Democratic Sentinel, Volume 9, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 March 1885 — W. C. T. U. DEPARTMENT. [ARTICLE]

W. C. T. U. DEPARTMENT.

Catholics and Methedists.

HON. WILLIAM DANIEL.

It may be interesting to your readers to know some hing of the two great religious bodies that recently as-embeled in the city of Baltimore as touching the tempetanc question. The first was the Pleharz Council of the Oath lie Church, and the second, the Centennial Methodist Conference- The former gave great i rotnineuce to it at several large public meetings. The first was held in Ford’s Opera House, on a Sunday afternoon. being oue cf the largest and most fashionable halls in the city. Al this meeting, Bishop Ireland, of St- Paul, Minn., Bishop Elder, of Ou.cinnaii, Spaulding of p eoria, Keane Richmond, andjothers, delivered very strong and earnest speeches, especially in the denunciation of liquor drinking as well as the traffic. Also one or more, ot their Archbishops and Bishops preached .very f r< ibly in one or more of their churClis, and mainly in the same line of ih- rightIt wis considered by all who had been conversant with the previous position of the C itholics on this subj ct- and having due regard for their earnest efforts in the past, in favor of total abstinence e c., as a very decided advance. One of our lending daily papers, in an editorial a few days after, attributes this advance to the general stirring up of the country on the question- by campaign efforts of prohibitions s, and by wiiich it most posittvels asserts that all the churches have been more especially agited and advanced Tne Local Committee of the Methodist Centennial had net put in their progranme of exercises i| Jl} topic of temperance in any way. Yet, when the Conference assembled, a number of the friend <>f lids cause, witnin and without felt greatly disaopointed, and-urged that some action thotiid be taken in the premises. A delegate from Onio moved a reslulion in the convention, which, I believe was unanimously carried, appointing two public meetings for the discussion ol this subject, one among the white peop'e and the other among colored, winch were held. In addition to this resolution, the Maryland Stale Temreia ice Alliance addresse I to the Conference a memorial, asking that some proper consideration be given to th s subject, and deeply legretting its omission from the p’ojramms of exercises. In addition to these in ■< tings the r - port of the special commit*ee upon memorial questions, as well as the pa-t >ral letter of the couferance, was very strong upon the question of p~ohibition- and in the denunciation of the traffic. They took boldly (he position th t the least the friends of this cause should aim for, is s a'e and national c. ustltutional pfobibii ion. or ibe ut'e.i extermination of the traffic by law. Bishop Fo-ter was vev ’lior.mnh and severe in his excoriation of the t attic, and tne duty ot the pulpit to wage uu j ceasing and uncomp omising wariaie against it- in Ips great sermo preached upon the fint day of the conference. It is believed that decided benefit will insure to tne came by reason of the strong deliverences in its favor by those, the two great religious bodies of Ghristendonm.—[The Voice.