The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-05-06
FEWER BOARDS IN
 METHODIST CHURCH BEING CONSIDERED
Reduction of Number of Gen. eral Boards by ConsoIidat- ing Some of Them Asked
 of Conference
By Associated Press

Hot Springs, Ark, May 5-The question of activities of various boards of the church were discussed today in the general conference of the Methodist Episcopal church, south. in session here, Dr. R. E. l.. Morgan, of Oklahoma. precipitated the discussion by the introduction of a memorial of the West Oklahoma conference asking that special committee of h members be consti- tuted te devise ways and means of reducing the number of general boards by consolidating some of them.
 Al the present time the general &C., tiyities of the church are carried on nnder the direction of boards of mis- slons, Sunday school, Epworth leagues. education, church extension and finance. The Morgan Memorial seeks to reduce this number to four. Under the new arrangement there will be a board of missions having charge of all Methodist work in foreign countries. q board of church exten- sion which would he the present board with the addition of tbssr of mission department Education which missions; sfhe present board of l l.sai6n, Sunday school and Ep- worth league, and q board of finance which would care for the pensioning
 
 purely financial matters.
 Many 0bstncIes Seen
 It was pointed out by those opposed to the memorial that almost insupera- ble obstacles were in the way of such consolidation because of legal difficulties involving charters and the control of trust funds. The mem orial was adopted however, and the college of bishops was asked 10 ap- point the committee.
 feature of the memorial was the provision that no executive secretary or assistant secretary of any boari should he a member of the commit tee This feature. II was explained, does not evidence a desire to rule out all of the men who have had any ex- perienee with the boards as mucA as it reveals an attitude of criticism which a large section of the church has assumed regarding the connec- tional organization. it was said.
 This criticism. 1t was declared, was an outgrowth of the christian educa- ton movement and the missionary centenary.
 The conference today received re- ports from pr. c. w. Paddock. of St. Louis and Dr. +. J. Prettyman Of Chattanooga, who during the quad rennium had served as fraternal dele
 
 Paddock was the representative of the church sent to the general conference Of the Methodist Episcopal church al Des Moines Ia, in May. 1920. pr. Prettyman was fraternal delegate to to Canadian Methodist church.
 During the present general con ference fraternal delegates from other churchcs will deliver sddressea here.
 The bishops today appointed a con- mittee on introductions and frater- nal relations composed of the follow ing members:
 ]. NJ. Rogers. of Savannah. Ga, Plato Durham, of Atlanta Ga; r. H Linn. Fayette, Mo-; W. G. Cram songdo, Korea; J. c. McGowen, Water Valley, Miss.
 \ paper submitted to the general conference yesterday bore the title
 Memorial for the use of tobacco; we want il back"
 This resolution refers to the adop- tion of legislation in 1914 and 1918
 fin 1914 a law was passed providing that presiding elders should advise al! young preachers against the use ot tobacco. when they were licensed to preach by the district conference.
 Tn 1918, a law requiring young preachers 10 prom SC to abstain from the use of tobacco was passed by the general conference. The resolu- tion presented today seeks to remove all such legislation from the disci- pline of the church Memorials have also been presented to make the law even more stringent.
 Al the morning session of the con- ference memorial was presented asking the conference to send greet ings to Woodrow Wilson. This re- quest was referred to a committee and will come up for consideration later.
 More memorials on the subject of heresy were presented. Dr. A. J. Lama. of Nashville has been made chairman of the special committee appointed to handle such memorials.