The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-05-19

creditable, and its sectarian unsectarianism is
piece Of absurdity which could only find q
defender in the shape Of some individual Of
the candid order with as huge an iceberg Of
''cheek" as His Holiness Pope Jones, Of RAN
dali Island.
venerable General Conference Delegates.
While the number of hoary heads on the
hoor OF the Methodist General Conference is
not very large, there are yet enough of them
to impart wisdom and steadiness to the entire
body. The progressiveness of the young men
is thus kept properly in check by the conser-
vatism of the aged. And though the former
may not always adopt the views and accept the
measures Of the latter, they never fail to respect
them. This has been repeatedly manifested
during the progress Of different discussions
that have taken place in Conference. The
Western Conferences send the greatest proper
ton Of venerable delegates Of any section Of
our country, and among the Oldest and most
prominent Of those may be named Rev. Peter
Akers, D. D., veteran Of more than fourscore
years, ffty-two Of which he has spent in the
Methodist ministry, chiefly in the Western
States, doing pioneer work Even though adj
vanced in life he is still in the active work
of the Church, and aside from his years
he is in many respects as young and
vigorous as man of forty. DIR. Akers is now
present at the eighth Quadrennial Conference to
which he has been elected and which is evil
dence of the esteem and favor which his West
ern brethren have for him. The fact that he
had been kept SO long on the frontiers endur-
ing hardness as good soldier Of Jesus Christ
is in itself guarantee of his ability as q
preacher. AS writer he has also made his
mark, for which he was offered an editorship
here in 1882, but he declined it. He was also
for many years engaged in the educational
work Of the Church in McKendree College, and
having served the Kentucky and Minnesota
Conferences ably and well, he is now spend
ing the closing years Of his prolonged life
among his friends in Illinois, whom he repre-
sents at this time.
The Rev. Alfred Brunson, d. D., Of the West
Wisconsin Conference, is in his eightieth year.
He, too, is in vigorous health, and, for his
years. has voice Of great compass and power.
of twenty-five, in the Ohio Conference, and
has spent the larger part of his life
on the frontiers of our country. He
is native Of Connecticut, and
unites in his composition Yankee shrewdness
and love Of fair play with Western pluck and
power. AS theologian he is both lucid and
profound. AS preacher he is still good,
though lacking much of the fire of his early
ministerial life. As a writer he displays q
keen appreciation of the ridiculous, and in
debate can make point on an adversary with
great aptness and advantage. He is a thorough
radical in politics, and was captain in the
anti-slavery ranks long ago. This is the fourth
! General Conference that DR.. Brunson has at
tended, and here he has presented for the con-
five additional Articles Of Religion designed to
meet and offset the prevailing infdelity and
scepticism Of the present day.
DR.. George Peck is now seventy-fve years Of
age, fifty-six Of which he has spent in the min
istry Of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He
is a New York man, and has represented four
of the Annual Conferences Of this State in the
1
has been elected for the last half century, or
since 1924, when he was first chosen. He has
been blest with a remarkably vigorous consti-
tuition, and is still strong and active, perform
ing the duties Of presiding elder in the Wyo-
ming Conference. He has never failed during
his long ministerial life to attend the sessions
of his Annual Conference The Doctor is, OF
was, in his younger days, on able preacher,
and had few superiors as a scholar and o
writer. For twelve years he was connected
with the publishing interests Of the Church as
editor in which position he displayed great
ability. He has also taken deep interest in the
educational work of the Church, which his
brother, Rev. Jesse I. Peck, D. D., seems to
have taken up with zeal and enthusiasm
which have already met with unusual success
DR.. William Mast, the father and founder Of
German Methodism in the United States and in
directly of Methodism in Germany and Switzer-
land, is in the Conference, in the seventy-second
year of his age He was born in South Germany
in the year 1900, and was educated for th6
evangelical ministry. But he preferred Q lit
erary life and connected himself with the press
of his own country. He came to the United
States in his young manhood, and began to
teach at West Point, and subsequently in Ken
Won College, Ohio. While at the last named
place he was brought under Methodist infu-
ences and was converted, and soon after entered
the ministry. He established in Cincinnati
the first German Methodist mission that this
country had known, and from this seed has
sprung the four German Conferences whose
representatives are among the ablest now ON
the floor Of the General Conference Dr.
Mast represents the Central German Confer
ence and is at present connected with Drew
kn.,1