Evening star., 1934-05-08
MAINTAINS CLERGY
CLOSED TO WOMEN
NJ. E. E.ConferenCe Also Scores
LynChing and All Mob
Violence.
BY the Associated Press.

by the Associated HreSS.
JACKSON. Miss, May "a pro-
poSal to ordain women in the min
istry was defeated, lynching and all
| mob violence was condemned and ef-
forts to reduce membership in the
annual and General Conferences were
rejected today in the final session OF
the twenty-second Quadrennial AS
Sembly of the Methodist Episcopal
Church South.
Ordination of women was voted
down, 130 to 1877 against. The action
was taken on a motion to adopt a
minority report from the Committee
on ItineranCy, whose majority men,
bers reported nOn-concurrence in ap-
pealS for equal rights.
Women candidates to preach had
asked equal rights with men in the
ministry and other church Offices re-
gardlesS of sex"
Gambling Is Condemned.
Gambling. speculative trading In
stocks. lotteries and pari-mutuel bet
ting we're condemned yesterday as
''menaces" to business integrity and
moral character. Earlier the confer
ence had slashed the quadrennial
budget nearly S5,OOO,000 in a rigid
economy move and announced a
church-wide revival of evangelism.
In addition. the church's legislative
body revised the discipline to "conse-
crate" a bishop instead OF ''ordaln"
him.
These words were sWapped in the
church law after the General Confer
ence had voted confidence in the life
ordination of their bishops and had
fought off all attempts to limit their
terms Of episcopacy.
Reports Are Adopted.
Gambling as a widespread sin" was
legiSlated against in behalf of the
church by adoption of a series of re-
ports submitted by the General Board
of Temperance and Social Service. for
which Bishop James Cannon. jr.,
maintains headquarters in Wash
ington.
The conference merged the work of
this board with other church boards
and Yesterday decided to close the
Washington headquarters by August
l. 1884
These reports. the language of which
was accepted yesterday by the Gen
eral Conference, said that gambling is
destructive of the interests of good
government. breeds criminals and is
burden upon legitimate business
These reports asked the Government
to restrict credit to sound business
and deny it to gamblers" for the
suppression of those places where
gambling is tolerated"
The church further said in these
reports that the use of tobacco among
the young ministers should be con-
sidered in connection with passing
on their characters"
Backs New Dry Fight.
The church adopted the proposal
of Bishop Cannon's board that the
church mobilize in a campaign for
enactment Of a new national prohi-
bition law to supplant the repealed
eighteenth amendment and to agitate
the wet-and-dry issue in every po-
litiCal campaign.
The church went on record in favor
of racial justice and personal purity
and determination of traffic in habit
forming drugs.
The budget for contributions by the
annual conferences to general church
work was placed at S2000000 a year
for the coming quadrennium, or
Sl240,000 a year less than was asked
during the past Quadrennium. The
reduction was laid to recent flnan-
cial stress"
Budget to Be Apportioned.
The largest items in the apportion-
ment of the $4,000 600 were 5000 600
for the Board of Missions and Hos
pitfalls, S230,000 for administrative
duties of the bishops and others,
1892 900 for the Board of Chris
ton Education Gncluding temperance
work. and $4,000 for theological
schools
Under the new Budget Commission s
financing plan, the budget will be
appOrtioned among the annual con-
ferenCeS and each conference and
church may accept. increase or de-
crease assessments, according to abil-
70 oCptrih,,+a