Daily Republican., 1878-12-06
TIUnu LilIiON.
rmE D,.rn,er CONFERENCE.
Yesterday tiies .4vo.. asd Evenings
ssi0nh- Licensing ENborters ana
Local Preachers The Question Ii
Licensing W omen DISGUISE Rev
J. Il. Mann Opposed 10 i"nrn-
ulent 0Cth Conference.


Licensing Women DISGUISE Rev
j. r. Mann opposed 10 Oit-Ad i"nrH-
n,ent orthe conference.
The District Conference opened at
p. M, Rev. J, b. Quigg presiding
aud Rev. A. D. Davis leading in the
devotional exercises.
DR.. Rittenhouse of the North Phila
a"lphia Conferrno" wac introduced, =,
and occupied a seat beside the Presid
ing Elder.
The business of reviewing the licenses
of local preachers was first taken up.
Robert Smith and samuel Logan were
granted a renewal of license provided
they appear before the Committee and
pass successful examination.
The cote taken in the morning
against granting license to Vincent j.
Finn and John W. Kane was reconsid-
cred, and their license renewed.
The question should the Presiding
Elder Districts in Conference he
less than four" was taken up for dis
cussion. Rev.. France opened the dis
cussion.
The speaker thought there were too
many Presiding Elder Districts. He was
in favor Of reduction, lst, on the
ground Of economy, End, on the ground
of exp-diency. There are l0S pastoral
charges, dividin. the charges among 3
Presiding Elders, each Presiding Elder
can serve 36 pastoral charges.
The Philadelphia conference has 4
Presiding Elders, 22C pastoral charges,
giving to each Presiding Elder 55 pas
toral charges. If four Presiding Elders
can serve 220 pastoral charges of the
Philadelphia conference, why can not,
Presiding Elders serve los pastoral
charges.
lie was well aware that Presiding el.
ders could not arrange theappointments is
in satisfactory mann-f, yet as four Pre-
siding Elders can not do itfn satisfac.
tory manner he thought three Presd-
ing Elders could DO it as well as four.
DR.. Rittenhouse being invited to
speak, reviewed his work as Presid
ing Elder of the North Philadelphia
District.
Rev. A d. Davis was in favor of re-.
ducing the Presiding Elders to 2 Rev.
J. b. Mann was iif faver ofthe Pre-
siding Elders He thought when you
take the work required them to do.
in consideration, that 1 Presiding FL
d-rs was small enough 1t was not So
much question Of economy 20 look at,
as it was a question of necessity.
Rev. J B. Qugg being called upon
to speak on the subject, thought that
b. was as disnterested on this subject
as anybody On the question OF the
number of the districts, he inclined
strongly to the opinion that they were
right. Some people Were OF the opinion
that the Presiding Elders have an easy
time of it. He never worked 80 hard
IN his twenty years Of pastorate, a. ht
had in the office Of presiding Elder
The discussion having ended on mo.
lion the question was passed.
DR.. PnGhus and Rev. J +. Kidney,
wrr, excused from further attendance
Tue discussion. Should our church
icrlse women to preach and exhorti'
was the next business in order.
Rev. J. B. Mann opened the discus
sion by saying that it was well known
that h" was a ladv's man. He did not
believe in w0m-s preaching the gospel.
Tn" CT Iiptures clearly proh bit it. Whrr-
ever it has been attempted to license
women it has been failure. He in
stanced a case whore one Anetta Brown
was ordained to preach, and she had
hot held her position long before she
was married, and gave up preaching.
He thought the real sphere of wo
mans Christian activity was at home.
His wife could preach and lecture as
well as any woman he knew of, and
she had as much as she could do to |
preach in her church at Sixth and JET
ferson streets, and he would not know
what to do without her.
Rev }. France thought the speakers
positions were not well taken. He
would like to discuss the question with |
Rev. J. B. Mann in the presence of
congregation Of ladies'
A motion by Rev. George r. Brstor
that the District Conference adjourn
sine die after the evening session, was
adopted.
The session a aijourned at 4.l0 p. m,
by singing the doxology and the pro-
nouncing of the henedirtion by Rev. j.
B. Mann.