Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-03-01

circumstances made 1t expedient for Us to be-
come separate body under the denomination
Of the Methodist Episcopal church" A letter
rom Rev. John Wesley is then inserted as an
exphnaton OF the action. This letter, dated at
Bristol, september 10Th. 1884, refers to the Do
iitica independence of the American states, and
the TACT that NO one exercised or claimed any
ecciesiast1cai authority in America. The scru-
pies which had deferred him from ordainng
preachers in England, where there were bishops
with legal jurisdiction. he held. were at an end
as regards America. He conceived himself
then. at full liberty to appoint and send laborers
70 the harvest, and he had. accordingly. appoint
ed Dr: Coke and Dir. Francis Asbury to be joint
America" and Richard Whatcoat and Thomas
.asey TO act as elders among them, By baptizng
ana administering the Lords supper. In the
letter Mr: Wesley prgesas an objection to having
the Engilsh bishops ordain preachers for North
america that If they ordained them they would
expect to govern them, which would cause
grieVous entanSlemefts. The conference
decided to adopt the word ':bishop" in
stead OF superintendent. as more scriptural,
a sla recorded the following in the minutes
therefore at this conference we formed our
selves into an Independent church; and follow
ing the counsel of Mr.. John Wesley who recon-
mehdeu the Episcopal mode of church govern
mtnt, we thought it best to become an Episco-
pal chufch, making the Episcopal office elective
ana the elected superintendent or bishop amen
aoe TO the body of ministers and preachers"
Inc minutes show that there were go elders,
deacons. III admitted in full connection. IA re-
naming on trial. and 20 admitted on trial
Inere were 81 appointments, and they are
arranged from TO to an elder. The number
IN society was reported at 1900. All the sue
ceeding sessions of the general conference till
1917 were held in Baltimore.
Inc nrst report of fund for superannuated
preachers a , aud widows and orphans appeared in
100. Inc sum reported was 3Sf 5s and 4d
Inc nrst collection for missionaries amounting
10 54f It's, was also made at this conference
AL the general conference of 1870 fifteen boys
were reported at Cokesbury college, and thir-
Teen conferences were appointed for the year
ohoer the question, ''What can be done for the
instruction of poor children CShtes and blacks)
TO feads is the answer, Let us labor as the
heaft ana soul or one man to establish Sunday
schoois IN or near the places Of public worship
Let persons be appointed by the bishops, elders
deacons or preachers to teach (gratis) all that
Will attend and have capacity to learn. from six
In the morning till ten and from two o'clock in
tne afternoon till six. when it does not interfere
with public worship"
ITINERACY TO THE MINISTER'S OF 1893
note is added as follows: "The bishop and
conference desire that the preachers would gen.
orally change every six months, by the order of
the president elder, whenever it can be made
convenient"
IL will be seen that the preachers of those
days were itnerants indeed and an examine
t'on OF the lists of appointments show that In
no. no case was preacher given second success
slve appointment to the same circuit, FIRE.
quentiy were the preachers ordered to change
In six months, and there are numbers Of In
stances OF changes occurring at the end of each
quarter.
THE APPOINTMENTS
for It's were New York, with 200 in society;
Philadelphia, with 100; Trenton, NJ, 300; Cnes-
ter, a. Kent, 25S; Baltimore, $40; Frederick Gin
which Georgetown was included), 1886; Fairfax,
30; Norfolk, 1885, and Brunswick, 800 Frederick
at that time embraced nearly all the territory of
Maryland west Of Baltimore; Kent, included
nearly the entire Eastern Shore, but In 17s1
Somerset, Dorset and Talbot appears. az also
Calvert. At the general conference of 1884. Sd.
Mary's. Calvert Frederick and Baltimore are
the Maryland (West Shore) appointments but
In 1856, the last three only are given and on the
Eastern Shore there are appointments 0nclud-
ing Delaware). In 1889 the appointments in
Annapolis, Baltimore. Felrs Point, Mont
gomery, Frederick. Bath, Huntingdon. Lit
tie York, Hartford and Baltimore circuit. In
ITO South River appears in addition to the
above, and the following year Baltimore county
and Severn appear. In 1893 Prince Georges is
added, and in 1874 Severn is dropped and Fede-
raj substituted. This latter circuit took it's
name from what was known as Federal Meeting
House, and the fact of its proximity to the fede-
raj district. Its slame being changed again to
Severn, for series Of years it embraced the
eastern part OF Montgomery county, Howard
district (now county, and a large portion of
Prince Georges county-a territory now con-
tanning five or six circuits. Annapolis appears
In the minutes of SO with GO whites and 70
blacks; in SO. with 1913 whites and al blacks;
and in "a, !20 whites and 100 blacks In 80
Severn reported 663 whites 800 blacks: in 1879,
l3f whites and 414 blacks; in '93, 9iS whites and
3.o blacks; and Federal in 1894, 732 whites and
2o2 blacks. Prince Georges circuit appears in
l'S with a membership of 40. Andrew Nichols
was appointed preacher in 1893, when 81 whites
and 2i3 blacks were reported The next wear
the circuit reported ITO whites and POS blacks
Rev. 5. Sharp being appointed that year. Fair
fax circuit appears on the minutes OF 1775 and
IN 70 500 members were reported. 1t disap-
peared from the minutes of rs, appearing again
in 1779 with 800 members. In 1890 it reported
775 whites and 125 blacks. In 1871 Stafford and
alexandria appear, Fairfax reporting 657
whites and al blacks Ezekiel Cooper was ap-
pointed to Alexandria. In 1874 60 whites and
40 blacks are reported in Alexandria. CON
ference was held at Alexandria in l792.
ACTION REGARDING SLAVERY.
Mr. Wesey's rules prohibited the buy;np and
selling of men, women and children with the
intention of enslavng them. The preachers. in
the olden time. not only looked on slavery with
adherence but also paid attention to the spfr-
itual needs of the black man. The conference
OF 1850 declared the assistant should meet the
negroes himself. and appoint as helpers in his
absence proper white persons. and not suffer
them to stay late and meet by themselves" 1t
decided that travelling preachers who hold slaves
should give promises to set them free; "that
slayehOlding is contrary to the laws of God
man and nature. and hurtful to society con-
trary to the dictates Of conscience and pure re-
ligion. and doing that which we would not
others should do to US and ours; + r pass orr
disapprObation on all our friends who keen
slaves, and advise their freedom" At the meet
ing Of 1888 the question is recorded. s.What
shall be done with our local preachers who hold
slaves contrary to the laws which authorize
their freedom in any of the United States ?" also
the answer 1--WE will try them another year. In
the meantime let every assistant deal faithfully
and plainly with every one, and report at the
next conference. 1t may then be necessary to
suspend them"
In the conference Of April, 1874. as to what
shall be done with those friends who will buy
and sell slaves the minutes say eff they buy
with no other designthan to hold them as slaves
and have been previously warned, they shall be
turned out; and permitted to sell on no consid-
Grafton" And, as to local preachers who will
not emancipate their slaves in the states where
the laws admit of 1t, the minutes say s.Try those
In Virginia another year, and suspend the
preachers in Maryland. Delaware. PENNSYLVANIA
and New Jersey" Travelling preachers who
were possessed OF slaves and refused to manu-
init them where the law permitted, were to be
employed no more. The minutes of the general
conference of 1854 contain the following: at is