The Daily Missoulian., 1912-08-25

conditions, subscribe TO this para.
graph go not SO much. perhaps be-
cause II conflicts with thcir personal
preferences and desires, as because
they we'll see II indicates an unsound
condition within the church. To this
fact Is ascribed large responsibility. for
the very slight gain In membership
reported for the past quadrennium, n
condition not characteristic of Meth
odst history. which shows a continued
and strong growth
The Second Reason.
This rather extended elaboration of
tho first reason leads to the second
one, and In this ! mention the matter
of consistency. After the conference
had grandiloquently discussed the
pros and cons of the amusement aues-
tion. and had spectacuarly voted to
retain paragraph 26o. requiring the aye
and no vote 80 as to put everybody
on record" at later session that
was devoid OF discussion or ostentation
this same body OF delegates again
considered the disputed paragraph and
pulled Its stinger" by eliminating tn,
word "unchristian" an applied to the
specimens of moral obliquity therein
temized and left them labelled simply
"imprudent That. to my mind, was
the weakest and most Inconsistent
thing the general conference did.
happened to be absent from the par.
ticular session. or that part of II
wherein this was done (and, without
evasive intention. was also In Montana
on excuse from conferences Sessions
when the vote on elimination of the
paragraph was taken) and. looking a,
1t now, l cannot help believing that
the majority Of the delegates mus,
have been metaphorically asleep wher
the Jump from ',unchrstian" to ''im.
prudent was made: that they coulG
not have realized the full import o,
the action. Otherwise. for the SAX,
of consistency. 1t would have beon op.
posed and defeated.
a Joke. t.t-,
Paragraph 26o now stands emascu.
lated. weakened. stripped OF any pos
sible vfrility II previously possessed
Formerly 1t was an anomaly. Now 1
is Joke. The seeming deliberate In
tent to make II so Is shown In III,
fact that part of the paragraph re
lating to liquor selling and encourage
ment thereof in various specified way.
was segregated into n separate para
graph. and lest there should be an,
sembance of weakening In that re
gard these undebatable evils wer,
labelled immoral" which designation
Is hardly less forceful than "unchrls
tlan."
1t seems to me that the church is II
far worse condition now I'm relation
to the amusement question than 1,
ever was before. II was mlstak,
ever to change the Wesleyan rule o.
conscientious conduct for the insertion
of this prohbitive paragraph. II
would have been far better to tackl,
the problem conrageously at Mime.
apolls and wipe the paragraph out OF
existence than 10 leave II as n con.
tinning bone of contention, especial,
since II Is now robbed OF all respect
1t all means. apparently. that tn,
paragraph itself Ia totterfng to IT'S fan
and that in 1916 it will disappear alto
gether. Hence | say II is not "a settlec
question
Were | TO diverge for the expression
OF personal opinion, ! would say that
Methodism, under the Wesleyan rule
which permits us to take such diver
sions only as may be taken "ln tn,
name of the Lord" will iundoubtedl,
mount to higher moral plane thar
1t can occupy under tho prohibltivt
paragraph 26O, which Is of doubtful
authenticity and lax enforcement.
1t Is not supposed. OF course, thai
this discussion can hope to cover one.
tenth of the field which Is now his.
tory for the recent general conference
Suffice II to speak further only OF
that which undoubtedly constitutes tn,
most radical departure and the mos
beneficial legislation of the Mime
apolls assembly II has been briefly
referred to herenbefore. namely. tn,
new plan of Episcopal supervision.
This is undoubtedly the most uniru,
feature ever introduced into Tho gov
ernment of any church. II comes a,
a. result OF the general demand fol
increased supervision and more Of,
f.tlve leadership" II issues to the
church as virtual compromise be.
tween the ADVOCATES of a system OF
distrlctng the bishops, or, In othe,
words. creating diocesan episcopacy
and those who desired to preserve
the itinerant or general superlntend,
ency" nature of the high office and