Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1908-05-08
AF7 TER DIVORCE EVIL.
CONSECUTIVE POLYGAMY is
c;NAWlNG AT NATIONS vlTALS.
METHODlSTS EXCURIATE VICE
sing Vote against Evil Is Taken
Amid Scenes Of the Widest
Enthusiasm.

Baltimore, Md, May S.--The great.
est interest was yesterday manifested
In the presentation of the Episcopal
address prepared by the bishops of
the Methodist Episcopal church.
Bishop Daniel A. Goodsell of Boston
read the address.
The address, after recalling gen.
eral conferences hitherto held in this
city and historical events of the
church which had Baltimore for their
scenes. notes gain in the number of
communicates during the last four
years Of 278,353, the greatest gain
1 during any similar period for sixteen
years. Other figures show the mum.
Der of ministers in the annual confer
ences mot including local preachers)
to be 1883, an increase of LII. The
total pastoral army" numbers 90.
161. These preach the gospel in 1870
languages and dialects.
The total gain in church property
for the four years last past is $780,.
67S,431, while the total valuations of
churches and parsonages is $1S6,924,.
O24. The membership in the United
States Is now 3,O36,O0O, while in the
whole world the number is 1907.
I'll at the close of 1907. The foreign
communicates number $4,000.
AS to amusements and the book of
discipline, the address says:
I'VE recommend that paragraph 24a
be amended by striking out the con.
fessedly partial list of worldly amuse.
ments found therein, beginning with
the last word in the eighth line, and
ending with the word other in the
eleventh line, which was inserted in
1872, leaving as the ground for church
trial In case such trial becomes neces-
sary, that portion of the paragraph
reading: Taking such amusements as
are obviously of misleading or ques.
tionable moral tendency, or disobedi.
ence to the order and discipline OF
the church, and especially our origi.
nal rule. to take such diversions as
cannot be used in the name OF the
Lord, Jesus.
Grave injustice will be done II
this recommendation Is interpreted
as an abandonment of our early oppo.
sitio to worldly amusements. In.
deed, II is a return to the principles
and to the exact words furnished by
John Wesley"
As to divorce:
"The consecutive polygamy per-
mitte1 by the divorce laws of some
Of our states is a disgrace to our
country. 1t continues to undermine
family life and to break up into help
less and warning factions that which
God means shall be unit We great
nations Is being questioned on this
subject and that the demand for uni.
6oEm- divorce laws Increases ae--r--
The reading of the address fire.
quently was interrupted by applause |
as the venerable bishop voiced some |
telling point In the document When
he had read its scathing denunciation :
Of the liquor traffic he called upon the
delegates to rise here, now and with
the bishops pledge eternal enmity to
this foe of man and Cod" the entire
assemblage sprang to it's feet, utter
ing cheer after cheer.
Reports of the various committees
and boards appointed by the last gen.
eral conference were read.
The report of the Sunday school
department sets forth that there are
now within the Methodist Episcopal
csurch 34.176 Sunday schools, 253,729
Sunday school officers and 2,9S7,677
scholars according to the report of
tho Ca1ndarz e.ohoal dam rtoaont