Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-04-02
For the Free Press and
TROY Conference.
HISTORICAL NOTES, '

HISTORICAL NOTES, '.
The thirty-eighih session OF the Troy Con
ference was held in Burlington, April %,
1870, Bishop Edward Il. Ames presiding
There was 4 good degree of satisfaction to
the conference in being invited by the church
in Burlington to hold its session there. Ever
since the last session in Burlington in 1856,
there had been more or less excitement
among the Methodists all through Western
Vermont, in relation TO conference bOunda-
rics. The Vermont Conference, with a de-
termination worthy the sons OF those who,
in DAYS of wore, enforced the rights guaran-
teed by the New Hampshire Grants, obtained
from the General Conference of 1850 the
possession of Western Vermont. by which
the St Adams and Burlington districts were
lost 10 the Troy Conference.
Then followed eight years of paradoxical
annual sessions of the Vermont Conference
The green ridge of Vermont became real
color line between eastern and western
churches. As a rule the western churches
refused to receive pastors from the eastern
churches, and the transferred members from
Troy Conference strenuously objected to
being stationed to a charge beyond the green,
cloud-splitting peaks of the evergreen State.
Conventions were held, public and private
seanees ensued, stalwart MethOdists, in the
morning shadows OF the Green Mountains.
freely poured forth all the opinions they had
about ''being free-born, of lawful age, and
under the tongue of good report.
A religious notion on account OF Its real
or supposed base overshadows everything
else, and hence the terrible war for the
Union was often forgotten in the wordy con-
iiict that ensued.
The General Conference of 1868 cut the
Gortiian knot of difficulty by restoring the
Burlington district 10 the Troy Conference.
1t was, therefore, with no small degree OF
satisfaction, that the conference entered the
Queen City of Vermont in April, 1870
THE LAST CONFERENCE IN BURLINGTON.
There could be no more cordial greeting
Than the one the conference received from
the citizens of Burlington. Vermonters,
somehow, have a way, like Shakespeare's
Ann Hathaway, that captivates and assures
those that receive their hospitality. There is
something inspiriting also in association with
those who live where the Goddess of Liberty
rocks her offspring
The session of the conference was harmo-
NOUS. The usual minute business elected
no more than what is common in an annual
Methodist conference. There was general
prosperity in all the churches.
The reports showed that Sl5J, 900 hadbeen
paid in salaries 10 the preachers, aad $751;
9lS in benevolent contributions during the
year.
Some considerable interest was awakened
in the conference in the session on Saturday.
The General Conference had directed that
vote of the lay members of the churches,
and vote Of the members of annual CON-
ferences be taken for or against admitting
lay representation in the sessions of the Gen
eral Conference. Only AGA members. out
of %, 600 in the conferences, took any inter-
est in the matter These votes, as reported
by the presiding elders to the conference on
representation in the General Conference.
The members Of Troy Conference cast 1872
votes. There was Is majority against the
introduction of lay representation in the
General Conference. The measure never
awakened much interest in the church within
the bounds of Troy Conference.
Bishop Ames, who presided over the con-
ference, was one of the remarkable men of
Methodism lie was of Puritan stock. His
grandfather was pastor of a church in Taun-
ton, Mass, and chaplain in Washinston's
army.
The Bishop graduated from the University
of Ohio, in which State he was born in 1906
As missionary secretary he traversed the
whole Indian Territory from Texas to Lake
Superior.
The Choctaw General Council elected him
their chaplain in 1912.
He was elected bishop in 1852. His famil-
iarty with the South enabled him to give
much valuable intelligence to the government
He was often consulted by President Lin
coin, Governor Morton and Secretary
Stanton.
lie finally left his residence in Indiana and
removed to Baltimore, in which city he died
April %, 1879. When offered the position
of United States Senator from Indiana he re-
marked, God has called me to the ministry,
men to politics" and he rejected the offer.
When presiding at the Rock River Confer
ence at Aurora in 1871, while the smoke of
burning Chicago was darkening the sky, he
answered those who doubted whether the
city would ever be rebuilt, 1.-THE railroads can
afford tC rebuild the city rather than it should
not be done"
Such was the great and good man that sent
out the preachers from Burlington in 1870.
The conference by rising unanimous vote
thanked the citizens of Burlington for their
courteous and abundant hospitality, and they
left for their labor carrying with them pleas
ant memories of their kind entertainers.
rifk PRESENT SESSION.
The present session will be of more
than usual interest, preceding as it does
the quadrennial session of the General
Conference, that meets this year in Cleve-
land, Ohio. the first of next May.
Several delegates are to be elected to rep
resent the Conference in the General Con-
ference The Lay Electoral Conference will
also meet to send two laymen to represent
them in the General Conference. Not far
from three hundred ministers will be present
and nearly rs many laymen.
-Four districts, among which IS Burning
ton, will require new presiding elders Lead
ing churches in the Conference, at Albany,
Troy, Lansingburgh, North Adams, Am
sterdam, Saratoga Springs, Bennington, Mid
dlebury and Burlington, are to be supplied
with new pastors.
The session promises 10 be of more than
common interest, probably as much so as
any session ever held in Burlington.
AT the last session the number of preach
ers was two hundred and eighty-tive, twen-
ty-nine of whom were returned supernu-
merry, and forty-tive superanuated. Thirty
local preachers labor as stated supplies in
various parts of the Conference.
The number of churches returned WAS
three hundred and nine, valued at 81, 49,
$50, and one hundred and sixty-three par
sonages, valued ut S2S9415 The amount re-
ported as paid the preachers in salaries was
Sl53. 005. These statistics show as much as
anything the growth OF the Troy Conference
from 1900 till the present time
Bishop Jesse T. Peck, d. D., who pre-
sides at the present session, was formerly
Il member of Troy Conference
lie was for several years at the head of
Troy Conference Academy. For several
years he was president of Dickinson College,
Pa He was for several years on the
Pacific slope, and helped outline the work of
the church along the Pacific coast. His
published works include The True Wo-
man," Central Idea of Christianity" and
essays on various subjects, aesthetic and polit-
ical He was elected bishop in 1872. In
labors abundant, he is noted as one of the
chief pastors Of the church.
His presidency of the Conference will un-
doubtedly be popular and satisfactory.
f. b. Ii.
VEGGKNNEs. evening the Yer
gennes Union Band assembled in front of the
Stevens House and serenaded the Mayor elect,
General Grandey, who, n response to repeat
Il, a. LII A.,