The Cecil Whig., 1876-05-06


The wealth of the Methodist Church is not,
however, proportionate to the magnitude
of its membership. The following statis-
tics, taken from the United States census
of 1870, exhibit the comparative wealth OF
the leading denominations:
No.of Church Value of
Methodist, s5,s7s s1,3S7 500. .s54, 1s1
Baptist. 1899 1862 Al COS, 1913
Presbyterian, 1924 7,O71 53,s65.e56
r. Catholic, 4,1a1 3,s0G 6O,9S5, 566
1t will be seen that in proportion to the
number Of it's organizations and churches,
the Roman Catholic Church is wealthiest,
its rapid accumulation of property doubt
less being attributable to its peculiar mode
of vestng the ownership, making it prac-
tically indefeasibe.
TIE METHODIST CHURCH PROPERTY
is held by trustees, and not unfrequently
changes hands. The aggregate wealth of
the Church, however, steadily increases,
and in 1865 the total value of the church
edifices and parsonages of the Methodist
Episcopal Church was SSl, ,0S4. S62. So
powerful an ecclesiastical body must neces-
sarily exercise vast influence upon the
national career and character.
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE.
Tie body of highest Jurisdiction in the
Methodist Episcopal Church is the General
Conference, which met in Baltimore on
Monday last, at the Academy of Music.
The constitution of the Church is a natural
development shaped by the circumstances
and necessities of its origin and growth.
The itinerant system grew ont of the itin-
eracy enforced by the wide field of labor
which the earnest evangeists who insti-
tuted the Church organization had to cover.
The system of class meetings. now the
units of the ecclesiastical organization of
Methodism, was originally devised as a
means of making regular collections to pay
off Church debt. In the early days of
Methodism it was necessary that W Wesley
should meet with and advise with his
preachers, and from such informal confer
crces sprang the institution of Church
rolity known as the Conference. The
growth of the Church naturally led to elab-
Grafton of
THE ECCLESIASTICAL ORGANIZATION,
until in the Church in the United States.
General Conferences occurring once in four
wears, Annual Conferences once a year,
Quarterly Conferences once in three months.
Leaders Meetings once a month, and Glass
Meetings once a week, make up a harmoni-
thS olchi oi NhoiSu Soti-
plete in the machinery of its organization.
The General Conference has "full powers
to make rules and regulations for the
church, subject to six restrictive rules,
which may not be altered except upon
the concurrent recommendation of three
fourths OF all the members of the several
Annual Conferences and by a twothirds
vote of the next succeeding General Con-
ference. From this mode of alteration the
first restrictive rule is excepted, and there
is no constitutional means Of altering that.
Il provides that Che General Conference
shall not revoke, alter or change the Articles
OF Religion of the Church. The other re-
strictive rules relate to the itineracy the
Book Concern and the mode of representa-
ton in General Conferences, and beyond
their limitations the General Conference is
tufettered i'll its action. 1t hears appeals
from the Annual Conferences decides mat
ters of Church discipline elects the book
agents of the Church, missionary secre-
tlries, editors of Church magazines and
papers, of which there are fifteen. appoints
the committees who are to Superintend the
various departments of Church activity
regulates the boundaries of the various
Conferences. and in general takes such
action aud las, itutes such enterprises as it
thiuks fitted to promote the interests of
NluitH. L'tI oiiiIti vi tuV NhhiShs
with the exception of the Bishops who are
elected for life, vacates his office at the end
of four years, but is eligible for reelection
In 1896, when
THE FIRST GENERAL CONFERENCE
met in Baltimore, its one hundred and
twenty members represented mem bershIp
of So, 66i; the delegates from eighty Con-
ferences, who met on Monday, represent
q membership of over million and half
There was no lay representation in the
General Conferences of the Methodist Epis
copai Church until the General Conference
of 1872. According to the present rule of
representation the ministerial delegates are
elected by the Annual Conferences in the
ratio of one delegate for every forty five
members of each Annual Conference
The lay delegates consist of two laymen
for each Annual Conference, except such
Conferences as have but one ministerial
delegate, which Conferences are entitled to
but one lay delegate each.
The Bishops of the Methodist Church
are present and will preside alternately
over its deliberations.
THE BISHOPS.
The following is "A list of the Bishops:
Edmund l. James, d. D.. LII. d, 107
East twenty fourth street, New York.
Levi Scott, D. D., Odessa, Delaware.
Matthew Simpson, ID. D., 1920 Arch ST.,
Philadelphia.
Edward r. Ames, D. D., 1S4 Mccullough
street, Baltimore
Thomas Bowman, D. D., LII. d., 3l37
Iucus Avenue, st. Louis.
William l.. Harris, d. D., Ill D., 1156
Wabash Avenue, Chicago.
Randolph s.'Foster, D. D., LII. D., Gin
ctunari
Isaac W. Wiley. D. d., 81 Rutland st,
Boston
Stephen VI. Merrill, d. d, st. Pan
Edward g Andrews, ID. D., Des Moines
Gilbert Haven, Atlanta, Georgia
Jesse 7. Peck, d. D., San Francisco.
Bishop James now the senior Bishop
was horn April 81, 1907, ard is consequent
~ now SO years of age. He entered the
itineranU ministry i'll the Philadelphia Con
ference i'll 1880. and was elected Bishop at
the General Conference held in New York
IN 1874. The eldest of the Bishops is
Bishop Scott, who was born in 1909, and
is now II years of age. He Joined the
Phladelphi Conference in 1926, and was
elected Bishop in 1852.
Il is rhe duty of Bishops to preside in
the Conferences Of the Church, to fix the
appointments of preachers, and in general
TO supervise the spiritual and temporal
business of the church. From the decision
Of n Bishop in question of law involved
in proceedings pendng in an Annual Con
ference, there is no appeal except to the
General Conference. The Bishops arrange
among themselves their plan of episcopal
visitation and in the discharge of their
duties it is necessary to visit foreign coun-
tries occasionally to preside at Conferences