Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-10-15
THE METHODISTS.
FOURTH LETTER TO THE RECORD
UNION" FROM THE COUNCIL.
The Tribute to Garfield Christian Unity
The Last Day-Little Accomplished
no Organic Union-The Pastoral.
LoNpoN. Septemher 2l. ISSl.

ence was the day following that on which
President Garfield died, and the delegates,
consequently, came to their work with sad
hearts. The Local Committee had draped
the platform in mourning, and the Presi-
dent for the day, DR.. Pope, of st. Johns,
New Brunswick, showed delicate sense
of the fitness of things in the mourAful
turn he gave to the opening exercises.
The scriptural lesson, funeral selection
from the Psalms, was read by DR.. j. NJ.
Reid, Missionary Secretary of the NJ.
Z. Church, who afterward led the
Conference in an appropriate and
very affecting prayer. DR.. Reid prayed,
of course, for the afflicted family of the
murdered President and for the nation so
sadly bereft IN his death. He was also
thoughtful enough to make supplcation
for him who was TO be Garfield's successor.
Later ia the proceedings, when the resolu-
ton of coincidence was offered, DR.. John
p. Newman made further allusion to Presi.
dent Arthur, speaking of him as man
eminently qualified for the position be had
to fill, and earnestly requesting for him
continued interest in the prayers of all
good men.
THE BRITISH TRIBUTE
To General Garfeld's memory was made
by Rev. E. E. Jenkins and William Ar
thur, the latter of whom said that for
eleven weeks the people of. England had
been counting the pulse throbs of the dis
tiDguished sufferer, and now, because his
heart beat no more, strange hush and
deep sadness had settled upon their hearts.
Canadas tribute was made in fitting terms
by DR.. George Douglass, while the sorrow
OF the nation bereaved was feelingly voiced
by DTs Tiffany and McFerrin The latter
gentleman, being a Southerner, from Nash
vile, spoke specially for the South. In
that section, he said, there was only one
sentiment-that of most profound regret
and horror. During the progress of these
memorial services all present were deeply
moved, and the scene thus presented OF
representatives from so many chimes blend
ing their tears and interchanging mutual
expressions of coincidence and sorrow over
what had occurred, was proof of the hold
the dead President had gained on mankind,
the most gratifying that could be imagined,
and seemed to declare beyond doubt that
General Garfield was indeed man whom
the whole world delighted to honor, and
in whose death the world at large had suf-
fered a great bereavement. The subject
for discussion on this memorable last day
was
I" CHRISTIAN UNITY,
a theme which has been given this position
on the programme in the hope, doubtless,
that their association together in the pre-
vious eleven days would prepare the dele.
gates to discuss it with the requisite degree
of feeling, and there were some, probably,
who even hoped that by this time the diff
ferent parts of the Conference would be
ready to blend into common mass, and to
astonish the world by declaring for an or
ganicallY united Methodism. There was
method displayed also in the selection of
the man to lead off in this theme, for who
was more likely to speak strongly in favor
OF unity, or to possess the power to win
others TO his own way of thinking, than
DR.. George, the one through whose genius
and energy mainly the Conference had been
convened. But " the best laid schemes of
mice and men gang aft aglee," and so it
turned out in tAis instance. Eleven days
of association in debate, far from obliter-
ating the differences of the various bodies
represented, or from rendering these less
marked, had served rather to bring them
out in bolder outline. The discussions had
also shown how welded each body was to
Its own
IRREGULARITIES,
And had made it evident that, given
unanimous vote in favor OF all becoming one,
the difficult question still remaining to be
settled would be which should be the one
AS for DR.. George, if that gentleman had
ever seriously expected anything tangible
from the Conference In the line of organic
union, his hope must have fallen many
degrees by the time he stood up TO read his
essay, and it would be no surprise to your
correspondent to learn that that document,
as read, was considerably changed from
what Is was as first produced at long range
in his study at Chicago. But the doctor
came to his task quite bravely, and said
some good things. The multiplication of
sects, ne affirmed, was the weak point in
L IulCoNAuSASbls anu Especially ia N1GSuO0-
ism A union of forces was necessary, he
held, not only in foreign, but in home
fields of labor, aud in support of this
proposition he instanced an American city,
of not more than 10000 inhabitants, in
which he said there were five different
Methodist Churches, with another under
contemplation. These churches belonged
respectively to the NJ. E. Church, the NJ.
f. Church South, the Methodist Protest
ants, the American Wesleyans, the Free
Methodists and the United Brethren. Dr..
George pointed with pride and JOY to recent
unions Of Methodist bodies in Ireland and
Canada, and ventured to express the hope
that this union spirit would spread until
England and the United States should wit
ness similar amalgamations. Meanwhile the
Methodist bodies of the world, he said,
should enter into a supreme council, con-
stituted similarly to the present Eeumeni-
cal, to meet at occasional intervals, for the
purpose of giving general direction to the
work being done, and of arbitrating what
ever differences might arise.
DISAGREEMENT.
DR.. Croker, of the Methodist New Con-
nection Church of Great Britain, who fol-
lowed DR.. George, was less enthusiastic
than that gentleman, and his remarks had
much less point in them. Others who par
ticipated in the debate were DR.. o. 81.
Tiffany, of Philadelphia, and Rev. VIM.
Arthur, of London, each of whom ex-
pressed the view that organic union would
lessen the power of Methodism by render.
ing her less free to adapt herself to those
national and individual peculiarities which
prevail in the world DR.. Arthur's re-
marks are always characterized by breadth
and vigor, and, in speaking of the probable
results of the Conference, he observed that
those who should say that it had accom-.
plished no good would be as foolish as
those who should go to the engine room of
great factory and say that nothing was
being accomplished there. CAS- matter
of fact, said Mr.. Arthur, everything is
being accomplished in that engine room.
for there is generated the power which sets
the machinery in motion, lust as in this