The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1908-05-08
METHOO|STS WILL
CHANGE DISCIPLINE
GENERAL CONFERENCE RE-
CEIVES COMMUNICATIONS
REGARDING ADJUSTMENTS
FAvORS PROHIBITION
Adopting Resolution Urging Adoption
Of LlttIefeld Bill BY Congress
Interesting Reports
Heard.

Baltimore, May 7.--Bshop Good
sell, of Boston, was easily the C n
tral figure of today's session of the
quadrennial general conference OF {
Methodist Episcopal church by reason
of the fact that it was he who read
the address of the Bishops and that
this address contained this time mat
ter of unusual Importance. Althor 81
its expressions relative to the liquor
question evoked the greatest en-
thuusiasm, doubtless its most i'm
portant sentences We're those em
bracing the recommendations fol
Bishops touching Paragraph 24S Of
the church discipline, relating to
amusements.
The address recommends that from
Paragraph 248 certain words, indi
Gated, but not quoted in the address,
be stricken out.
The exact words are dancing
playing at games of chance, attend
ing theatres, horse races, circuses
dancing parties or patronizing dancing
schools"
This recommendation is followed
Immediately by a declaration of the
bishops that grave injustice will be
done If their recommendation is in
terpreted as an abandonment of the
early opposition to worldly amuss-
ments and that Is, return to the prin-
ciples and exact words of John Wes-
lev
The immediate outcome of the
bishops treatment of the liquor ques
tion was the adoption of a resolution
favorable to the Littlefield interstate
liquor shipment bill now before con
gross, which resolution Is to be laid
before Speaker Cannon by commit
tee tomorrow.
Tonight meeting was held In cele-
bration of the centenary Of the or.
ganization OF the general conference
as delegated body and of the adop-
tion of the constitution of the Meth.
odist Episcopal church There was 4
distinguished gathering also at the
DdHHuet VI thc biOlhel hoou VI 81
Paul.
Board of Extension Report.
An unusual mortality previled
among the members of the Board dur
ing the uadrennium. Six Bishops
have passed from labor to reward.
Eight laymen and four ministers were
called from the church militant TO the
church triumphant
We think that the present general
conference should order that the Sun
day school collections during the com
ing quadrennium should be evenly di.
vided between the Board of Home
Missions and Church Extension and
the Board of Foreign Missions. The
commission ordered that the property
should be divided equally. that be.
quests aud legacies be divided equal.
ly. and why should the Sunday school
collections have been divided unequal
ly during the six months just closing
May 9Th, 1908.
The report refers to an effort which
has been made on recommendation of
the general committee to consolidate
the principal publications of the two
boards and quotes a resolution adopt.
ed ky joint meeting of representa-
tives of the two boards at Philadelphia
last March. II was the sense of those
who took part in this meeting that
the consolidation of these publications
at the present time, is undesirable and
impracticable. Continuing the report
says:
Our Methodist city problems no one
has yet comprehensively grasped. We
have been forced out as pioneers not
only in the mthod of our literature,
but in its matter. What we have print
ed represents conditions almost as
new to literature as If from another
world. Gladly would we have availed
ourselves of any publications, but none
covering our field were in print
We expect our book publications
to he at least self-suportiug. and we
are glad to state that while we have
largely increased the amount and va
riety of our literary output and have
reduced the expenses at the rate of
$1,000 per month. we are now conduct
ing the same at q saving of 100000
over last years budget Our ideal Is
publication department reaching
million Methodist homes at no cost to
the church. We are certainly travel
ing i'm that direction.
The recent financial furry has
brought to the office a large number of
applications for loans. Some com
paratively large applications for loans
wer received when we we're borrowing
money from the bank to enable our
treasurer to send drafts to the presid-
ing enlders that the preachers on new
and needy fields might receive their
regular quarterly appropriations.
VIZ very much need a great increase
in the loan fund. There are places
Concluded on Fifth Page.)