The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-22
Redistricting OF Bishops, Disciplining
Rules and Economic Control Now
Agitating the Churches.
PROPAGANDA OF THE FAITH
WHAT THE CATHOLIC FOREIGN MIS-
SION BODY Is DOING.
Colombia Virtually in Control of the
Clerical Party-Religious Liberty
in Central America.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.


lating to UNCONVENTIONAL management are
agitating Methodists, and 1t is expected
that some or all of them will come up for
discussion and probably solution at the
forthcoming Quadrennial General Confer
ence. One OF these is the districting of
bishops. There is a growing contingent
among Methodists who feel that bishops
are not made to count for as much as they
ought to do. This Is not due to men or
Office, but to the system which practically
makes Methodist bishops homeless and
without local influence. The proposition Is
to form a province or diocese out of a given
number of contiguous district conferences
and put over the same q particular bishop
for period of four years, or until the next
General Conference. Some are arguing
that what is good for four years would also
be good permanently. but If the plan be
adopted it is likely, it is said, that a con-
cession to Methodist history will be made
by ftinerating the bishops quadrennially.
Bishop Vincent, assigned to the European
district is in the visitation list just made,
and with him twelve bishops are in active
work. 1t is likely that four additional
bishops will be elected, but with them it
will be seen that the provinces or dioceses
will be very large.
Two of the other mooted questions are
disciplinary Rules OF the Methodist
Church require attendance Of members at
class meeting. But the rule is disobeyed,
especially by young people. Rules also pro-
hibit card playing and dancing and attend
ance at theaters. Yet these rules are dis
regarded constantly. Few pastors mention
them, it Is said. Now It is arc-led that the
rules should be lived up to, by extreme
measures, If need be, or abolished. The card
playing rule has been up in General Confer
ence and elsewhere for many years. Now.
| however, the sentiment Is said to be strong
er than heretofore The final two questions
| relate to large economic control. One Is
| the time limit of pastor and the other the
election Of all officials, save bishops, by To-
| cal boards, instead of by the General Con-
| ference. Two or three conferences have pc
| titioned the reopening of the question of the
pastoral time limit, and there is lively dis
| cussion of the merits and demerits of the
| plan. The charge is made, and it is not
new, that politics governs far too much In
| the affairs of the General Conference. To
| do away with it local boards ere favored
| as the proper authority to name officers.
The politics that is now apparent, relating
even to election Of bishops, and with the
| General Conference eight months off, is
| strong argument, 1t is claimed, in favor of
the change.
| Protestants Of all names are making
steady progress in the erection of church
buildings In our new political possessions.
Lutherans have finished one in a suburb of
San Juan, Porto Rico, costing $4,000 and
Methodists are completing one in Manila
costing $4,000. The Lutheran Church con-
tains the first stained glass ever seen in a
church in Porto Rico and is attracting
much attention. Methodists will put I'm
some stained glass In their Manila building,
and both are conforming to the Spanish
| architecture and avoiding American ideas
| The Episcopal Church in the Philippines is
| erecting a cathedral in Manila that is to
| cost $126, 000 but all of this sum Is not being
expended upon building alone. Part of IL
| will be for site and part for bishops house
/ and parochial schools. These and other
bodies report finding, as they study the field
more carefully. far larger number of
Spiritualists than they at first supposed.
These are persons who hold practically the
| same religious views as those bearing the
same name in this country. Especially are
they numerous in Cuba and Porto Rico and
in some countriese Of the Andes region of
South America.
American scholars lay little store by the
reported new logia from Egypt They say
| that reports of this character have been
frequent and disappointing. There is eager
expectation In some quarters, but II is
| chiefly among persons not well versed in
bibliology. Those who are versed in such
matters looking, almost in vain they
admit, for originals In Hebrew, especially
of the four gospels. They have about
| given up hope, but where so much is de-
sired, and In some reason expected, the
or fragments OF the same, is not counted
for much. 1t was in 1897 that a previous
discovery was made by the same scholars
who now report the logia, but little was
added to the general knowledge Scholars
are slow to give opinions until they have
seen official publications. They say they
are prepared to be surprised by the impor-
tance Of these Egyptian discoveries, and
hope they may be, but at present they ex-
press doubts that anything of value has
| COme 10 lBnt. EUDlcdtlOn Oh the present
papyri was made in part as long ago as
last July.
The Roman Catholic Society for the Prop
agation of the Faith is the foreign mission
body of that church. 1t is managed by
two boards, made up Of ecclesiastics and
laymen, and sitting. the one in Lyons and
the other in Paris. France. The society's
strong French character Is shown by the
fact that its income from that country il
as large as that from all other countries
put together. This reveals one phase OF the
seriousness Of the present differences be.
tween France and the Vatican. The societ,
has no invested funds, and follows tn,
unique plan Of collecting all the money Il
can during the year. and at the end of Il
10 distribute everything In lump sums TIL,
usual plan is to collect and to pay out a.
the year progresses, The society's incom,
last year was s.. 33o.e63. Protestant societie.
of the world had incomes for foreign mis-
sions for the same year OF sl4.21206f Tn,
society's receipts from Europe were 81 49,
230 showing that In both Roman Catholi,
and Protestant communions Europe is tn.
great religious propaganda and fnancia
| supporter. In Protestant propaganda Eu
rope contributes to foreign missions ss.575.
800, and the United States $685. 200.
Il n. tb,1t , A.. 81. T-x,ts