The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-05-03
Methodist Bishops Make ne
port to General Conference
Favoring AbrogatiOn OF the
Rule Against Amusements.
IN THE MATTER OF RACING
Can't Fix Point Between "IurI
and Stock Market"
People Should Be Left to Judge
for Themselves.

Minneapolis, May 3--"The Anerl-
can people are too far advanced lons
er to be restricted by church ruieS
as to what their amusements sIlall De
The rules prohibiting dancing caro
plav;ng. gambling and going to the
aters, circuses and horse races liei
fore should be abolished
This is the gist of report pre-
santed today to the general CONFER
en.e of the Methodist Episcopal
church bv the board of bishops IN
recommending this radical change the
"a active bishops stipulated that tne
church however should not pc lhuII-
farant on these subjects, but thal tIle
neoule should be left to JuoSe
themselves what is right or "loHS l..
amusements, having before THEM tini DiltS
the Injunction of John Wesley "nICli
Fo~hidS ..the taking of such diversions ;
can nct be taken in the name OF
thu Lord Jesus. -,.o,, 70
The bishops declared the church re-
iterated its opposition to theateI 81
ing and gambling, but tne [ute ~
force since 1872 could not Tx PoIIle
hntuaen 1.-The turf and the stock mar
The bishops report was delivered
by Bishop Earl Cranston OF " "z aslllne
ton. D. c., and it formed the secoilu ila
section OF the eplScOP1i - 1r;,,a,
first half of when hdu oeeH
the day before. a,-
I've would 1oyfully acclaim the DAY
xyban every Christian would abStdlH
from the amusements whlch nave nave
been prohibited. but we cant rePress
our conviction that Wesley dealt Ailole
wisely with the danger.
Church Can Not Approve.
"rThe bishops therefore recommend
+I,o consistent treatment
of this subject by Wesley and the
more earnestly because we are deallng
with the American people and the IN
Justice of the twentieth century
LAS a church we can not approve
dancing and theater going. They are
questionable amusements. To US as
TO several of our sister churches, fhey
who Justify these amusements as con-
sistent with the spiritual life seem TO
manifest a deplorable lack OF splrltudl
perception.
gambling and we recognize clearly
thai it is the same sin in Wall street
that 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 a respectable
business man eligible to church mem
bership and the chairman of the
board of trustees.
I'm our absolute helplessness before
This question we must continue TO al
low the world to suspect that the larg-
er the stake and the more reckless
of public wealth the gain, the less
vicious the crime, provided the win
ner paws tithes to religion or benev-
olence."
Secretary Wilson Is Condemned.
The conference adopted a resolution
condemning James Wilson, secretary of
attending Internal
tional Brewers congress in Chicago
l.st october. After naming President
Taft as having been asked to prevent
Secretary Wilson's presence at the con-
gress the resolution declares that
''Those in authority have forfeited all
claim on the future franchise of the
Christian and sober manhood of the
nation Secretary Wilson's explana-
ton of his action was described as "A
most frivolous, fallacious and stereo-
typed excuse
The bishops report stated that 1856
of 2,057 district superintendents had
pronounced Ineffective the amusement
paragraph in the church discipline The
bishops further recommended:
That instead of having two temper
ance societies as represented in the
Anti-sloon League and the Methodist
Church Temperance society, the church
have only one suggesting the abolition
of the latter society. That the church
return to the limit of five years for
pastorates as was in force prior 70
1900. Child labor and boycotting in
disputes between capital and labor were
denounced and President Taft was in
dorsed for his attempts to promote
international peace. Attempts bv any
religious body to interfere with the
civil status of marriages of their
members when performed by clerev-
men of other denominations were de-
nounced.