils pa<oSfdpu vigorously when
the desirability of having It rescinded was
under discussion at the preachers meet
ing last week.
Later he said:
II told those preachers how I used to
play games OF chance before became a
full-fiedged Methodist; how I danced and
how took In the sights at the theater.
To my way of thinking, they were not
good Methodist occupations. The progress
sive euchre of to-day Is just as bad as the
games played when was a young man:
the stage Is no better now than it was
then. and can't see that public dancing
has developed a moral side Of such mag.
nitu6e as would justify Methodist min
lister In asking for relaxation of the rule
OF discipline.
"Ttis rule was adopted by the General
Conference In 1871 It was observed at
that time that certain amusements, such
as dancing, theater going and gaming,
were gaining fast hold on the young peo-
Die. The Methodist Church determined to
take the matter in hand. and. paragraph
s5S was evolved as the best judgment of
he conference after mature elaboration.
win any one say that the moral tone Of
he theater is more elevated to-day than
& was in 1877, that dancing Is less perni-
rious or that games OF chance are lifted
N 4 higher plane of morality?
The question OF what can or what can