The Penn's Grove record., 1920-03-05
Methodist Conference in Atlantic City

Continued from page l
lains of the navy" This matter was
submitted to the committee by Chap
lain A. c.. Oliver, from Fort Howard,
who holds the rank of captain in the
regular army, and is a member of the
New Jersey Conference.
The memorial concerning the abol-
ition of foreign language conferences
"aS soon as is practicable and the
abSortion of the churches into English
speaking conferences in that territory
was similar to that recently adopted
by the New York Eastern Conference.
1t was recommended by the committee
on memorials, Rev. DR.. George L.
Dobbin.y OF Ocean City, chairman. A
memorial from the West Wisconsin
Conference, however, was disapproved
because it demanded an immediate
elimation of the foreign language con
ferences. This was held to be too rad
zeal. In the debate the movement was
urged on patriotic grounds, but it was
admitted that delay would do no harm
and on the contrary haste might re-
suit diastrously.
The controversy over letting down
the bars on amusements took up most
of the Thursday morning session. 1t
was stated that the Dancing Masters
Association of the country had petit
toned General Conference to abolish
the rule against dancing, but the
clergy who discussed the issue were
strongly against it. Rev. James Mar
shall, vice president of the Ocean
Grove Camp Meeting Association, Of
tered the memorial to climate the
church trial and possible expulsion
following the third violation of the
regulation against dancing, theatre
going or gambling. His memorial was
a quotation from the discipline of the
Church, stating disapproval of the
amusements in question and putting
the question of indulgence up to church
members concience.
Unifcation with the Southern
Church on the plan suggested by the
General Conference Commission was
approved. This provides for division
of the country into regional General
Conferences subordinate to the Gen
eral Conference, and each to be pre-
sided over by a bishop. This, it is
hoped, will solve the race question,
which for over a h~alf-century has kept
the Northern and Southern branches
apart. 1t will give the colored Meth0-
dlsts their own regional Conferences
and bishops.
There was another memorial adopted
in the interest of conversation both
of time and of money in home mission
AIRY work. 1t proposes coordination of
organization and unification of admin
istration. At present there are four
organizations, all authorized by Cen
eral Conference, doing this work, res
ulting in embarrassment, duplication
of endeavor and rivalry in seeking To-
cal financial support, thus involving
waste and dangerous harmony.
1t is expected that the strong resell
utions on Temperance and against the
restoration of wet conditions in New
Jersey as proposed by laws enacted by
the Legislature and approved by Gov
ernor Edwards will be introduced to-
day, Friday. This feature will follow
an executive session to examine the
fitness OF candidates for ministry in
this years class.
The report of the trustees of Penn
Seminary, presented in the af-
ternoon while Bishop Thomas B. Nicely
presided, showed the boys school for
the first time in twenty-five years to
be on a paying basis.
Proposed abandonment of Ocean
the great religious camp-meet
ing centre, if the Legislature insists
upon "commercializing" the place by
granting a charter for a borough and
its administration out of the
of the Church, was discussed
as a possibility in a stormy session of
The trustees Friday. Bishops Nicely and
of Philadelphia, and former
Governor Stokes took part in the dis
cussion of the financial affairs of the
association and the fight now pending
FOR the borough government.