The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-05-08
ADDRESS OF
 THE BISHOPS Methodists Show Gain of Communicants. DELEGATES CHEER AND SING A Most Scathing Deaunciation ot
 the Liquor Traffic. As to Amusements and the Book of Discipline, the Address Makes
 Several Very Important
 Recommendation.

Baltimore, today's sitting of the quadrennial Gen eral Conference of the Methodist Epis- copal Church, was the presentation or the Episcopal address prepared by the
 Bishops.
 Before It's reading was begun. mes sage of greeting and congratulations from the General Conference was or dered sent to the Pennsylvania Bible Society at Philadelphia, which today begins the first centennial of it's exist
 ence Bishop Daniel A Boodsell Of
 Boston then took the rostrum and com menced the delivery of the address. The address of the Bishops Of the Methodist Episcopal General Conference. after recalling gen.
 eral conferences hitherto held in this city and historical events Of the church which had Baltimore for their scenes, notes again in the number or communicants during the past four
 years of 27s.357, the greatest gam during any similar period for sixteen years.
 Other figures show the number of ministers in the annual conferences (not including local preachers) to De i9.353. an increase of l,lH. me uotal '.uastorai army number Is 20,16l. These preach the Gospel in 130 languages and dialects. The total gain in church property for the four years last past IS S32,678,43i, while tho total valuation or
 churches and parsonages Is $lsS.s2a,- 024. The membership in the United States is now 3,036,0O0, while m the
 whole world the number Is s,s07. .275, at the close of 1907. The foreign com mupicants number 26g,00O.
 As to amusements and the book or di6clpitne, the address says: We rec
 ommend that Paragraph 24S be amend
 ed by striking out the confessedly par
 tial list of worldly amusements found
 therein, beginning with the last word in inc eighth line, and ending with the word other in the eleventh line, which were inserted in 1872, leaving as the ground for church trial In case such trial becomes necessary that per- tfon Of the paragraph, readan&s ak 1 ing such amusements as are of obyi-
 ousiy misleading or questlonanie hosAI tendency, or disob edience to the order and discipline of the church. and es-
 pecially our original rule, TO taking
 such diversions as cannot be used in the name of the Lord Jesus Grave in-
 Justice will be done if this recommen-
 dation is interpreted as an abandon
 ment of our early opposition to world- iv amusements. Indeed it is return to the exact words furnished by John
 Wesley. ,..,
 "The consecutive polygamy permitted hy the divorce laws of some of our
 States is a disgrace to our country II
 continues to undermine family life ana
 to break up into helpless and warning factions that which God means shall
 be a unit"
 DeIegatea Enthused.
 The reading of the address frequent
 ly was interrupted by applause as the venerable Bishop voiced some telling point in the document. When he had
 read the scathing denunciation or the liquor traffic contained therein, he call
 ed upon delegates to rise here, now, and, with the Bishops, pledge eternal
 enmity to that foe of man ana God,
 inc entire assemblage sprang to It's feet uttering cheer after cheer one of the delegates started to sing Amer ica." The great throng caught up the hymn and the call resounded with It's strains. As the last refrain ceased, some one began the hymn. Glory, Hal- leluiah, Our God is Marching On." This new outlet for the enthusiasm which seemed to grow was seized upon and to the tune of John Browns Body" the verse was repeated several times. Wig
 orous handclapping greeted the an-
 nouncement of the position of the Bishops on the subject of amusement Bishop Goodsell closed with a fervent peroration, delivered in a voice that
 reached every point of the auditorium He was loudly applauded as he resumed
 his seat.
 Reports of the various boards and the
 special committees appointed by the | last General Conference were made. Among them were the report of the publishing agents of the Methodist | Book Concern, the Board of Church
 Extension, the Board of Home Missions
 and the Church Extensions, and the
 Sunday School Department. ,
 PubIIshIns Agents Report.
 The follinwing is the report of the | publishing agents:
 'It Is with much satisfaction that in
 making our quadrennial report we are | able to present an exhibit of sales and
 earnings which surpass those of any | other four years in the long history of the Book Concern. While the profits
 of the last fiscal year are not quite | equal to those of the previous year,
 the slight falling off in net earnings Is | more than accounted for by the re- | Auction in the hours of labor in our | manufacturing department during that year from a nine to an eight hour day. | with no reduction in the scale of wages.
 ''The total sales during the quad rennium have been $4,175.O19 showing | an increase over the previous quad l rennIum of S577, ,327. The net profits 1 have been $735,999, an increase over l the previous four years of $23l,911. l After providing for the payment Of the l last dollar of indebtedness, we closed our last fiscal year with cash on hand
 S54.s99. together with surplus invest
 ments and fire fund reserve amounting | to S6GS71S, making the total of cash | and surplus at the end of the year | S723.6lS. All of our holdings in real 1 estate are now free and clear of ln- | cumbrance The department of publl- | cations and sales has made a gratify-
 ing showing during each year of the
 quadrennlum. The total sales in this | department for the four years amount
 to Sl,4OS. .5S2. an increase over the pre-
 ylous auadrennIum of Sl57,94o The
 department suffered a loss in sales by
 the transfer of the San Francisco bus
 mess. to the Western Methods Book
 Concern. but benefited by the sales of
 the new Hymnal. which have been | large. "Our aim both in publishing and | selling has been quality rather than ! quantity. We believe it Is far more