not consent that Catholic children | Methodist Churches," and it is shall be deprived of religious instruc- pledged to "exclude from discussion tion in their own faith by properly all points of doctrine, discipline and authorized instructors; hence they Church government regarded as funmaintain at great cost their own pa- damental and as to which rochial schools, while, at the same any one of the Churches differs from time, they pay taxes for the support any of the others." The purpose of of the public schools. The solution of the conference, briefly stated, is to the question they propose is this: cultivate closer acquaintance, fellow"1. Let our schools remain as they ship and coöperation between all are. 2. Let no compensation be made Methodist Churches, to discuss quesfor religious instruction. 3. Let our tions of common interest for mutual children be examined by a state or encouragement and helpfulness, to ilmunicipal board," and, if the work lustrate the essential unity of all done is satisfactory, let payment for branches of Methodism, and to voice the support of the schools be made the sentiment of Methodism on great from the public funds. According to moral causes of international conthe most recent statistical report, cern. there are 4,972 parishes which maintain schools, with a total attendance of 1,270,131. In addition there are 225 colleges for boys and 696 academies for girls.

THE METHODIST CHURCH

The Conference is composed of 500 delegates, 200 from the Eastern Section, including the churches of Great Britain, Ireland, France, South Africa and Australasia, and 300 from the Western Section, including the Churches of the United States, Canada and Japan. Representation is distributed among the several The Ecumenical Conference. By branches in the respective sections, the term "ecumenical," chosen when according to the number of comthe first conference was held in 1881 municants. In the Western Section, in London, England, is meant simply the Methodist Episcopal Church has world-wide. Baptists and Presby- 140 delegates; the Methodist Episterians use the simpler word "world," copal Church, South, 71; the Methoas did also the great Missionary dist Church of Canada, 24; the Conference, of 1810, in Edinburgh, | Methodist Protestant Church, 9, and which had formerly been called "ecu- so on. In the Eastern Section, the menical." The followers of John Wesleyan Methodist Church, the oldWesley have been holding ecumenical conferences decennially since 1881. All Churches bearing the name Methodist, or connected historically with the movement, and Methodistic in doctrine, discipline and method, are included in the call for the conference, and the United Brethren in Christ (two bodies), and the Evangelical Association (two bodies), which began in this country among German-speaking Americans, about the opening of the nineteenth century, have been represented in some of the conferences. The Ecumenical Conference has no legislative power whatever. It may express its opinion on questions of common interest, and it may take action which is advisory; but, in the terms of its constitution, it may not vote on any matter "affecting the internal arrangements of any of the several

est body of all, has 100 delegates, the Primitive Methodist Church, 34, the United Methodist Church, 30; the Australasian Methodist Church, 16, and so on. The preparations for the conference were in the hands of executive committees representing the two sections, and were begun in July, 1909.

The Fourth Conference.-The conference met in the Metropolitan Methodist Church, Toronto, Canada, Oct. 4, and closed Oct. 17. It embraced 26 sessions and 8 meetings and preaching services. Four secretaries were elected and there were as many presidents as there were sessions and meetings. The program called for a 20-minute essay for each session, with two appointed addresses of ten minutes each, and an hour or more was devoted to general discussion in five-minute speeches. Each

In the Eastern Section, Methodism in Great Britain had, it appeared, small increases to report for the decade, but these were confined to the first half of the decade. In the last five years the Wesleyan (parent) body had suffered a decrease of 13,000 members, and a similar tendency was shown by the other branches. There were changed conditions outside the Church, but there was an apparent weakening of the church forces in meeting those conditions. There was no disposition to hide or explain away the facts; but an honest determination to acknowledge and

topic, therefore, received full consideration, and it was not difficult to ascertain which way the weight of opinion and conviction inclined. The opening sermon, by the President of the British Wesleyan Conference, interpreted the social upheaval and other signs of the times as indicative of the harvest described by the Master and called for a larger sympathy with humanity, a wider catholicity, which shall do away with harshness and narrowness, and admit many to the Church who are now left outside. The space occupied by the conference in these pages is more than the importance of the gather-meet them. The finances of the ing warrants, perhaps; but, as the proceedings afford an unusual opportunity to ascertain the conditions, problems and progress of a worldwide communion of 33,000,000 population, and as this communion is a fairly representative Protestant communion, the attention given it may be justified.

churches were flourishing, as in the Western Section, and great sums of money had been raised for new church buildings and improvements.

Church Work in Cities.-The problems in the centers of population in Great Britain and the United States were set forth by experts, also of the rural communities. Migration Decline in Rate of Growth. The and immigration, the multitudes of surveys of Methodism in the past ten polyglot foreigners, the up-town years were frank in admissions of movement of church members, the unsatisfactory results in Church terrible congestion of the foreign growth. In the Western Section quarters, the condition of the illthere had been a net increase for the housed, ill-fed slum residents, the inperiod of 974,000 members, or 15 per stitutional church and settlement cent., as against an increase in the work-these and many other quesprevious decade of 1,412,000, or 28 tions pressing for solution were disper cent. There had been no abso- cussed in a large, broad, humanitalute decline, but there had been a rian spirit. The city presents the reserious decline in the rate of growth. generation of the worst, the uplift This was attributed to the passing of of the lowest, the rights of childhood the revival. There are still revival to mental and spiritual training, the campaigns, but they do not produce housing of the multitudes for worthe results of former times. The ship, the interpretation of the Gospel new methods of child training in the to every kind of man, the search of Sunday School bring the youth into justice for the oppressed and of rethe Church; but comparatively little lief for the poor-these and many is done to reach unconverted adults. other questions challenge the Church, A decline in earnestness, in zeal, and, and the burden of the discussion was in some degree, of conviction as to that no more urgent problem conthe dangerous condition of the sin-fronts the Church in the United ner was the main cause, it was urged, States than the care of the masses of decrease in rate of growth. The in the city. There was a call for a machinery of the Church was never new policy of concentration, allowso complete. It has been perfected ing for statesman-like leadership; for by a combination of the wisdom of legislation adequate to present-day the fathers with the scientific pre-conditions, even if it breaks with the cision of the age; and what is most traditions of the past; for adminisneeded is not more legislation, more machinery, more institutions and more equipment, but a deeper, more pervading, spiritual life.

tration which puts the stress not on forms but on forces, and coördinates and unifies; for coöperation with other denominations for social and

civic betterment; for the training of men and women for specialized service; and for liberal means to prosecute a broad, effective program. The claims of the social settlement were recognized, not as a church or a mission, but as a social service, unsectarian, humanitarian, disinterested. It must, however, be inspired and directed by religious enthusiasm; otherwise it will not survive the shock of repeated contact with ignorance and iniquity.

now conducted. The chief recruiting field for new church members is among the children and youth. The Sunday school is the foremost agency and the widest door into the Church. This is formative evangelism; what about reformative evangelism? It was in this that Methodism won its early victories, and of adult converts that it built up its world-wide constituency. The paper on this subject insisted on a clear and definite presentation of the essential truths of the Gospel, which time does not change, as necessary to produce clear and definite religious experience. The doctrines which won in Jerusalem, Antioch and Rome will win in London, New York and Toronto. In the discussion no new plan to take the place of the old method of reaching unconverted adults was outlined. It was admitted that, the unconverted do not attend the revival meetings held for their benefit and that this is why these meetings are less successful than formerly.

Social Service. This form of work was recognized in the program, and it was declared to be the duty of the Church to adopt a plan with these distinct elements: 1. Preventive, as applying to children and youth, whom the Church must keep by providing right educational facilities and conditions, wholesome domestic relations, better housing, better homes, better food better cooked. 2. Remedial. No case must be regarded as hopeless. Get at a man through his conditions, or get at his conditions through him. Conditions and surroundings must be-This was one of the studied that they may be improved. This social work must be spiritual, and this spiritual work must be social. 3. Constructive. The Church's aim must be so to present the Gospel that the creature will become a new creature, to adapt its work to various sections of the people and to a variety of conditions. Socialism has become a mighty force and Christians must learn to use it to build a new and better society. The Church must not stand for a privileged people, with the masses in the attitude of unprivileged and disinherited people, because it is the masses for whom Christ died, and it is those without a Shepherd he specially calls. A woman who went from intellectual Cambridge to the slums of London and who lived in them the past nine years, said "drink, disease and dirt" make men and women old at 30, deprive children of child life, and reduce the many to starvation.

Methodist Union and Coöperation. dominant

notes of the conference. In the past decade there had been a union of three Methodist Churches in Great Britain in one body, the United Methodist Church; but the number of Methodist branches in the United States has not been reduced. There are nine distinct branches in the Eastern Section, four of which are due to geographical separation, and 21 in the United States and Canada. It was pointed out that Methodist union in Canada followed the first Ecumenical Conference; Methodist union in Australia the second, and Methodist union in England the third. There is pending in Canada a union of Methodists, Presbyterians and Congregationalists. This project came somewhat into the discussion; but it was not welcomed by the delegates outside of Canada. The prevailing opinion seemed to be that the resultant body would be neither Methodist nor Presbyterian, and that both Methodism and PresbyteriMethodist Evangelism.-The change anism would lose somewhat by that has taken place in evangelistic change of method and usage. There methods was clearly recognized. are no immediate prospects of union Great revival campaigns, such as in the United States. Commissions Mr. Moody used to conduct, are not are considering whether closer rela

tions, by federation or union, can be for freedom of investigation along established between the two largest legitimate lines and by legitimate bodies, the Methodist Episcopal and methods for the truth. the Methodist Episcopal, South, and An Ecumenical Commission Prowhether the Methodist Protest-vided. By a practically unanimous ant Church might not come vote, the conference decided that the in also; but nothing definite is results of its decennial meetings announced. Three bodies of Col- should not be allowed to lapse, but ored Methodists, having a total of a should be conserved and extended million and a quarter of communi- during the intervals. It, therefore, cants, have formed an extra-official provided for an Ecumenical Methoboard, consisting of bishops and dist Commission with Eastern and general officers, which meets tri- Western Sections of 50 members ennially and considers matters of each, the two sections to unite in common interest. Commissions are organizing a Methodist Internaalso inquiring into the possibility of tional Commission. The function of the union of the Free Methodists and the Commissions is "to gather and the Wesleyan Methodists, which to- exchange information concerning the gether have about 50,000 members. condition, progress and problems of The Ecumenical Conference was over- the various Methodist Churches, to whelmingly in favor of the lessen- promote closer fellowship and coing of Methodist divisions, if the operation between them, to further trend of the discussions may be so great moral causes affecting the interpreted. It was held that union peace and welfare of our respective would give greater results at less countries, and to make arrangements outlay of labor and means, prevent for the next Conference." over-occupation of some communities, under-occupation of others, do away with denominational rivalry and strife and consequent waste, and insure the greatest economy in the use of forces and means and the greatest concentration of energy. Cooperation in educational, missionary and other enterprises was also warmly commended.

Fraternal delegates representing the National Congregational Council, the Baptist World Alliance and the Presbyterian World Alliance were cordially received and their messages of fraternity and good-will heard with interest.

It appears that Methodism in the whole world has 55,808 ordained ministers, 99,499 churches, 8,768,616 members, and 32,728,579 population, including members and adherents.

The Higher Criticism.-A paper on the "Permanent Results of Biblical Criticism" was contributed by a theological professor of Great Brit- The Free Methodist General Conain. It took what seemed to most ference. This is one of the smaller American delegates advanced ground, Methodist branches which emphaaccepting as fairly established the sizes the disciplinary requirement of division of the Pentateuch into four plain living and the doctrine of holidocuments; the composite author-ness. It has bishops, or general suship of Isaiah, Job, Proverbs and the perintendents, whose term of office Psalms; and the two-document is four years, but who are eligible theory of the first three gospels. Doubt was expressed as to the apostolic authorship of the fourth Gospel and of the authenticity of I Peter. The speakers from the Eastern Section sustained the positions taken in the paper almost without exception; the speakers from the Western Section were divided, and probably two out of three of the American delegates were not in sympathy with the conclusions of the paper, though doubtless all would stand

to reëlection. This Church preserves the peculiarities of Methodism in doctrine, discipline and usage. Its general conference meets quadrennialiy. Its last session was in Chicago in June, 1911. Four of the five bishops were reëlected; Bishop Hart, after serving 34 years, retired. A missionary bishop, the Rev. J. S. MacGeary, was elected for Africa and India, where the Church has flourishing missions. This is a new feature in the Church's plan of su