The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-05-18
FROM METHODIST BISHOPS
Issued Statement Relative to italian
Missions

Missions
Philadelphia, Penn, May 1.-THE
Board of Bishops of the Methodist
Episcopal churcn through its secre-
tary, Bishop l.. b. Wilson, tonight
issued an offlcital statement which
had been prepared by the board at its
meeting in Chicago on May relative
to the Italian mission. The statement
is the outcome of the recent contro-
versy in Rome caused by the visit of
Col Roosevelt
The statement says:
"Deploring and at all times seeking
to avoid interdenominational contro-
versy, we are nevertheless compelled
to recognize occasions when personal
preference must yield to a proper
sense of official duty.
I'VE cannot allow to pass unnoticed
the recent unproyoked and unwarrant-
ed e'tempt to dismerit one of our
most useful missions by widely pub
ished accusations which, If based up
on truth, would bring dishonor upon
the church which supports that mis-
sion.
I'VE regret that after repeated chal-
lenges for details of the specific acts
supposed to justify these charges,
they still remain in such general
terms that their alidity cannot be
tested before the iudgr ent of the
world.
we can only observe: THAT or
dinarily, use of approbricus adjectives
/ 10 Ell nc H.. -
reason. 2--That the methods of our
mission in Italy, now for the first time
thus publicly condemned. are the
same that have been pursued from the
beginning, almost forty years ago. g.
That the same methods. namely,
preaching the gospel IN IFS simplicity
and conducting schools where they
are needed, schools which recognize
the plain teachings of the New Tesla
ment as a supreme authority in relig
ion and ethics, have long been follow
Cd by our missions in South America
and Mexico, as well as in Rome, and
no such indictment has been brought
against these missions even to this
day. so far as we are informed. A.
From these facts the inference APP
pears to be irresistible that other con
siderations than. the methods of our
mission in Rome must have been the
real cause of this sudden outcry.
Possibly some exigency OF diplo-
macy, local in its origin but far reach
ing in its portent required this attack
with all its hazard as diversion
from the real issue involved The
facts that support this inference are
known to all who have followed the
course Of recent events in the City of
Rome. Had there been any other
way TO avoid certain issues OF Ell.
quette and procedure created by coin
cident circumstances of a public nat
ure the Methodist Mission might have
escaped calumny and thus lost the
valuable recognition OF it's success.
Under such circumstances we en-
ter upon no defense of our work In
Italy and make no plea for abatement
in the judgment Of the world We de
cline at the present time to enter up
on any counter-attack upon the Rom
an Catholic church. We ask only that
all fair men interested in the situation
study for themselves its methods OF
propagandism and the traditional at
titude OF that church toward other
Christian faiths.
I'VE believe that there are stan
dards Of equity and moral rectitUde
by which in the estimate Of all pro
gressive peoples, all religions, and all
methods must be rated by what they
contribute to intelligence and moral
character. We now content ourselves
With affirming our entire confidence
in the moral integrity of our mission
aries and methods in Italy. and
against the denunciations OF their ac-
cusers we place the wide-open record
Of the Methodist Episcopal church.
both as to teaching and method, in
America and throughout The world