The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-03-23

The arithmetic aud wit of childhood are unique.
While elder sister teaching the little
old tho itrcaes of fractions she said. Nov. then. il
give you orange and divide it into four parts
what will each part be called? The little one. with
an eye to tho possibility Of the occasion, replied.
'well. sister, don't think could tell unless you
gave me the orange first" The next question and
answer are still more picturesque. How many
halves make a whoe?" "Quck fash the reply
came, II can't tell you. sister. until you tell me how
big the hole isl"
Such is the formidable antagonism OF the sexes
that chance to give Roland for Oliver is never
lost. Don't you think that good likeness of meT
said pretty wife to her small fraction of herself
called her husband. Every good" the reply.
EXCEPT that there is little too much repose about
the mouth"
METHODIST CONFERENCES.
ANNUAL GATHERINGS NEXT wEEK-cHANaEs
AND TRANsFERs-THE COMING MEN AND THE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND NoN-EFFEcTIvE
MINISTER'S.
Next week tho Methodist conferences whose juris-
dicton centres in this city, Brooklyn and Jersey CITY
will be in annual session. The New York Conference
will assemble in Newburg. N. Y; the New York East
Conference in New Haven. Conn, on the same day
april p. and the Newark Conference in Port Jervis
next Wednesday For the more efficient working of
the Church in New Jersey the proposition to reunite
the Newark and New Jersey conferences has been
discussed with some degree Of favor. PROPOSE
ton to give the entire city OF New York to
the New York Conference has also been discussed for
years. but has failed Of adoption in any of the judi
catores of the Church. And yet. for lack of such
union, Methodism on the east side Of the city has
been practically failure. That part Of the city has
very largely become mission territory, and the
churches that retain their independent corporate
existence do with great effort and labor. OF the
sixteen Methodist Episcopal churches in this terri
tory of the New York East Conference only two can
be said to be unembarrassed and it is feared that
one or two may be abandoned q measure Of
economy and expediency. To-day old Forsyth Street
Church will celebrate the nnetieth anniversary of
existence 1t ranks next to John Street Church in
age. and for three-quarters of century it was the
centre Of revival influence and power And yet
with fine property. in thickly populated neigh
borhood. this church must probably be given up.
In flush times the officials tore down their old
church building and parsonage and on their lots
erected four large tenements and stores. with neat
are Ssue1 at but there is an
of $685OO on the property, which the eighty men,
bers. who are far from wealthy. are unable to
carry. The interest accumulates rapidly that
the existence Of the church is now simply
question Of few years. IL not months;
the property, but declines to take possession of
such . debt The stores and apartments cannot be
let readily to class of tenants and for the bust
nesses that the church can approve and hence they
idle to great extent and hence. Also the church
is unable to meet its current expenses from year to
year. If the itnerant rule was relaxed that min
listers who rush churches into reckless building
terprises which they cannot consummate nor
such places until their work was done and live
upon what they could gather up It would be
o good thing for the churches and the minis
try too. But as It is q minister by extravagsnt
and impracticable ideas can do more damage to
church IN three years snan m can De reParea IN
upon the church officials. two-thirds OF whom are
the appointees Of the pastor. instead of being
placed where it belongs, on the pastor. the moving
sprit in almost every case. Indeed ministers have
been known to change official boards that they might
the readily rush through some wild scheme Of
church building repairs that left the church in
condition of financial embarrassment.
AZ the session Of the New York East Conference
some fifty changes OF ministers will be made among
the 194 active men who compose It, The New York
Conference will ransplace about hftysix of Its active
members of the $50 of that class which must be pro-
vided for annually. There in the New York Con-
ference 2s2 members. but fiftyseven of them on
animated preachers But besides these Ave hold
nevoient societies. and sixth is missionary in
Italy and another missionary in this city.
which positions may be held Tor life. The transfer
OF the Rev. w. H. Davis of Harlem. from tho Metho-
dist Church to the Congregational will make room
for good in that part Of the city. and the
death OF Rev. w. p Abbott has opened the road in
another direction. The New York East Conference
numbers 256 ministers. So of whom the re-
tired list, either temporarily permanently. A
few of them are engaged in secular pursuits and
hold positions OF honor or trust in benevolent
societies. now, those figures indicate great wear
and tear in the ministerial work, something else,
when We find the two New York conferences that
every fifth is disabled from work through some
cause another. And IL this is the proportion
throughout the entire Methodist Episcopal Church
the physical IL not the financial condition of the
ministry needs to be looked after and inquired into
And we suspect the latter is oftencr the cause of re-
tirement than the former. Under the ecclesiastical
economy Of the Methodist Episcopal Church there is
legal provision for the OF 81 salary to any
it's ministers. Any arrangement that may be
made between pastor and u church rests upon the
honor OF the latter for its fulflinent Methodist
minister, like Roman Catholic priest. by tho very
conditions of his admission into the ministry agrees
TO 30 wherever he may be by the higher author
tiles of the church. aud the question OF salary is,
Theoretically at least not taken into account ut ALL
THIS is of the flaws and weak spots OF this almost
perfect ecclesiastical system, and to which the
next General Conference should give some consider
alton.
The theory that the Methodist Church IL u mission
airy church is very wcl but missionaries In heather
lands much better cared for than itincrant pas
tors ut home in this regard. Their bread IL given
aud their il but this IN not the with
very many in the conferences named Now and
church that he can recover in court of
law any back salary that may be due
him. But those very rare and the min
who appeals to the law tor redress, in contra
vontion OF the discipline Vt his Church. loses his
standing among his brethren and among the churches
that he may DO appointed to serve. The Rev. NJ.
Iandcrs the other day sued the church he served
In Rochester for $780, back salary. and the Judge
before whom the tried charged
the jury that II they believed the contract
between the minister and tho church was
made under the discipline then Mr.. I.anders had
no claim. The jury thought differently to
q different conclusion. the facts presented. for
they gave verdict for 81 U6 ys, being the principal
ana accrued interest The CArstda AduScdfc OF this
city, commenting this case. the learned judge
ought To have known that % Methodist preacher
not. according to the law or tho Church. contract
any particular church. for the very OBJ
vious rcNon that his relation to any given
church cannot be determined by himself,
nor by the Church. nor by the concurrence OF both
parties. No Methodist preacher serves any church
because OF any agreement between him and the givon
church IA tn his relation to tho church its
pastor to the term and compensation therefor.
but because, according TO the law OF the Churcn. he
been assigned to that service by other parties,
and Il would bo breach of the law OF
tho Church for the pastor TO refuse TO
rcnder tho service. for tho church Ia