New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-05-04
METHOD|STS DIVIDED
ON ADJUSTMENTS RULE
Bishops Would AnnuI the ChurC,
Law Against Dancing, The.
aires, Cards, Etc.
DECLARE CANON OBSOLETE
General Conference Condemns
Secretary Wilson for Attend
ing a Convention of
Brewers.

Minneapolis. May administers OF the
Methodist Episcopal Church appeared to be
equally divided tonight on the question
whether the Church law prohibiting dan
cling, card playing, gambling and going to
theatres. circuses and horseraces should be
abolished, as RECOMMENDED by the Board of
bishops.
on the ground that their investigations
slowed that two-thirds OF the 8. 80 COO mem
hers Of the Church either danced or went
Il circuscs and theatres without regarding
it as being sinful, the bishops decla red
that the church law against these diver
sons. in force for forty years had become
obsolete. They asserted that. while the
Church would continue to protest against
these forms Of amusement, II was better
lot 10 have any specific Law on the subject
than to hav" a law which was ineffective.
John Weslcy's injunction. leaving the
amusement question TO the conscience OF
individuals the twenty-four activo bishops
declared. was the wiScst regulation for
"Americans Of the twentieth century"
\ demonstration which greeted bishop
Earl Craustons reading OF the rccommen-
dation was taken as indicating a lively do
a vote Of the $50 delegates.
4 motion declaring that the rule always
had been source Of constant irritation
and unrest In tho Church" and asking that
II be referred 90 a committee. was prompt
IT, voted down, arguments being presented
that the fun conference was going To set
tic that question. and no one else
When tne motion was made James |.
Bartholomew, Of New Bedford Mass. took
tho floor and said. II knew Of high school
boy who, in studying English, went 10 soc
Macbeth II was the duty Of the pastor.
without option to- expcl that boy from tho
church, on the ground that he had violated
this supposed law. A jury acting under tho
rule would have to cxpel but jury act
ing under WCsley's rule would certainly
not eXpel"
Arguments against continuing tho anti
amusement rule as PRESENTED were:
That the majority Of churchgoers never
have RETAINED from dancing and theatres
because OF the Church. and tho violation or
this rule has tended 10 bring all Church dis
Cipine into contempt: that many persons
regard Shakespeare on the stage az being
a. good as Shakespeare in book; that
many persons refuse to condemn all plays
because OF some of .nem, lust as much ds
they would refuse 10 condemn all novels
because some novels are not proper; that
gambling is fundamentally wrong and does
not need rule TO prohibit 1t.
Arguments for continuing the rule were:
That its adjustment would give the Inn
preston the Church was tending toward
laxity and was indorsing the things which
IL formerly opposed that adjustment ~
held members from those forms OF amusc-
ment.
Concerning the gambling question tn"
bishops statement had this 10 say:
Again We stand uniteLly against gam
bling, and We recognize clearly that II IS
tn" same sin In Wall Street that II IL In the
lowest resort. bat We have never ventured
lcgiSlatively to FIX the point whore the rhc"-
track gambler passing from the turf 20 thc
stock market becomes a respectable bust
ness man. eliCiblc To Church membership
and the chairman 81 the board ~ trustees.
In our absolute helplessness before this
question We must continue 10 allow the
world To suspect that IN" larger M" stalk"
and the more reckless % public veal the
gain the less vicious the crime provided the
winner pays tith"s 20 religion or bcn"NO-
lenCc.
Tn" bishops recommended that The
Church. instead ~ having two temperance
societies as represented IN tho Anti Saloon
League and the Methodist Church Temper
dnCH society, nave ODly one, SIGb'tlliB
abolishing the Church society
Their report also recommended that the
Church return 10 the limit OF five years for
pastOratos, az was IN force prior to 1900:
denounced child labor and boycotting in
disputes between capital and labor; in
dorsed President Tafts efforts to promote
International peace, and denounced any at
tempt by any religious bodies to interfere
with the civil status Of marriages OF their
members when performed by ccrgymen Of
other denominations
In adopting resolution offered by James
W Anderson, OF KeOkuk. Iowa. denounc-
ing Secretary Of Agriculture James Wilson
for accepting the honorary chairmanship
Of a brewers congress in Chicago last Octo-
her the conference declared that President
Taft. Secretary Wilson and Secretary pf
State Knox have forfeited all claims on
the future franchise Of the Christian and
sober manhood OF the nation because they
had ignored appeals that no government
official attend the congress.
Secretary Wilson's explanation that he
attended the congress because he was in
terested I'm the growth Of hops and barley
was described a. AN insult aud frivolous
The conference appointed commission
Of thirty delegates 10 consider the demand
Of some Of the negro delegates that they
bo given "A negro bishop 10 supervise the
affairs Of - 600 members Of their Church
.hgYv ct