Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-05-11
CONFERENCE VOTES
AGAINST CHANGING
BISHOP AGE LIMIT
Prolonged Debate Over Proposed
New Ritual Develops Con-
siderable Opposition.

SARATOGA Springs, n. Y. May S.-The
general conference of the Methodist
Episcopal Church went on record to-
day as opposing any change in the exist
ing church law which requires the re-
tirement of bishops at the quadrennial
conference nearest their 73rd birthday
BY vote of 49, to 195 the conference
tabled a resolution offered by ChanCel-
lor James r. Day of Syracuse Univer-
sity, who sought repeal of the provision
which was enacted by the general con-
ference in 1912. Under tho requirements
of this law Bishops Earl Cranston of
Washington. d. G., and John W. Hamil-
ton of Boston. Mass, and Missionary
Bishop John G. Hartzeu of Africa will
be retired at the present sessions.
Chancellor Day asserted that under
the present plan bishops must be re-
lieved from service when they have
reached the age limit, regardless of
their ability. He declared that in past
years several bishops did not attain
their greatest efficiency until they were
past -. The law" he said. "retires
some Of our bishops at the summit Of
their powers, and leaves others who are
inefficient still in the service"
Opponents of the proposed change
replied that by automatic retirement
embarra ssment to the conference and
distress to the bishops which has often
been experienced at other sessions of
the general conference will be solved
Or. Edgar II. Blake, of Chicago, quoted
one bishop who, he said, may soon bt
retired, as favoring the present plan
nrnlnDUpd re W IA @,
will be continued for several days, fol
lowed the submission Of a report from
n special commission to which the gen.
eral conference in 1912 entrusted the
preparation of new ritual. The dis
cussion was so spirited that action was
taken only on minor question. OPP
position developed over the substitu-
ton of the American revised version
for the authorized version of the Bible
in scriptural selections which are EN-
bodied in the ritual
Austin NJ Courtenay of Columbus
who opposed this action by the com
mission asserted that there is danger
Of sand papcring the verbiaee toe
much, For the purpose of scientific
accuracy we are in danger of losing
all the flavor of style why cannot
we retain the fine old English that we
have in the authorized version"
motion to reverse the action of the
commission and to restore the rendering
Of the authorized version throughout the
ritual was lost, and it was determined tc
settle each quotation on it's own merits
AS finally adopted the phrase "all men are
conceived and born in sim is omit ed
from the order for the administration OF
baptism to infants. hut the conference re-
fused to sanction the use Of living as n
substitute for the so-called archaic Give
lv' in the phrase, "a lively member OF
the church" The discussion will be re-
elmed tomorrow.
The centennial Of the American Bible
society, which was organized May s, 1876
was Oblorved tonight. Among the speak
crs was tho Rev. James W. Lee of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, South. II
WAS reported that during the last fou,
years the society has issued I9.aaS $40 Bi.
les, New TcstamcutS, and biblical selcc.
tons, and that the total foreign circula.
ton for the las, duadrennial was II, S3i, 5N
volumes