The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-05-19
MEMORIAL SERVICES
DECEASED BISHOPS OF METHODIST
 CHURCH EULOGIZED.
Time is Not flpe for Organic Union of Northern and Southern Churches,
 Says the Commit

Baltimore. Md. May 1s-Memorial services in honor of the bish ops and officers of the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. who have died during the past quadrien- nium, occupied the greater portion of today's sitting of the General Confer ence These were:
 Bishops Isaac W. Joyce, Charles c. McCabe. James N. Fitzgerald. Edward G. Andrews. Samuel M. Merrill and Charles H. Fowler, and Rev. Dr. James M. King, Secretary of the Board of Home Missions and Church Exten- sion.
 Bishop D. A. Goodsell of Boston pre- sided. Before the memorial services begun. report from the Committee on the State of the Church. or Interna- tional Peace. was read and adopted unan mously. It reviewed briefly the things accomplished by the two inter national conferences at The Hague and pointed out ways in which the church could advance the cause of peace
 It also disapproved the maintenance of large standing military forces by the countries of the world.
 The time for organic union between the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, has not yet fully come. In the opinion of the Committee on Federation and the reasons are set forth in a report ready for submission to the General Confer ence. The committee. however. con- CUTS in the recommendations of the joint Committee on Federation, consid- ering a practical method of putting Federation into operation. This pro- vides in brief that where there are churches of the two branches of Epis- copal Methodists, they may unite if a majority of the memb ership of both branches desire. The committee con- cur also Tn the recommendation of the joint Committee on Federation for the appointment of Federal Council of two churches which, without in- terfering with the autonomy of the respective churches, and having no leg- tslative functions. shall yet be invested with advisory powers in regard to world wide missions. Christian educa- tion. the evangelization of the un- church ed masses and the charitable and brotherIy adjustment of all misunder~ standings that may arise between the different churches of Methodism. The Methodist Episcopal Church, | South. has already agreed to appoint | members to the Federal Council. The report. of the Federation Committee | recommends that the Committee on l Federation be continued and that | 1t be empowered to invite the knighted brethren and such other branches of Methodism as 1t may believe are sym | pathetic to confer through similar com missions concerning federation or or ganic union in the judgment of the said churches. respectively may be most | desirable"
 Closer union with the negro branches | of the Methodist church and the ap- | pointment of a commission to consider this subject is recommended.
 | It is reported tonight on what seems 1 excellent authority, that the report of the Committee on the Episeopacy. which l will be presented to the Methodist Episcopal General Conference tomor- | row, will be in the nature of a surprise in that 1t will recommend the election | of ten Bishops. Hitherto, it has been l generally believed that the number | recommended would be eight but with | in the past few days. owing to the publication of figures showing the great cost of the Episcopacy. the impression has become prevalent that the num- Der of Bishops elected would be lest than eight. While the sessions of the | committee are private, it is understood that a portion of the committee favor ed recommending that seven Bishops be | elected, while the remainder advocated ten and that the latter had prevailed
 The present Bishops are said to have | favored a smaller number than any | of those mentioned-six, in point of fact. However, there seems a proba- bility that when the report is laid be- fore the Conference the number finally decided upon and elected will be eight Second only in interest to the cleo ton of Bishops, perhaps is the final action on the paragraph of the church | discipline relating to amusements touch ing which the address of the Bish- ops recommended the excision of danc- ing. card playing and certain other words from the paragraph. By de- | cisive vote, the Committee on the State of the Church. to which the mat ter was referred, today decided to rec ommend that the paragraph on amuse- ments remain as 1t now stands. and thus negatived the recommendation oi the Bishops. The vote in committed
 was nearly three to one against nak' ing any change.