The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-11-13
VIRGINIA CONFERENCE
Methodist Episcopal Church South.
EvESTE-FIFTIF ANNUAL SESSION.
THIRD DAY.

o restore to the Virginia Conference the
own Of Fredericksburg, which is now in
lie bounds OF the Baltimore Conference.
| Referred to the Committee on Memorials to
he General Conference.
Rev. B. III. johnson offered n resolution
| hat the General Conference provide for the
appointment of trustees to hold district
Darsona@cS. Referred to same committee.
4 resolution offered by Thomas White
! head, providing for memorial to the Cen
| cral Conference relating to salaries Of pre-
! siding elders, was referred to the same COM
mttce.
Rev. J. B. McFerrin, D. D., secretary Of
| the Board Of Domestic Missions, was intro
| duccd by the Bishop, and 4 communication
| from him in regard to the operation Of the
Board vas read for the information Of the
| Conference.
Rev. DR.. A. II. Redford, agent OF the
Southern Methodist Publishing House,
| Nashville. Tenn; Rev. DR.. Jctcr, Of the
Baptist Church, and Rev. William L. Hill,
of the Third Presbyterian church, Rich
mond. were also introduced by the Bishop
the Conference.
| On motion Of Rev. p. A. Peterson, the
| Committee on Memorials to the General
| Conference was increased TO fourteen, and
the Bishop appointed Rev. G. W. Lang
horne, Rev. {. IL. Hall. Rev. Robert O..
Burton, and Rev. J. \. Duncan, j.. ID.
Rev. w. c. Walden was received by trans
fer from the st. Louis Conference.
sUpERASNUATED PREACHERS.
The Bi>hopthcn called the list OF superan-
nuatcd preachers, and the following passed
an examination OF character j. B. slough,
j. c. Garicll, Alexander stewart, II. Bill
lups, VI. n. Dance, h. VI. Williams, K. a.
| Gregory, Joseph Carson, w. y. Robinson,
/ 80, in \
Rev. Henry Chcatham was placed on the
list of effective ministers.
The death Of Rev. lieSSrS. Morton Thrift
and Jesse Is. Powers was announced.
PUBLISHING INTERESTS.
Rev. DR.. Rcdford then addressed the Con-
| ference in the interest oftilc Southern Metho-
| dist Publishing House. He gave an interest
| ing account Of the circumstances under
which he had been called to the agency Of the
concern, and Of the struggles which he had
made 10 hi,iug il out Of uccUnIa!r difficult
| ties. The load Of debt had been gradually
removed until now, rs had been stated on
Yesterday, he hoped ut tie next General
! Conference to present the House entirely
| clear. The Christian AdcOcOtr. which he
was required TO publish, WAS, when ne took
charge of il, losing money, but now 1t Is
>cIf-Sll>taining. The $rlnday-Sch0Ol paper
ing the Church III Il handsome revenue, and
i'll other ways the concern i making money.
NEW PAPER.
Rev. Dr. Thomas j.. Bond, of Baltimore.
announced to the Conference tnlt it was
the intention Of himself and Rev. james q.
Holland to commence on the iSt Of january.
1869, the publication Of Il religious paper
TO be called the Baltimore Methodist idGo-
cate. He proceeded nj some length to set
forth in humorous remarks the claims Of the
new paper. and announced that the first
(.Januarv) No. would be issued early in De-
ccmbcr, and that specimen copies would be
sent to all the members Of the Conference.
THANKSGIVING DAY.
Rev. Robert Q. Burton moved that the
Thanksgiving day appointed by The Prcsi-
dent Of the United States and the Governor
of Virginia be observed by the Conference
in session.
Rev. Dr.. Rosscr opposed The motion, be-
cause he objected to all interference OF the
civil authorities with such matters.
Rev. Dr.. Lee moved to lay the resolution
on the table, believing that the Conference
would not be in session until the 18th,
which is the dayappointcd. He afterwards
withdrew the motion and pending the dis
cus>ion Of the resolution, the hour Tor Dr..
!ject was dropped.
ADDRESS OF DIR. MuNsEY.
The hour Of hat-past II having arrived,
the Bishop announced that, according to
appointment. the Rev. William +. MunScy,
d. D., OF Baltimore, would address the
Conference on the subject OF foreign mis-
sionS. The fact that this distinguished and
eloquent preacher was TO speak caused Il
rush TO the church an hour or two before
the time fixed for the address, and when DR..
MunSey made disappearance the crowd was
50 great that benches had to be placed III
each Of the aisles, and persons were stand
ing in every part Of the house.
We shall not attempt to give a perfect
sketch OF the address. In Il newspaper re-
port justice cannot be done TO such L bril-
liant effort Of genius. DR.. Mllnsey's style
i peculiar to himself. It's greatest beauties,
we think, arc the novelty OF his illustrations
and the richucss and abundance Of its
imagery. While this address was certainly
the effort Of n deep thinker, Il clear rcu-
soncr, sound logician, and hard student,
most persons must have been particularly
struck with the fact that the enunciatiUn of
the tritcSt truths was most effective.
Thoughts that have been repeated by the
pulpit and the religious press again and
again, until, TO use il familiar expression,
they - 20 in one ear and out the other"
We're so presented by this speaker to COM
mand the attention OF every person III the
audience.
We give mere abstract of the address.
He suggested that the cause of missions
had two great enemies in the Church that
must be excluded. The first of these was
snfdclity. The faith Of the people in the
truth of Gods Word, while it might be
loudly proclaimed, Was not strong enough
to induce them to risk dollar III Il subscrip-
ton for the spread of the Gospel, although
Chri>ts command is $50, preach my Cos
pel"; and He has said, too, that His Word
| shall not return unto Him void. This faith
will not spend dollar, though the glyer
has every reason to believe that it may save
soul from hell. The money that has been
spent in efforts for the conversion OF the
heathen has not been thrown away. Fifty
years age. one church editice would proba-
| bly, have accommodated all the foreign mis-
| sionarieS and native converts III the world.
| During this period about SS,l0O,oUO
have been spent, and money could not
have been better laid out. Now the
number of missionaries is not less than
! 800, and there are 5000 native preach
ers of the Gospel t''Jesus 100000 hcathen
have been converted to tie Christian rell-
| gion, and in the heathen lands there IS a
Christian community of more than mil
! lion. Besides, the missionaries have increas-
ed our commerce, and found new
markets for our industry, thereby greatly
increasing our national wealth. This
s., 100, 900 is laid up on High, with High
Heaven pledged TO pay every dollar back
with the interest thereon. The pleasures
of the investment are not only peace OF
mind from the consciousness OF doing good,
which the giyers now enjoy, but viii soften
their dying beds, and will tell upon human,
| ity through all the ages OF eternity.
| Seltishness WAS mentiouel as unuther daG.