The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1908-06-04
CONFERENCE
Is COMPLETED
M E T H 0 DIS rs B r E A K
NIX S-AMUSEMENT
AND PASTORATE-LIM-
1T QUESTIONS NOT
ALLOWED TO
COME UP.


The Methodist Episcopal Cen
eral Conference adjourned Mon
day night.
During the last day it did many
things, but it doubtless will be
much discussed for the things lit
did not do. OF these two had
been looked forward to as of
much inportance-the amuse-
ment question and the matter OF a
time limit on pastorates, but
neither was permitted to come be-
fore the conference.
During the morning meeting
resolutions were passed looking
to the amalgamation of all Sab
bath day alliances in this country;
providing for the appointment of
a commission of arrangements
for the celebration in 1910 of the
silver jubilee of the founding of
Methodist Episcopal Missions in
in all the evangelical protestant
denominations, and recommend,
ing the appointment of COM
mission of layinen to visit those
fields.
The time-honored title, "presid-
ing elder" was abolished by the
adoption of a minority report
from the revision commission,
recommending that the name be
changed to district superinten- :
dent" by a vote Of 3s2 to 21O.
This radical change of terms is
the outgrowth of desire to de-
note the Office more correctly, as
the presiding elder Is today in re-
ality superintendent and the of
fee is no longer merely sacramen-
tai. but administrative.
A resolution indorsing the
movement started by the Y. M. c.
A. for the establishment of a
mothers day." to be observed
the second Sunday in May, year
ly, was tabled. 1t was the sense
of the conference that there was
SO many special observances. that
there are scarcely enough Sum
days left for the regular work of
the church.
The general conference con-
firmed the report of the judiciary
committee, sustaining the appeal
of Prof. Hinckley, c. Mitchell,
who was declared hereto by the
Central New York Conference. A
committee of the Central New
York Conference investigated the
charges, reported Mitchell guilty.
and the report was adopted by the
conference without giving the ac-
cused man an opportunity to de-
fene himself. From this action of
the conference Mitchell appealed
to the judiciary committee of the
General Conference, the report of
which sustained him on points of
law upon which only the judiciary
committee is competent to pass.
The conference Monday decid-
ed that hereafter bishops will be
relieved of the duty of passing
upon charges of heresy which
may be laid against professors in
the theological seminaries. These
complaints If they come to the
bishops, will be turned over to the
annual conference of which the
accused is member, if he be a
and if layrnan to the
pastor of the church to which he
lnelongs.>
A report which received care
full consideration before it finally
was adopted was the doing away
with the six months probation
system. Under the new rule. per-
sons may be received into the
as soon as they are recon-
mended by the official board or by
the class leaders and stewards
with the approval of the
pastor. While doing away with
the old method, the rule also al
lows for a period of probation of
any length that may be deemed
necessary.