The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-06-08
METHODIST GENERAL CON-
FERENCE.

ly month closed it's doors last
week, and the delegates from all
parts Of the world departed for
their respective homes. 1t would
be interesting to know just what
kind Of report they will give
to those whom they represented.
Will it be of such a nature as to
justify the holding Of another
conference four years hence? If
the primary object Of the Quad
rennial Conference is to discuss
questions of church polity with a
view to securing greater uniform
ity in doctrinal teaching and disci-
pline, then it would seem that the
delegates to the Minneapolis Con-
ference failed to understand the
purpose for which they assembled.
Almost from the opening ses-
sion the Conference partook more
Of the nature of a political gather
ing than Of a religious assembly.
There were among the delegates,
no doubt, many who were sincere
in their desire to make the Con-
ference what it was originally in
tended to be. a deliberative as
sembly convened for sane and
intelligent discussion of topics
appertaining to the welfare Of
Methodism. But their good in
tentions were frustrated by the
action of some Of the missionary
Bishops and delegates who
launched out into an envenomed
attack on the Catholic Church,
her doctrines and practices.
Charge after charge was made
against her with an utter abandon
and disregard for even the SEM
blance Of truth. No sooner was
one accusation shown to be with
out foundation in fact than an
other calumny was sent forth for
the delectation of their camp fol-
lowers. When proof was demand
ed they took refuge in silence.
When publicly challenged to sub
stantiate their statements they
made no attempt to reply and thus
confessed themselves cowardly fall
sifiers Of truth and base detrac-
tors of a Church which gave them
no shadow Of a cause for such an
un-Christian onslaught. When
they found that they could not
vilify the Catholic Church with
impunity they were not honorable
enough to admit the falsity and
baseness of their charges and the
General Conference took no steps
to repudiate their slanderous ut
terances. On the contrary, in
some Of it's resolutions it went so
far as to endorse the charges made
by it's missionary Bishops and
delegates and thus placed itself
before the country as the incarna-
ton of a belligerent Methodism
which sets no bounds to it's anti
Catholic bigotry, a Methodism so
fanatical in it's attitude towards
Catholicism that it would soon be
as dead and forgotten as it's foun-
der did it not cater to the de-
PRAYED tastes of those who cher
ish hatred of the Mother Church
of Christendom as the very breath
of life.
A great many of the sessions
were given over to the election
Of new Bishops, and it was pitt
able to see ministers and delegates
supposed to be animated with a
spirit of religion lending them
selves to despicable political tao
tics in an effort to secure episco-
pal honors for themselves or their
friends. Some of the delegates
took occasion to express their
detestation Of the un-Christian
intrigues resorted to by their
brethren to hamper the work
of the Conference unless their
own opinions were allowed to
prevail. 1t is not to be wondered
at, therefore, that scant considera-
ton was shown for the aged Bish-
ops slated for retirement. Mutual
recrimination took the place of
calm and deliberate discussion:
and those who were sincere In
their desire to further the inter-
ests Of Methodism gave a sigh of
relief when the gavel descended
for the last time.
Very little, if any, attention was
paid to doctrinal questions. No
announcement in regard to the
teaching Of Methodism was made:
no profession of faith animated
from the Conference. The world to-
day knows as little about what the