Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-05-04
American People Too Far
Advanced to be Longer
Restricted by Church
Edict, Says Report.
SECRETARY WILSON
IN FOR CRITICISM
Cabinet Member Condemn
ed for Attending Brew
ers' Congress and Taft is
Indirectly Held at Fault.


Minneapolis. Mimi, May 3.-"The
American people are too far advanced
longer to be restricted by church
rules as to what their amusements
shall be. The rules prohibiting dane.
ing, card playing, gambling and going
to theaters, circuses and horse races
therefore, should be abolished" This
IS the gist OF report presented today
to the general conference OF the Meth
odist Episcopal church by the board
OF bishops.
In recommending this radical change
the twenty-four active bishops stipulat
ed that the church, however, should
not be Indifferent on these subjects
but that the people should be left to
Judge for themselves what is right CT
wrong In amusements, having before
them only the injunction OF John
Wesley which forbids the taking OF
such diversions as cannot be taken in
the name Of the Lord, Jesus
4 The bishops declared the church re-
1terated its opposition to theater go
Ing and gambling but the rule in force
since 1872, could not fix point be-
tween the turf and the stockamarket."
Westsy's Treatment Wiser. .s,,l.
,rhe bishops report was delivered
by Bishop Earl Cranston Of Washing.
ton, D. c., and it formed the second
section Of the Episcopal address, the
first half of which had been given the
day before.
I'VE would, joyfully acclaim the day
when every Christian would abstain
from the amusements which have been
prohibited, but we can trust our con.
viction that Wesley dealt more wisely
with the dancer
"The bishops therefore recommend
return to the consistent treatm
OF this subject by Wesley and the
more earnestly because we are dealing
with the American people and the In
telligence OF the twentieth century.
"As church we cannot approve CT
dancing and theater. going. They are
questionable amusements. To us, as
to several Of our sister churches, they
who justify these amusements as con.
sistent with spiritual life seem to
manifest q deplorable lack of spiritual
PERCEPTION.
Gambling Same Sin in Wall st.
again we stand unite6ly against
gambling and we recognize clearly that
1t is the same sin in Wall street as It
is in the lowest resort but we have
never ventured legislatively to fix the
point where the race track gambler,
passing from the turf to the stock
market becomes respectable business
man eligible to church membership
and the chairman of the board o.
trustees.
In our absolute helplessness before
this question, we must continue to
allow the world to suspect that the
larger the stake and the more reckless
Of public wealth the gain, the less
vicious the crime, provided the win.
ming pays tithes to religion or benev-
olence."
Secretary Wilson Criticised.
The conference adopted a resolu-
ton condemning Secretary Of Agri-
culture Wilson for attending the In
ternational Brewers congress in Chi
cago last October. After naming Pres
ident Taft as having been asked to
prevent Secretary Wilson's presence
at the congress, the resolution de-
clares that those in authority have
forfeited all claim to the future fran
chise Of the Christian and sober man
hood of the nation" Secretary Will
sons explanation of his action was
described as "a most frivolous. falla-
cious and stereotyped excuse
The bishops report stated that
1856 Of 2,057 district superintendents
had pronounced ineffective the
amusement paragraph in the church
discipline rule.
Would Abolish Temperance Society.
The bishops further recommended:
That instead of having two temper
ance societies as represented In the
Anti-Saloon League and the Methodist
Church Temperance society, the
church have only one, suggesting tho
abolition Of the latter society.
The church returned to the limit OF
five years for pastorates az was in
force prior to 1900.
Child labor and boycotting in dis
putes between capital and labor were
denounced and President Taft was
indorsed for his attempts to promote
international peace.
Attempts by any religious body to
interfere with the civil status OF mar
riages of their members when per-
formed by clergymen Of other denom-
nations was denounced.