The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-03-18
GheQntelligettter.

and the other to the expediency ol eject
ing their Presiding Elders MeIho"iS.
Bishops now hold their oilce 4oi ii'e' Suu
the question is, shall ""E "e ''in's'N "
four years? There is an element !" 'ne
church who believe in rotaIloh' un" VINO
are in favor OF eIectinS blshopS NJ every
General Conference us vacancies may
occur. 1t is thought tha' 'hiS "ou'u Keep
the hierarchy oI 'he chufch more Ci"Se''
identified with the membership p anu more
Immediately under It's control IL is "iso
thought 'hahthere are Il large hnmpeF OIL
u'elul and deserving men VINO shoulu en-
Joy this Office at least once III thelr iiVeS'
and who being SUBJECT 10 chahge every
four years would lGoor earnestly 10 ue-
serve reelection. Ihus the Oench oi
Bishops would more certainly he Oody
Of zcalous workers.
The question oi electlng Presiding
Elders is not new one. 1t goes back
almost rs far as the history OF MethOdism
in this country. The theory OF the Eli
lcrship is that those who occupy the po-
siticn are the representatives Ol the
Bishops. They arc, however, amennbIc
to their respective District Conferences,
although not elected by said Conferences
hut appointed by the presiding Bishop.
When Mr.. Wesley organized the Church
in this country he suggested the selec-
lion Of few Elders, and the General
Conference elected II persons to act as
such. To these l2, as to the original II
Apostles, The destinies Of Methodism on
this continent were largely committed.
Bishop Asbury and the district confer
ences found them so necessary in carry
ing on the work that they agreed to en-
large the number, and gave them their
present name, viz-Presiding Elders
They were regarded as the personal repre-.
sentatives OF the Bishops, although not at
first appointed by them. "Thcir power is &C
considerable that it would by no mean
be sufficient for them to be responsible tt
the Bishops only for their conduct ii
Office" This was the opinion expressed
by Bishops Asbury and Coke, at the very
outset ol the existence ol the Presiding
Eldership as nm order IN the church. As
far back as l1s9 1t was laid down IN the
rules Of the church that these Elders are
elective, and their duties were defined to
be "to travel through his appointed dis
trict; to administer baptism anu Inc
Lords supper; in the absence ol the
Bishop to take charge OF all the deaconS
travelling and local preachers, and cS'
horters and to change, receive and sus'
pend preachers"
In the year l792 these elders became
by act OF Conference, appointees oil the
Bishops, but from the very adoption OF
this change it did not give satisfaction to
large number of Methodists. Accord
ingly in the year 1908, motion was made
and Lost in General Conference to change
back to the elective system. The same
motion was made and lost in 1872, and
again in 1916, but in 1920 it carried, and
Presiding Elders again became elective
by their respective Conferences. The
change however was never carried into
effect, SO great was the opposition Of one
or two OF the Bishops, and SO influential
were the Bishops even at that early day
The new rule was suspended for four
wears, and in 1924 it was again suspend
ed prineipallv because Bishop Soule re.
fused to qualify under it. In 1928 it was
finally repealed, and since that time Pre-.
siding Elders have been appoinled by the
Bishops.
Now tbesame old question ia 10 come NJ
again in the coming General Conference
And along with it will come up another
question, as to the present relations Of til,
Eldership to the church of to-day com
pared with the early church. In otheI
words, is the Eldership present neCesi
ty? Is it not now a sort OF fifth whee
to the wagon? Has it any proper place
in the economy Of modern Methodism
There are those who believe that this
feature OF the church has had its day
Tha aI;,a. - ,Lo pi,,.hrr,h dJro.,t
..oa,. :" ha ono of ,hooo ror,on.
ua H., LaJ ovna,;omco Ns nm Elder
and hooxnro.,o, , .erious doubt wbetbe,
tho ,i.;t. nf Tho pre.idino Elder once ,
nr,r,or ,nv LONGER nav He favors
bnwovsr "iho continuance Of the quar-
,o,Iv corrcrorcss bo,b for financial apt
rslirion, nrrno,es connecting with then
tho n.nol s,crnmen,al service, in whicl
noi,bhor;rc bretbran could assist eacl
other as Presbvteriups frequently do
It..om. that the expense of the e,dersl,i,
i.ovorv decided obiection toit. The Ad
,,.,,. a.v. III, IA oh. +roubIc NJ trou