The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1869-04-20

| the Methods. Church as to what the will
IF the Law members of their church will
he: this, indeed, seems to be indicated
nv the tone Of their UNCONVENTIONAL
nress. which is the reflector, no less
than the leader of popular opinion. The
| radical change which has come over tile
Methodist Episcopal Cure l in the last
40 years may be attributed to several
Ecauses The character OF the relation
between the ministers ana lay memoer
has gradually changer. AT nrse the
great body of tbs la'ty were poor and
nncnltiyated The intelligence of the
church was largely in the ministry, and
! ;ts verv existence was maiatained by the
heroic and self sacrificing labors OF the s
itinerant preachers, who received in re
turn but food for themselves and their
horses and perhaps suit OF clothes
| each year or two. Ehe churches were
scattered, travel was tedious and expen
J sive, gratuitous attendance at Confer
i ence in distant town was privilege
not to be desired, and so the lalty read
| iIy acuniesced in the policy maintained
hy their spiritual rulers. Things are
not SO now; the best business talent and
/ legislative experience Is now to be found
among the laity, who are AS really to de
vote them 10 the interest oil tae Church,
as they are 10 pour out their thousands
a year in it's support. ana the n'ainte-
nance Of its institutions.
The financial interests of the Church,
also. have become gigantic in their pro
portions, and it is quericd whether their
| MANAGEMENT should be left exclusively
in tbe hands of class Of men who are
called to the sole work Of preaching the
Gospel. The official publishing inter
ests of the Churc1 represent capital OF
nearly 81. 500 900 Tae Missionary $,
ciety receives and disburses annually
from $500, 900 to SS01 900 Tae G iurch
Extension Society is appealing t. the
Church for hnn ireis Of thousands TIE
Methodists have six theol ogical institI
rions. % universities and colleges, and
50 sem:naries Of different GRADES, al. of
!, which are m ,re or less un Ter the con
troll OF the Conferences OF the Caarch.
There are mary who advocate the par
ticipetion of the laity in church govern
ment on the ground Of abstract right,
but this mingling of temporal with spir
!. itual affairs has it's influence on many
, who would not trouble themselves much
about church government ii the cares of
} the ministry were solely OF spiritual
} nature The Methodist Episcopal
Church. too, has become essentially
modified in its character, and within tue
last few years has become corporate
body under the laws OF both Ohio and
, New York. The Board Of Trastees Of
the Methodist e ,,iscopal Church were
authorized by the General Conference
of 1861, and have since been chartered
by the Legislature of Ohio, with power
to receive, hold, and administer on any
property by gift, devise, or otherwise
: confided to L., in behoof of and for the
e benefit of the NJ. E. Church. 1t is also
e competent to receive and administer on
any special benevolent trust not other
} wise provided for in the other benevo-.
= lent societies Of the M. E. Church. 1t
: is provided in the Charter, tt at the
Trustees shall be elected by and be anne
i nable to the General Conference; that
e body had received for the first time in
: its history. recognition as legal body.
= A Board of Elucntion was organized by
Il the G enerai Conference of 1868. to be
a chartered under the laws of New I ork,
5 wit, power to receive, hold. and consey
real and personal estate, and to receive
); and administer bequests and trusts OF
VI every kind relating to education under
e such regulations as the General Con- ence
shall, from time to time prescribe Ihe
missionary Soci ety of the NJ. +, Church.
d which during it's successful history OF
g fifty years had been under the legal con
e troll of board of ministers and lay men,
= and only by cour'es unter that OF the
General Conference, has, ct the request
l. Of the General Conference, recently con
j sented to have it's charter so changed as
p to place the selections of its officers in
s. the hands OF that body. These things
/, tend to make the masses Of the church
y consider the introduction of business
= N en- into the councils of the church as 4
b thing to be greatly desired, and in no
e respect to be dreaded; though, it has
y been said, the more Intelligent and
4 thoughtful advocates of lay representa-
.r tion, while they admit the force OF the
al arguments based upon these changes in
p the church polity, claim the admission
at OF the Law element on higher grounds
a, than those Of policy; and the opponents
ii of the same class meet thezu and oppose
y the change on spiritual grounds. and
- claim the exclusive right of the clergy
4 (or priesthood) to govern in all ecclesi
i'd astical matters; The Southern Metho
Sc dist Episcopal Church, by q popular vote
III in 1867, admitted lay delegates 20 their
n, the experiment is said to have proved 8
Is decided success, This body consists OF
ne no less than 2,5Sl travelling ministers
IN 1852 local preachers, and 535, ,040 mem
It, here, and its influence upon the Nor
'p thern Church lying along the border and
r in the Southern States is not inconsider
ce able The result of the vote can, O
course, not be predetermined, nor til.
a effect upon the denomination of til,
be adoption of the proposed change; but, q:
Id an important movement in the larges
be religious body of the nation, it is worthy
lg of being chronicled.
o. ~ ~4 -------"s'' l-@s---- 'e5+@
be Fifty of the most prominent, citizens
ce of Cumberland and Bledsoe counties