The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-05-06
REVIEW OF CHURCH WORK
Address of the Episcopal Board
Read by Bishop Cyrus D.
Foss.
AMUSEMENT QUESTION
Time Limit for Pastors and Other
Topics Discussed and Recon-
mendations Made.


to-day. the morning session. being devoted
TO the reading of the quadrennial address
OF the board OF bishops of the Methodist
Episcopal Church to the General Confer
ence, and the afternoon to the receipt ana
the reference of memorials from the va
rious annual conferences. The morning ses
sion was presided over by Bishop Henry
w. Warren and the afternoon session by
Bishop ]. NJ. Walden.
The various committees got together dur
Ing the early morning hours and elected
their respective chairmen and secretaries,
but as there was no business before them
an adjournment was taken until tomorrow.
Beginning tomorrow the General Confer
ence will hold sessions only in the morn
ing thus allowing the delegates TO give
their attention during the afternoons to
committee work.
DR.. George Elliott OF Detroit. Mich. pre-
sented a memorial TO the effect that the
committee on episcopacy consider the ad
visibility OF the election of a colored bish-
op. He said that he believed that the NJ.
T.. Church had reached crisis in its rela-
tions with the colored race. IF we are
to hold the 100000 colored membership we
now have" he said, I'VE ought TO give them
some sort of leadership which they under
stand and trust and which understands
them"
Charles p Mcclellan, of New York, lay
delegate. spoke in opposition TO DR.. FL
liott's resolution. Mr. McClelland said he
was very sorry that this resolution was
offered at this time: that if the church
has reached a crisis in it's relations with
the colored people 1t was brought about
by just such resolutions as this. He be-
lieved the race question had been brought
before the conferences entirely too much
and he said he hoped the present con-
ference would put end to this agitation.
He was willing. he said, to see any man
elevated to episcopal honors, regardless or
color, when that man should attain to
such worth and distinction would war
rant this high recognition.
A resolution was offered by Rev. Horace
Jacobs. of Central Pennsylvania Confer
ence. to request the publishers of the Daily
Christian Advocate. the official organ of the
conference, to withdraw from its advertis-
ing columns all reference to Sunday news
papers. One of the publishers of the Ad
yocate gave assurance TO the conference
that IL the resolution should be withdrawn
there would be no further cause for COM
plant on that score.
oUADRENNIAL ADDRESS
The reading of the quadrennial address
of the bishops of the Methodist Church 10
the General Conference was the feature of
the days session. Bishop Cyrus d. Foss,
of Philadelphia. read the address. 1t elab-
orately reviewed the statistical records of
the past four years and set before the
conference many of the current problems
which the church is facing. The present
membership of the church was reported as
30S1. SIS. increase of 13s OPS during the
four years. The Sunday schools include
aggregate OF 3.124644. The worldwide
scope of the work of the church was in
dicated by the brief review of the admin
istration of bishops in foreign lands.
Three features of the last Quadrennium
were emphasized standing out prorni-
ncntly-the twentieth century thank offer
ing movement which brought so. 0O0. 600 into
the treasury of the church for the work
or education. philanthropy and debt-paying; ;
the open-door emergency missionary revival
generosity. and the biennial observances
which all over the English-speaking world
commemorated the two-hundredth anniver-
sary OF John Wesiey's birth.
The American University at Washington
was strongly commended. as we'll the
womans College at Baltimore, which in
directly suffered severe losses during the
recent fire in that city.
The relations between the NJ E. Church
and the Methodist Episcopal Church. south,
were declared to be growing more fra
ternal and intimate
4 common hymnal. common catechism
and uniform order of service are almost
ready for publication and these will draw
the bodies still moro closely together.
The suggestion was made that some mu-
tual arrangement should be made where
by transfer of ministers and members from
one OF these denominations TO the other
should be expedited and made easy.
The question of supervising foreign mis-
sion nelds-whether by occasional visits or
general superintendents of this country by
the residence of one of them in a mission
neld for period of four years at a time,
or by the permanent supervision of a mis-
eionaTy bishop whose episcopal service
shall be confined 10 that particular field
was urged upon the conference as one of
M vr1nG nnrf ant
sidered.
The time limit in the pastorate was re-
ferred TO as one of the matters which would
claim attention. Warnings were given
against the current evils of the time poit-
ical corruption, the liquor traffic, the tyran-
ny of trades-unionism, the greed of un-
sc-upulous employers. lynching, the negro
question and Mormonism.
AMUSEMENTs.
A recommendation was made that a new
chapter on popular amusements be addec
TO the discipline, admonshing Methodists
TO guard their spiritual life and TO avoid
such amusements as have a dangerous or
demoralizing tendency The chapter is in
tended to take the place of the present
paragraph. No. 24S which occasioned
much discussion at the General Conference
at Chicago four years ago. The address
made deep impression and was received
at the end with hearty applause.
The following officers OF the various
been chosen: Committee on book concerns.
j. D. Bashford chairman, j. A. Patterson
secretary; education. r. ID. Bridgam chair
man. George KEEPER secretary; itinerary, r..
D. Cphan chairman. w. Il. Gowen secre-
ta-y: Epworth League. Matt S. Hughes
Chairman. Irving G. Penn secretary; church
extension. A. G.. Kynett chairman. Charles
p McCleiland secretary; revision Charles
j. Little chairman. II. T. Jacobs secretary.
q. Nj. Hughes assistant secretary; Sunday
school. i. y. Boyle chairman. &. F. Lisle
secretary, G. A Stearns assistant secretary;
state OF the church. A. NJ King chairman
II. G. Clppinger secretary; temperance. II.
H w. Cross chairman. w. II. Anderson
secretary: freedmens aid, w T. Anderson
chairman. r. s. Lovingood secretary mis-
sions. Samuel Hamilton chairman.
An important feature of to-days proceed
ings was the opening of the magnificent
missionary exhibit I'm the building former
ly occupied by the Los Angeles Chamber OF
Commerce. This exhibit surpasses any
thing Of the sort attempted at former con-
ferences. The exhibit is under the per-
sonal supervision Of Secretary Earl Tay-
Tor, of the Open door emergency commit
tee. The exercises at the formal opening
this afternoon were conducted by Bishop
G.. Andrews. of New York. chairman Of