The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1910-05-25
give IHEIk SIDE
METHODIST BISHOPS DEFENDS
WORK IN ROME.

But Decline at Present To Eute- Up
on Any Counter Attack Upon the
Roman Catholic Church.
The board Of Bishops. OF the Meth
odis. Episcopal Church. through its
secretary. nishap L. 3. Wilson. Nom
day night issued al ofticia! statement.
which had been prepared by The
board. at is meeting in Chicago on
May 9, re,a,ive 70 the Italian mission
The statement is the outcome Of the
recent controversy in Rome caused
BY the visi, Of Col. Roosevelt
The statement follows:
..Deploring. and a; all times seek
ing TO avoid in,erdenomina.ioral con-
troversies. We are. nevertheless. COM
PEELED to recognize occasions when
personal preference must yield TO
proper sense Of official duty.
we canno, allow to pass unnotic-
ed the recent unp-ovoked and uc-
warranted attempt 10 d!Scredit one
Of our most useful missions. by wide
" published accusations which. II
based upon truth. would be nothing
shor, Of dishonor upon tie Church
which supports that mission.
We regret that after repeated
challenges cor details Of the specific
acts supposed to justify these
| charges. they still remain in such
general terms that their validity can
not be tested before the judgment Of
the world. We can only observe:
t.1. That ordinarily the Us" OF
ophedian adjectives is suggestive Of
anger rather than OF reason.
20. That the methods Of our mis-
sions in Italy. now for the tirst time
thus publicly condemned. are the
same that have been pursued from
the beginning. almost forty years
ago.
That the same methods. namely
preaching the Gospel in its simple
lity and conducting schools where they
are needed. schools which recognize
the plain teachings Of the new tesla
ment as supreme authority in re,
ligion and ethics. have tong been fol.
lowed by our missions in South
America and Mexico. as well as i,
Rome. and no such indictment mas
been brought against those mission:
even to this day. so far We are in
formed.
| ~. FroEi these facts the inference
appears 10 be irresistible thar othe!
considerations than the methods O.
our mission IN Rome must have beeI
the real cause Of this sudden out
cry.
as. Possible some urgeEcy OF Gu,
diplomacy. local IN its origin. ou
far reaching in its portent. reQuiret
this attack with al! It's hazard. as :
diversion from the real issue invoiv
ed
THE facts that support this infer
ence are known to all who have fol
lowed the course Of recent events !!
the city Of Rome.
Had there been any other way Z
avoid certain issues Of etiquette ant
precedence created by coircident cir
cunstances Of public nature. tn
Methodist mission might have escap
eJ caiumny and thus lost the valua
Die recognition Of its success.
Under such circumstances we en-
ter upon no defense Of our work il
Italy AID make no plea for abatemen
in the Judgment OF the world.
I've decline at the present time I.
enter upon any counter attack upo'
the Roman Catholic Church.
I'VE ask only that all fair me!
interested in the situation study fo'
themselves its methods Of propasand
ism and the traditional attitude o
that church toward other Christian
faiths.
I'VE believe that there are stan
darGs OF equity and moral retitud'
by which. il the estimate OF al
progressive people. all religions anc
all methods must be rated by wha
they contribute TO intelligence aat
moral character.
I'VE now content ourselves with
affirming our entire confidence in ;hc
moral integrity OF our m;ssionarie:
and methods in Italy. and against the
cenunciation Of their accuserS we
place the wide open record Of the
Methodist Episcopal Church. both a;
to teaching and method, in America