" Gambler" Forgiven

"Gambler" Forgiven

At the end of its Dallas Conference the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, last week exculpated Bishop James Cannon Jr. of Virginia after quizzing him on a charge of gambling in the stock market (TIME, May 26). The scene grew emotional.

Bishop Cannon sat on the platform with the other dozen Bishops. Against his chair leaned his crutch (he was injured recently in a motor accident). Few people in the audience could see beneath his bowed grey head, his haggard face. Feelings in the audience were mixed. There were those who resented the Bishop's political apostasy in the last presidential campaign (he a Democrat campaigned for Hoover, to defeat Smith, the Wet). There were those who despised him for "gambling" through a bucket shop, those who revered him for his skillful, devious, successful fight for Prohibition laws, those who admired him no matter what he did.

The committee on episcopacy made its report. Bishop Cannon had played the stock market. But he was sorry. Therefore the committee would not force him to endure a church trial. Bishop Cannon clumped with his crutch to the platform's front, wept, confessed again: "I did make a mistake. I sincerely regret that mistake, especially since I have learned that my actions have wounded many Godly ministers and laymen of the beloved Church to which I have given my life. . . ."

Josephus Daniels, most famed accuser of the Bishop, issued a last castigation: "The quality of mercy is not strained. It cdroppeth like the gentle rain from Heaven alike upon erring Bishop and erring Congoan.* ... It is the preaching of Methodists that confession of sin, followed by repentance and promise to sin no more, should meet with clemency and forgiveness. It was this attitude and this alone that stayed the trial of Bishop Cannon. Many laymen did not share the feeling of the preachers, because the statement of repentance and pledge to reform did not come until after a trial had been ordered. They doubted the belated penitence was genuine."

Another famed Methodist was less rhetorical. Will Rogers wrote: "You can't save souls and margins too."

Later the conference re-elected Bishop Cannon, despite considerable animadversion, to the board of Temperance and Social Service. Commented Josephus Daniels: "... A death blow to Prohibition."

Commented Dr. Alexander Copeland Millar, editor of the Arkansas Methodist and, like Bishop Cannon a Hoover Democrat : "We cannot go back on the greatest Prohibition leader in the world, for if we did, the devils in Hell would shout with lee and the angels in Heaven would weep."

While this was going on Senator Thaddeus H. Caraway of Arkansas, chairman of the Senate lobby committee, sent Bishop Cannon an impatient telegram to appear this week before the committee. He must explain, among other things, where he got the money for his stock market operations.

Although the Cannon affairs occupied most of the conference's time and attention, other important denominational matters were decided. The number of Methodist, South Bishops was increased from 13 to 16 (elected were Angie Frank Smith of Houston,/- Arthur J. Moore of Birmingham, Paul Bentley Kern of San Antonio). A judicial council of clergy and laymen was recommended to act as a court of appeals from decisions of the college of bishops and the episcopacy committee. Also authorized: a commission of interdenominational relations to strive for comity with the southern and northern Methodists. It was decided to continue to bar women as preachers for fear that, as Rev. Robert Pierce Shuler of Los Angeles argued, "freaks and old maids would be attracted to the profession."

* Bishop Cannon has charge of his church's African Congo district.

/- Not to be confused with Alfred Franklin Smith of Nashville, editor of the Christian Advocate.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.