Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-10-28

Rev Dr. james Hamilton of the
Michi.:.ln conference today criticises
The policy of the general conference Of
the Methodist Episcopal Church in
which il states Tor :, year at time
without prejudice to their rights suclr
claimants tSUpcranruated miGistersl
may voluntarily reiinquish their
claim.
The speaker, i'll addressing today's
Session OF the Washington convention
il oir"tIvu of the campaign for
>"."p'.'"o to provide annuities for the
~. r..:.nuItcd ministers of the Metho-
DIT 81 i-cepal Church. al the Metro
po1'-a0 NJ T. Church. mad for his sub
jet NJ tho,iisnl's Youngest 1nstitu-
tom" In connection with his criticism
i sci. it is to tell man he has an
-sil!t. OF, -nt to thing and while
t!'at utterance is still ringing in his
ear fetch out your hand from be-
nam and ask him to surrender his
rI&ht'
Dr. Hamilton also declared the gen.
erai conference ''indulged in cheese
pai;'.~ and false economy TO the ex-
te.it OF making ridiculous some of the
diCGiii2d paragraphs of the PLAN" in
stead of strengthening the plan and
providing generously for the support
Of the retirement board in the great
work 1t is doing"
He said the board has distributed or
mas on hand for distribution to the
conference S1i1.000, Office fixtures val
ued at S2,652, III permanent funds al
most | quarter of mini n i Nj IS AMI
III addition has paid the corresponding
secretary $ salary, his assistant in the
nelc, clerk and bookkeeper in the office
and paid expenses for literature which
II the board has done notnin- eIse
would abundantly justify its creation"
Lacks Proper Support.
The speaker declared: Had the board
from the beginning received the gen.
erous support it desired, 1 verify be-
Heve that it would now be able to pro-
vide for all the necessitous cases in
the church. This would be the ideal
condition-the board of conference
claimants caring for the necessa'
cases, leaving the annual conferer
free to push for annuity funds ST.
Gent to retire all their superannuants
on half average salary on the basis of
thirty-five years of service. With such
record and with such possibilities,
should not this board receive the
praise and hearty support of the entire
church,"
But he declared, this is not quite
the treatment it received either in
the beginning of its history or by the
last general conference"
Inc session opened THIS morning with
Bishop Thomas B. Nicely presiding. De-
votions were conducted by Rev. DIR.
Hugh johnson, secretary of the endow-
ment fund of the Baltimore conference.
A Unique Distinction.
The denomination to which we belong
possesses distinction which, believe.
is unique" stated Rev. DR.. S. j. Green
field. field secretary of preachers per-
manent commission of the northern New
York conference. in an address on Am
nual Conference Endowments" 80.
as ! know it is the only branch of
Professionalism, with the exception pos
~iblr of the Methodist Episcopal Church
South. tina, has local endowment funds
Tor the benefit of its retired ministers,
its ministers widows and orphans.
THE endowment funds of other de-
nom nations are general rather than
local, those for instance, of the Presby-
terrain. the Baptist. the Congrega tional
and tie Episcopalian denominations, and
also those of Methodism in Canada, Eng
land and Australia he said. IN these
bodies endowment funds are secu. ed
under the direction of and are managed
by general boards, instead of by large
number of local organizations, as is
largely done in our case. MANY of these
local organizations have existed for
years and the reason for their existence
is owing likely to the absence until six