Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-06-05
M. E. cHU6CH.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE GENERAL CON-
FERENCE AT CINCINNATI.
CINcINNArI. May %. 1850

The General Conference of the NJ. E.
Church which closed its twenty third
quadreIAhial session in this city yesterday
will be memorable IN history more by
reason of what it refused to do than on &C.
count of what it did. With this body rests
the sole power to effect changes in the pol
ity OF the Church and make rules and reg
ulatiols for its government; and the right
to memorabilia this body is properly, there
fore, the sweet privilege, not only OF every
subordinate Conference, but of every indi-
vidual minister and member-a privilege,
let me add, which is, as a general thing,
pretty generally improved. Had the Con.
ference that has just closed made all the
changes asked of it, the Church would I'M
doubtedly have been SO transmogrifed as
to be unacceptable even by its best
friends, and would to-day be the most fear
full and wonderful system of ecclesiasticism
ever presented to the gaze of afflicted hui
mainly. AS matter of fact, however,
this body made hardly any changes, prov
ing it, in the Judgment of the Oldest heads
in the Church, to be one of the most con-
servative Conferences IL the Church's his
tory.
EXCEPTING THAT ITS NUMERICAL STRENGTH
Has been increased by the addition of four
new men, and that the senior Bishop,
Bishop Scott, has been compelled by the
infirmities of age to retire from the effect
i've list, the Episcopacy of the church
stands Just as it did before the Conference
met. 1t has lost none of its old preroga-
tives, nor has it gained any new ones. The
Conference was asked to limit the tenure
of the Episcopal office, and, in the event of
such limitation, to confer upon the Bishops
the veto power in matters of legislation.
An effort was also made to change the form
of the Episcopacy so as to- make it diocesan
instead of general. But none of these
changes were effected, or seriously thought
of even. Nor has the Church undergone
any change as regards the complexion Of
several desperate attempts to adorn it with
colored Bishop to the contrary notwith-
standing. Allow me to add in this con-
nection, that the Episcopaey of the NJ. E.
Church is beyond question the ruling
members of the General Conference, and
have, in point of law, no voice in the de.
liberations of that body. Yet they exer-
else a preponderating influence over that
body, as is evidenced by the fact that the
Conference that has just closed did nothing
that the members of the Episcopal Board
desired it not to do, and on the other hand
left undone nothing that they desired &C.
complished.
And as the episcopacy of the Church has
been left intact, so, also, has its system OF
itinerancy. Efforts were made to modify
this in various ways. 1t was sought, for
instance, to relieve the members OF the
Church of a very heavy and altogether I'M
necessary financial burden by greatly re-
ducing the numer of Presiding Elders. 1t
was also sought to regulate the powers of
these officials by so changing the laws of
the Church as to make the EIdership an
elective Office, to be filled by the votes of
the travelling preachers, instead OF an office
in the gift of the Bishops. Sad to relate,
however, neither of these deserving propo-
sitions prevailed. Nor, considering that
there were about $50 episcopally appointed
Presiding Elders among the delegates to
the Conference, and that the standing COM
was composed Of majority OF these off
Gals, Is this at eli surprising. When the
people and preachers become really earnest
in their desire for modification of the Pre-
siding Eldership they must see to it that
fewer of those specially interested in pre-
serving the existing order of things are
sent to legislate for them.
1t was thought by many in advance of
~ So h.
body would extend the limit of the pas
toral term, but here was another point at
which the reformers were doomed to disap-
pointment. Numerous petitions, measures
and resolutions on this subject were poured
in under the call Of the annual conferences,
but all to no purpose These able docu
ments were accorded
THE FORMAL COURTESY
OF reference to the Committee on Tin
erancy-a committee which one gentleman,
with reference to it's conservative proclivi-
ties, called 60 the dead house of the Coz
ference. And thus they persisted, for this
committee, by vote of so to IS, resolved
to report unfavorably to any extension of
the pastoral limit. A minority report,
favoring an extension, would have been pre-
scented had the matter came before the Con-
ference for final action, but in the hurry of
the closing days, this with many other i'm
portant measures was given the 60 by, and
hence it is still the law of the church
that no Methodist minister shall labor in
the same charge for more than three years
consecutively, and this, | venture to pre-
dict, will continue for many years to come.
L ]
in the Conference was the woman question.
It was felt by many that the time had come
when the women of the Methodist Church
should be accorded equal rights and priyi-
| leges with men in the matter of eligibility
to be sworn in to preach and to receive or
dination as ministers. THIS subject came
before the Conference in two forms, and IN
both these phases was decided adversely to
the ministerial aspirations of our fair sis
ters. One way In which it was presented
was by an appeal from the decision Of one
of the Bishops, who refused, as the presid
ing officer in a certain annual Conference,
to submit to vote of the Conference the
petition of aewoman preacher asking ordi
nation to the Office of deacon. This ap-
peal was referred to the Committee on
Judiciary, and the report of this committee
recommended that the General Conference
sanction the decision of the Bishop in ques-
ton, which it did by an almost unanimous
vote In addition to this appeal there
came to the Conference large number of
petitions and appeals looking in the same
direction. These took the ordinary course
of reference to the Committee on timer
ancy, and were by that committee divided
out among subcommittee, When the
matter came up in the Committee on Tin
erancy for the final action OF that commit
tee as to its recommendation to Conference
on the subject, heated debate was had,