Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-07
Methodist Conference Hears
QuadrenniaI Report.
APPROVAL OF UNION LABOR
Opposition to Worldly Amusements
Is Reaffirmed.
MEMBERSHIP NOW 100000
Gain in Property in -Four Years
$50, 676. 431-Word for the
Wicked Millionaire.

| BALTIMORE Md. May THE feature
of today's sitting of the Quadrennial gen.
eral conference of the Methodist Episco-
pal Church was the presentation Of the
address prepared by the bishops. Before
| its reading was begun message of greet
ing and congratulation from the general
conference was ordered sent to the Penn
sylvania Bible Society at Philadelphia
which today begins the first centennial OF
it's existence Bishop Daniel A. Goodsell
of Boston then began the delivery of the
address.
| The address notes a gain in the number
of communicates during the past four
years of 21S.351. the greatest gain during
any similar period for sixteen years. 9th
er figures show the number Of ministers
| in the annual conference mot including
local preachers) to be 1858. an increase
of LII; subject to appointment as pastors
on trial and in full membership. Is 722
local preachers serving as pastors. 1. 43I
\ The total pastoral army numbers 20. 16l
| These. according to the address. preach the
gospel in 100 languages and dialects. The
address continues:
Value of Property.
1.-The gain in the value Of churches is
$2S, GA; the gain in parsonages is 81
32S.S 11. The total gain in church prop
erty for the four years last past is So,
| 6IS.I31. while the total valuation Of our
churches and parsonages is 1S6,024. O24
The increase since the last general con-
| ference averages almost $S.20OOOO each
year. Our membership in the United
States is now 3,O}6, 600. while in the whole
world the number is 1907 275 at the close
Of 1907. Our foreign communicates num-
| Der 261 COO
Figures are given showing that since
| the last general conference the value OF
educational grounds and buildings has
| increased S46S2 $40 and is now SOS. 761 al
total endowment. $3.50. 1856 an increase
| of ~, $50, 3S4; and the value of educational
debt has increased Stills 800 and is now
SIT go l32. Since 1904 there have been
gains Of III teachers and professors. 2.644
professional students and 2763 collegiate
| students.
| Position on Amusements.
AS to amusements and the book of dis
cipline. the address continues:
I'VE are moved by a profound convic-
ton of duty in again calling your atten.
ton to the subject of popular amuse-
ments in relation to the spirit and con-
duct Of spiritual life. We regret that the
general prevalence of harmful amuse-
ments does not diminish. We still firmly
hold that they are 'antagonistic to vital
piety promotive Of worldliness and espe-
cially pernicfOus to youth We recon-
mend. not that paragraph 24S be stricken
out but that it be amended by striking
out the confessedly partial list Of worldly
amusements found therein. beginning with
the last word in the eighth line and end
| ing with the word other in the eleventh
| line. which were inserted in 1872. leaving
as Ehe ground for church trial. in case
such trial becomes necessary. that portion
amusements as are obviously of mislead-
ing or questionable moral tendency. OF
| disobedience to the order and discipline
of the church. and especially our original
not 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 opposition tC
turn to the principles and to the exact
words furnished by John Wesley"
Child Labor and Unionism.
In the section devoted to child labor
| the address Says:
'In the name OF Jesus Christ we pro-
test against the sacrifice of childhood on
the altar of Mammon. whether 1t be by
the sloth of parents or the greed OF pro-
prietors. We demand from legislators
such laws will. in securing freedom to
children from exhausting toll. contribute
to the vitality, the growth and the moral
power and moral sense Of all youthful
employees
The bishops have much to say as to
working men and the church and as to
trades unions. a part being as follows:
| For those who labor with their hands
and whose reward Is a wage. the church
has great sympathy. Their share Of the
profits of business Is often such that. If
| they have families. they can have no
| hope of saving a competence for old age
| The freight trainmen seem to have moth
| ing SO surely before them as maimeti
| hands. missing legs and dollar a day
at grade crossings. and in old age not
that.
| "A poorly ventilated mine. from which
q wicked economy fails to drive out the
explosive gas. gas has. in some cases per.
mitted an ignorant and careless miner to
open his safety lamp and blow into eter-
nifty the working force OF the entire viii
lage. So far az greed makes things DOS
sible the Master whom we serve demands
from US the protest Of His church and
for the sufferers the tenderest sympathy.
Church and Labor Unions.
I'VE hold the right of those working
men who desire to do so to form labor
unions for the advancement OF their in.
terests as We hold the right OF individ-
ual laborers who prefer to do 30 to seek
the control OF their own labor. The
church and the trades unions should seek
each others help for the uplift Of man.
kind. The church Is not q museum OF
perfected specimens. all ticketed and la.
| beled and shut up in a stained glass case
| for the world to admire. 1t is q work
shop TO which all who are willing to work
| out their own salvation with fear and
| trembling must be admitted. The church
| cannot refuse its help and countenance
| to any one who processes to accept II.
| principles and to seek a better life, be he
| either capitalist or lahOrer.
| by so much as a capitalist is selfish
misery, exacting. oppressive has the
church business with him. She canno,
| throw him off and away until the last da,
| Of his desiccated and shrunken life brings
him before God. She must hold before
him the image of the unselfish Christ In
the hope that in its light he will see how
far he is from the kingdom Of God.
| Let 1t be remembered. however, that
fest it's obligation to contribute to the
public welfare az in the United States"
Applause for Address.
The reading Of the address frequently
was interrupted by applause as the ven
cradle bishop voiced some telling point In
the document. When he had read a de-