Middletown transcript., 1882-03-10
Conference.

| Inc preachers Oi bu0 w ilILlIIlSJou NJ Il
Conference are with MS. They began tt
arrive on Monday and the Committee or
Reception performed their arduous duty
smoothly. All, as fast as they arrived
were promptly domiciled in the pleasant
homes that had been selected for them
On Tuesday candidates of the several
classes were examined. Tuesday evening
Rev. w. w. w. Wilson, Of Frederica,
preached to a large congregation tenn.
perance sermon in the M. E. Church,
taking as his text, Deuteronomy, xxi, 6.
His effort was an eloquent one, and the
large audience listened with the deepest
attention. He strongly urged prohibition
as the only means for suppressing intem-
perance, and dwelt particularly on the
value of temperance literature as means
of bringing about a prohibitory sentiment
among the people. The choir rendered
excellent music.
Wednesday morning Communion SER
vice was held in the church, Bishop Hurst
officiating, and the Presiding Elders
and Rev. Mr.. Murray assisting. Confer
ence opened at 10 o'clock, Bishop Hurst
presiding. Rev. Mr.. Riggs was elected
secretary, and Revs. Cleaver and Nc
Nichol assistant secretaries. Rev. Drs.
Hunt, of the New York Book Concern,
Buckley, editor ofthe ChrtstiGn AdUocate,
and Revs. Alexander and Kennedy, of
Middletown, were introduced to Confer
ence. DIR. Buckley addressed the body
in reference to his paper and its future
course. He was given this opportunity to
speak as he had arranged to leave Middle
town by the II o'clock train. The Bishop
then addressed Conference, speaking of
his early conversion on the Peninsula.
He had feelings here that he could have
nowhere else. All the feelings Of his early
life and home are connected with this Con-
ference. He saw men here whose SER
mons he had heard when he was ten
vt1rF ofrt TT spoke of of The the FFefeEal bic
... of Odessa, as having been
in his mothers conversion,
10 the Peninsula as being the
ga.U HE field Of the Methodist
Church
Presiding Elder Matlack, Of the VIII
rnington district, made his report, which
showed the condition of his district to be
good. The collections last year were
larger than ever before. New parsonages
were built at Charleston, Elk Neck and
Union, and many church editices were
improved. The roll OF the district was
gone over. A special report on the Wes-
leyan Female College was laid over with
out reading.
A report of the Book Concern showed
large increase in receipts during the year.
In the afternoon statistical session was
held in the lecture room, at which reports
from various churches were received and
referred to the proper committees.
The educational anniversary in the
Town Hall, in the evening, was attended
by large assenblage, there not being an
unoccupied seat at the time the exercises
opened. Rev. J. P. Otis was the first
speaker. His discourse was clear and
logical, his delivery pleasant, and his
manner forcible. lie painted vividly the
evils of ignorance. He would put the
school house behind the ballot box and
insist that no man should cast ballot
for men to enact laws that he could not
read after they were enacted. But he would
put something behind the school house
Christianity and morality. Rev. e. L.
Hubbard, agent Of the Conference Acad-
emy, was the next speaker. His discourse
flashed with wit and humor which pro-
voked the audience to frequent bursts of
laughter. The selEmade man, the sopho-
more, the lazy young man who is sent to
college because he is good for nothing
else, were pictured wildly and truthfully
by the speaker. Growing more earnestin
his manner, he referred to the indiffer-
ence with which the masses view the
matter of higher education and said he
could not blame them for that inditfer-
ence, in the face of the examples they had
had. In our colleges the intellect was
elevated and the morals dwarfed. He
would lift both the intellect and morals
until they occupied an equal plain.
Rev. A. w. Milby made the concluding
address, which was full of ludicrously
funny comparisons that made everybody
laugh till they had to hold their sides.
The Methodist Church, he said, was the
poor mans church. 1t could manage
him without trouble, but it seemed to
have nothing for rich men to do. It re-
minded him of an old rich farmer in the
Valley Of Virginia, whom one Of the Bish-
ops used to visit. All the farmers chill
dren had married and taken the old gen
tleman's farms, and he was living with
married daughter at the homestead.
"Well," said the Bishop, "you have
nothing to do now; you have retired from
business, and are not bothered by the
cares of the farm" "No," said the
farmer, A I have nothing at all to do now
but serve God and shave paper" The
speaker thought the rich men of the
church should aid the cause Of education.
In this territory they had built churches
and made muniticent gifts for other
causes but had given nothing for educa-
ton. The use of the rich man in the
Methodist Church seems to be to aid the
grand cause of mental culture.
The choir. aided by organ and cornet
accompaniment, rendered a number Of
beautiful selections.
The session Thursday morning opened
with devotional exercises conducted by
Rev. Mr.. Gregg. The business session
began at 9 o'clock. A letter was received
from the Rev. E. B. Newman rendering
his resignation as minister Of the M. E..
Church and as a member of this Con-
ference. The resignation was accepted.
! Mr.. A. G. Cox was made temporary trea-
surer of the Missionary Board. DR.. Mat
lacks report OH the Wesleyan Female
College, giving the causes that led to the
sale Of the establishment, was read. The
total Indebtedness still on the institution
is 81, ,456.55. The report was referred to q
committee Of three ministers and two Law.
men. Presiding Elder Martindale, o.
Easton district, made his report. There
has been an increase in benevolent col
lections. Much improvement i'll church
building has been made, and there hav,