Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-05-03
ARTERS PROPOSED
FORCONFEREN NCEPOST
Delaware Minister Nominated lot
the Office of Secre-
tary.
,>i>t Disnatch to Every ENCuing

DEs. MONIES, IA, MAY ).
Though he did not win, Rev. John NJ
Arters of the Wilmington Annual Con-
ference of the Methodist Episcopal
Church was nominated. at Saturday : ses-
sion of the General Conference, for the
officer of conference secretary. DIR. Ed
mund NJ. Mills of Syracuse, y. y, was
elected To that office.
District Superintendent Robert Watt,
Of the Wilmington Conference, was the
first delegate to secure recognition from
the presiding officer at the opening session
of the General Conference Saturday
morning. He offered a resolution of SYM
psthv to the families of the five bishops
deceased during the past quadrennlum
The act was greeted with applause from
the assembled bishops, more than 100 IN
number. and the resolution, when put by
Bishop Berry. was unanimously passed
Another Wilmington man, T.. {. Har-
desty. was appointed member oi the
committee on credentials.
Election of probably eight or ten new
bishops viii come before the conference 1T
was said, but the exact number Will be
kept secret until the committee on bishop
nv reports. Other questions to come before
the gathering include:
Unification with the Methodist Eplsco-
pal Church. South: the carrying forward
of the enlarged program of Worldwide
work: discussion OF proposed changes In
In the discipline relative to amusements
and a proposal to unite all the missionary
and charitable activities OF the church.
The Democratic and Republican par
ties were called on TO incorporate IN their
respective national platforms, "A plank
declaring for obedience to and enforce
ment OF the Federal prohibition enforce
ment acts.
In another resolution it was stated that
there had been more than 5OO,ooo acces-
sions TO the church In the present evan
gelistic drive.
THE CHURCH On TRIAL.
Heralding the general conference meet
ing as the most important IN the history
of the denomination, the address OF the
"a bishops of the church, submitted
to the conference yesterday, declares the
church is on trial.
On behalf of their denomination, the
bishops accept the challenge and aver
that the church must determine to deal
coura geously with the vital questions the
new age has presented.
Never before did general confer
enee meet at time like this, they SAID,
in their address. "We cannot go back to
the less troubled, more simple, placid
days.
1--WE are at crisis in the ages. II we
fail here. it will not matter what else we
do"
The address is devoted to answering
the question: What is our chief business
at the present conference
1t divides the question into eleven
subdivisions
The church as q whole and in its parts,
has been and is under heavy fire, the
address says. 1t has been charged with
allure to prevent war II is charged with
impotence In the current unrest and dis
order. u is declared to be out Of touch
with modern industry, modern thought
and dominant modern life. 1t Is charged
with being the champion Oi the obsolete,
with the failure to interpret Christ t. per-
sonal and social life with power and full
ness: with the failure to make the world 5
ideals, or to supply the world motives.
REACTION AGAINST ECCLEsIAsTICIsM-
There is n wholesome desire for CO.
operation, but reaction against ecciesl-
asticism. Both In Professionalism and RO-
nanism and outside of both, there Is q
vague. widespread idea Of a Christianity
without a church.
In its bill of particulars the address
SAYS:
.'Of course the church will stand in
unflinching, uncompromising denuncia-
ton of all violations OF law; against all
murderous child labor, all foul sweat