Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1912-05-04
Claim THE Law OBSOLETE
AGAINST DANCING, CARD PLAY
ING, GAMBLING, THEATERs,
CIRCUSES AND RACING.
BISHOPS favor REPEAL
Claim that the Majority of Church
Members Have Never Lived Up TO
This Law for Many Years.

MINNEAPOL1S, Mimi, May a.
Ministers of the Methodist Episcopal
church appeared to be about equally
divided tonight on the question wheth-
er one church law prohibiting dane
ing, card playing gambling and going
to theaters circuses and horse races
should be abolished as recommended
by the board of bishops. on the
ground that their investigations show
that two-thirds of the 10000 mem-
bers of the church either danced ol
went to circuses and theaters without
regarding it as being sinful, the bish-
ops decided the church law against
these diversions, in force for forty
years. had become obsolete.
They asserted that while the church
would continue to protest against
these forms Of amusement, still 1t was
better not to have any specific law
on the subject than to have law
which was ineffective.
Conference TO Decide.
A demonstration which greeted
Bishop Earl Cranston's reading of the
recommendation was taken as indi-
eating Il lively debate on the question
when it comes up for vote. A mo-
ton declaring that the rule always
had been a source of constant irrita-
ton and unrest In the church." and
asking that it be referred to a COM
mttee was promptly voted down, ar
guments being presented that the full
conference was going to settle that
question and no one else"
Arguments against continuing the
as presented We're:
The majority of church goers never
have refrained from dancing and
theaters because Of the church, and
the vain Of this rule has tended to
bring all church discipline into CON
tempt; that many people regard
on the stage as being as
good as Shakespeare In book; that
many people refuse to condemn all
places because of some OF them just
as much as they would refuse to con-
denim all novels because some novels
are not proper; that gambling is fun
wrong and does not need
a rule to prohibit 1t.
Arguments for the Rule.
Arguments for continuing the rule
were: That its adjustment would
give the impression the church was
tending toward laxity and was en-
dorsng the things which 1t formerly
opposed; that abolshment of the rule
would remove restriction which held
people from those forms Of amuse-
ment.
In adopting a resolution offered by
Jas. w. Anderson OF Keokuk, Iowa.
Secretary Of Agriculture
james Wilson for accepting the hon
orary Craftsmanship Of brewers con-
gress in Chicago last october, the con-
ference declared President Taft. Sec
retary Wilson and Secretary Of State
Knox have forfeited all claims on the
sober manhood Of the nation" because
they ignored appeals that no govern
ment official attend the congress.
Secretary Wilson's explanation that he
attended the congress BECAUSE he was
in the growth Of hops and
barley was described as an "lnsult and
frivolous"
The conference today appointed a
of thirty delegates to con-
sider the demand Of some of the negro
delegates that they be given a negro
bishop to supervise the affairs Of $685.
300 members of their church in south
srn states.