The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1878-03-16
FaT The Cecil VII
LETTER FROM CHESTERTOWN.

\ TOWN LIVELY WITH GOOD COMPANY
HISTORIC ASSOCIATIONS oPrNING OF
CONFERENCE BISHOP FosTERs APPEAR
ANCE AN IRREPREssIBLE PRkACHER-
NEW DEPARTURE BY THE BISHOP
PROSPECT OF A LONG SESSION APPOINT
MENT.
DEAR WHIG:-The Wilmington Confer
eLce OF the NJ. +. Church is holding its
tenth annual session, in this rather ancient
town of ChesteItown, and the event has
stirred the place out of its ordinary quiet
and placidlty. The arrival of a couple of
hundred visitors. many of them persons of
considerable reputation in the estimate of
at least part of the community, and all
gathered together in the interest of de-
nomination holding SO prominent position
IN the consideration of tins Methodistic
peninsula, is an era of Importance i'll the
history OF Chestertown, and, consequently,
the town is considerably affected affected
in its themes of conversation; i'll its hours
OF rising and retiring; III its dinings and
supplngs, and the enviable Maryland repu-
'''''h ioi AioSlitdIiiy. hot Iol Il IIOtJtHb Ill
danger from this stress upon it, finds full
ii ld IN the entertainment of all these visi
tons.
Visitors at an annual conference are as a
rule, in the opinion of one of them, IA very
decent set of individuals. They come
mostly well dressed, in new suits of fash
ionable cut, even the ltIneraut from Hand
Scrabble and Bleak Neck Circuits, having
contllsed TO patronlZe Wanamaker &
Brown or Marble Hall, in view of the great
occasion: then they generally bring good
deal of money with them. either their OWL
personal property or accumulated gifts OF
their various " charges, as they call tue
circuit " or station they may have served
in their ministerial capacity, many of them
with the long delayed balance of the past
ten or twelve months paid at last; and then,
thus well dressed and full of cash, they
are, as rule, very decorouS, but never
theless, merry set of personages, with a
whole years accumulation of anecdote,
and then, with the burden of years re-
straint and care and toll laid aside, and the
next one not taken up as yet, they are joy
Gus, mirthful, funny. And SO they make
good companies, and the town where the
conference session may be held, is, for the
week or so of the sitting, a lively place.
This conference session does not differ
in these general features from its prede-
cessors, and Chestertown is liveller now and
has more happy people in it than it has
had for some time. 1t has been a long
time since conference was held here. The
date of the last was May i, 1906, when the
then Philadelphia Conference held its SEES
sion here in the days when there were
giants. The building then the church of
this denomination i'll the town and occupied
by that conference, is now occupied by the
Transcript, as its publication office. IL is
needless To say, that uot one of the mem
bers then present Is IN attendance at tins
session.
THIS is historic soil in the history of
Methodlsm. Not more than tive miles from
this town still stands part of the ediice in
winch was held the first Methodist service /
on This peninsula, IL the Fail of III. cou-
Quoted by two young men sent from the /,
Western Shore by Straw bridge. In the :
following year preacher was sent by the /
authority of Wesley hitworth by name |
From this slender beginning has grown |
no less than two annual conferences, with /
over ago church edi1ices and over 70, 000 /
church members. The present session Is |
presided over by Bishop h >. Foster. one
of the new members OF the Episcopal |
Board. who now makes his first appear
inf 10 ,l,-
with goatee, pleasant in speech. but bear
ing i'll countenance and tone, Indications OF
authority aud decision. evidences of which |
nave already been gwen III his first day |
rulings.
After the religious exercises with which
the session opened, ON Wednesday morn
ing, arch 18th. promptly ats o'c clock. and
which consisted OF a chapter from Isaiah
read by DR.. l.. &. Matack and followed 10y
prayer from the same. and another prayer
ny Rev. t. j Williams, and a hymn tth-
pa sang as Methodist sing, the Conference
orgaurz 'tlon went uu DIS usual. Regulal
parliamentary Jules for The conduct OF The
discussions were passed, hours for opening
aud closing of session determined, commit
sees for the transaction of business ap
pointed, Secretaries elected aud the Con |
terence was ready for business.
Almost The whole business Of the Con :
ference is transacted through the agenc,
III committees and they have hitherto been
nominated by the Presiding Elders of the
various districts, after CONSULTATION. and
generally at once con trmed by the Coulter
rnce. But in this opening session a move
meut was made by one of the menb eFS OF the
body. who has quite nolorIety for dong
strange things, to have a change made Ia
the mode OF appointment under the spe-
cinus plea of bringing into prominence
hitherto neglected men, and his (the irre
pressible'sl pertinaclIy being aroused con
siderable debate arosr; but the question
was finally settled by very large majority
IN favor of the usual plan.
Among the appointments which may in
terest your readers was that of F. A. Ellis
on the Educational Committee, one of tue
most important of the list, aud ID. G. Ridg
way as Statistical Secretary, position he
has held undsputed because no one else
will take the trouble the Office entails for
the last eight years.
The " irrepressible tried his hand again
when the matter of election of a Secretary
in chief came up. The ordinary mode is
to re elect viva voce the Secretary of the
previous year; but this time proposition
was made to elect by ballot, and in the sur
prise for every oue has been delighted by
the prompt and effective service of the
now for five yearS-iucumbent Martiudale)
and in the momentary hush, two nomina
tons were made, tellers appointed, balo;
taken, and, after a suspense of few min.
uteS. the announcement was made: g" Total
number of votes cast, IS; for Martndale
GO; scattering, II, and the ''irrepressible'
subsidized.
The discussions and necessary delays.
consequent upon these novelties, retarded
the usual progress of Conference business
so that the disciplinary questions were not
reached at the usual time.
When the organization was finally con
cludrd, the presiding Bishop addressed the
Conference in few well chosen remarks.
expressing his qualification at meeting for
the first lime the members of the Whining
ton Conference: his desire to make the ac-
quaintance of its individual members and
awakened new interest in Bishops confer
ence talks, by declaring that he was ready