The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-05-23

house, or else that the mere sight of the land
lady of his boarding house suficed to call up
that celestial expression. Either of which is
inconceivable
THE TRIUMPH OF LAY DELEGATION.
From the Methodist
After eight years of unceasing effort, the
Methodist has the satisfaction of announcing |
the triumph of lay delegation The East |
Maine Conference, the last in the United |
States to declare its opinion, has given vote |
of A for to Ia against This, with the surplus |
available, secures the necessary three-fourths,
even though the vote of the Germany Con-
ference should be unanimously against. But
such vote in Germany is not supposable;
on the contrary, all our advices leave us to
expect that the vote of our brethren in Europe
viii be unanimously for us. BY singular
coincidence, the German Conference meets
this year in one of the cities of the Palatinate,
the ancestral home of the founders of Ameri-
can Methodism. The circle completes itself
in the spot whence the Palatines set forth
first for Ireland, and thence in the persons of
their descendants to America.
And SO the great debate of fifty years
comes to peaceful conclusion. The move
ment suppressed in 1928, reappears in 1851,
is pronounced inexpedient by the General
Conference of 1852, offers its modest petit
ton in 1856, and meets with sufficient favor
tain a reference to the vote of the ministry
and people. The Church is not yet ripe for
lay delegation; the people and the itinerant
ministers vote it down. Undismayed by de-
feats, its friends begin again, and rest not
till they win the Church over to entire acqui-
escence in their opinions. Beginning with
the John street meeting, in March, 1868, and
from thence to the st. Pauls convention in
New York; thence to the convention of 1864,
firct hal1 CT, t,1t o1,
meeting OF a General Conference, and
the first also to present direct address
to that body; from thence to the sessions
of the Annual Conferences Immediately
following, which were successfully appealed
to to ratify the pledge given by the General
| Conference; and thence to the Convention of
| 1868, also meeting simultaneously with the
| General Conference, and presenting to it a
second direct appeal, and finding its appeal
welcomed and thence to the recent popular
and ministerial Notes.-The movement has
found an ever-growing acceptance of its prin-
ciples and purposes by the Church. Its
array of friends has increased; its line has
become longer and stronger; they who
hastily cried "faction" have been effectually
silenced. Here is no faction, but great
Church, whose stations are found in both the
old world and the new, ratifying and incorpo-
rating into its polity fundamental principle
| Oh IrOueStduU OurlStldulty.
1t is to the honor of the laity that while
engaged in promoting this change in our
ecclesiastical polity, they have sustained with
entire fidelity the institutions of Methodism.
Since the defeat of 1862, and the inception
of the last and successful effort, they have
entered into the church debt-paying move
ment, and have contributed for its purposes
untold thousands; they have brought the
missionary contributions of our connection to
their present unprecedented amount; by their
iberality they have made the Centenary of
American Methodism o memorable fact in
modern Church history, and they have in
creased their individual benefactions to the
cause of education, both in numbers and
amount First and last, they have been for
the Church; were they defeated to-day, they
would still be for the Church. In all their
weary waiting, they have had faith in their
brethren; they have had faith in God.
We will not mar the happiness of such q
time as this by speaking at length of the
opposition which lay delegation has encoun-
tered. 1t was natural that the motives of the
friends of our cause should be misunderstood,
and they have been misunderstood 1t was
natural that there should be harsh criticism
of their proceedings, and harsh criticism
there has been. But we can point to the fact
of fundamental change in the polity of the
Church, effected without convulsion, without
| speclal party organization, anu Wlthout tne
manifestation on the part of its advocates of
party passions. They have laid restraint
upon themselves that they might win theil
cause-and they have won it fairly, honorably,
and Christianly.
We have reason for rejoicing too that the
travelling ministers have fulfilled the pledges
given by them to the people. Despite the
efforts made to mislead them they have not
been misled They have kept faith, and have
swerved not from their steadfast integrity.
The future historian of the Church will dwell
upon the fact of the cheerful assent by COM
pact and powerful corporate body to the
claim of the people to share the government
with them. 1t will be proof that in at least
one instance of Church history the long and
undisputed possession of power has not dark
ened the sense of justice. AS we always said
they would, the Methodist ministry have
shown themselves equal to this great test.
And so the new era hopefully begins.