Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-05-02
NJ. E. CHURCH SOUTH.
Opening of the General Confer
ence.

ence.
200 Delegates Present, and More
Expected.
Resolutions introduced TO Look after
Church Property Held by tine North
ern Church.
LOUISVILLE, KY, MAY 1.-The General
Conference of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, South, assembled at the Public Ii
brary Hall this afternoon. About 200 dele
gates, representing every Southern State
except Virginia, were in attendance, in
Guiding all Of six States. Rev. DIR. Paine,
as Bishop, presided. Rev. I. o. Summers.
Of Nashville, was reelected Secretary, and
standing committees were appointed.
This afternoon delegate offered resolu-
tions providing for the appointment of a
committee of seven to ascertain and report
upon what church edifces, parsonages.
school buildings and other property are
held, kept and claimed by the Methodist
Episcopal Church in violation of the rights
of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South,
and under what circumstances the Metho-
dist Episcopal Church obtained possession
Of such property. The point being made
that the resolutions were very important,
| its decision was postponed until tomorrow.
\ number more of delegates are expected
TO arrive tonight.
Sketches Of the Bishops.
From the Louisville Courier-Journal Of yester-
day.
The General Conference will be presided
over by eight Bishops.
Bishop Robert Paine.
is the senior Bishop of the Methodist Epis-
cOpal Church South. He is about as old
as the century, aud has been a Presiding
Bishop since 1916. His form and general
appearance have not yielded as much to the
influence Of age as might be expected from
his prOtTacted and incessant labOrs. His
keen black eye has lost but little of its
| youthful fire, and his step is still firm. His
executive talent is of the highest order.
| His magnanimity is such as to place him
| almost beyond the shafts of envy. His cul-
| ture is liberal; his reading extensive. In
| preaching, when he rises to the s1height Of
| his great argument his ascent is such as
to equal the highest aspirations of human
| genius.
Bishop George +. Pierce
belongs to preaching family. He is the
| son Of the venerable DR.. Loyick Pierce, and
| is in his siXty-third year. He is therefore
| IN the prime of life, and We may expect
from himmany years service to the Church.
He has been a Bishop just twenty years.
He IS a great preacher, a good platform
| speaker, and an excellent presiding officer.
Bishop Kavanaugh
| is about ten years older than Bishop Pierce,
and has been on the episcopal bench Just
the same length OF time. He is a genial
| gentleman, sweet-spiTited Christian, and
an able minister of the New Testament.
| As Louisville is his home, he is too well
known here to require an extended bio
! graphical sketch at our hands.
Bishop gightman
is a native Of South Carolina, and is about
I sixty-five years old. He is an elegant wri-
ter and an accomplished scholar. He
breaches with great energy both of thought
and feeling. He often overwhelms a con-
TegatiOn by an O-atory at once graceful,
earnest, original and impassioned. Hepre-
sides wi h dignity and impartiality.
Bishop David $. Dosgett
is a Virginian. He is a refined and digniss
fed Christian gentleman; a scholar of ex-
cellent attainments, a preacher Of rare
merit. He understands parliamentary
rules, and knows well how to apply them.
Bishop EnOeh Marvin
is a Western man. With many lie is the
greatest possible favorite. His mind is
metaphysical in its natural turn, and in its
researches. He is probably the greatest
metaphysical preacher in the convention;
and this is saying good deal, and yet not
too much; for it is not often that a profound
metaphysician can awaken and keep up the
interest of a prOmlscuOus congregation
his subjects are too abstract to evoke the
sympathies of his audience. 1t is marve-
lousy the opposite with Bishop Marvin.
The common people hear him gladly, and
listen with great pleasure to his discus
siOns.
Bishop Holland n. MeTyeire
was born to rule. His person is command
ing, his will strong and his self-reliance
thorough. He knows the law and he
abides by it; he is solid as granite, and
firm as solid; he is reticent almost to a
fault, and his very reticence causes him to
be misunderstood. He is fast and true
friend, and possesses, under comparative
ly cold exterior, heart glowing with
warmth, throbbing with love to all his race.
As he is slow of speech, he has to be heard
often in the pulpit to be fully appreciated.
he is about fifty-nine years old and has
been Bishop eight years.
Bishop John c. Keener
is a native of Baltimore, Maryland. He is
a graduate of the Wesleyan University of
Middleton, Connecticut, and was, we be-
lieve, classmate of DR.. W. III. Anderson,
of this city. He is an original and pro
found thinker, and often startles you by the
presentation of asubject in an entirely new
light. He is quick in his perception of
truth, accurate and just in his judgment Of
character, and broad in his views of all the
great enterprises of the church. Hispreach-
ing is full of gocd sense, and often abOunds
with the richest and most beautiful illus
tratiOns of divine truth, so as to present the
very marrow of the gospel.
Deceased bishops:
Since the last General Conference, Bish-
OPS Andrews and Early have died, and we
suppose that this conference will elect
two others in order to meet the growing
wants of this numerous and powerful de-
nomination.