Sacramento daily record-union., 1884-06-14
TIE CONFERENCE.
LEADING DETAILS CONCERNING
IT'S SESSIONS.
Editor Chosen-African Bishop-The
Color Line-Book Agents
and Editors.
PH11AnE1.pH1A. May %. 1Ss

Color Line-Book Agents
and Editors.
PHILADELPHIA, May %, 1884.
"If any one had predicted, about the
time John Brown was hanged, that Gen
e,al Conference of the NJ E. Church would |
do, in 1884, what this body has now done,
what would have been thoughtof such a
prophet" Such was the question put TO
the writer during the contest between two |
colored men for the editorship of the South |
avcster,, Christian Advocate. That the track |
had been left clear for these dusky sons OF
Africa was all the more remarkable from |
the fact that the position is one which |
scores of white men would be glad to fill.
and which heretofore like the other edi-
torships of the Church, has been looked
upon as the exclusive property of this
class. Nor less remarkable was the fact
that the successful competitor, Marshall w
Taylor, d. D., should be man who, de
spite his dark complexion, IS generally
conceded to measure up, in point OF cult
ure and talent, with almost any in the
Conference belonging in the favored Cau-
casian race Mr. Taylor's career in the
Conference has been an interesting study
from the first. Some other men, who stood
high in popular favor at the beginning,
have gradually declined in influence, until
to-day the remarks they offer are barely
tolerated With him it has been entirely
different. His chief work has been for the
appointment of Bishop for Africa, and
his plea for the dark continent finally pre-
vailed.
THE BISHOP OF AFRICA.
The man who has been set apart for the
Episcopal supervision of the work In that
country lis another Taylor of missionary
antecedents, who came to the body as
Law delegate from India. A man past 60,
though looking much younger; over six
feet in hight, and having strong, slnewy
frame; with beard Of patriarchal length
and fullness, and head just bald enough
| to reveal the ample dimensions of his mas
sive forehead disdaining the comforts OF
| life, and of such strongly marked lndl-
viduality as to be not little eccentric In
habit and manners, this strange and re-
markable man will convey to the minds of
the people of Africa vivid suggestion OF
the old prophets of Scripture, and un-
| doubtedly his appearance and personal
peculiarities will give him uncommon
power as leader among them. For some
years the self-supporting missions main
| tained in India and South America by
| William Taylor have seemed TO conflict
! with the operations of those countries of
the regular missionary society, and, as a
| consequence, the powers that be have
| shown disposition to rather sit down
upon that gentleman. Under the ban OF
this opposition he took his seat in the
present Conference. Early ia the proceed
ings he presented a resolution, which he
called 1.-The prayer OF William Taylor,
and which declared in its opening sentence
that it was lawful and right to get souls
| converted, and 10 organize them into self
supporting churches" The Conference
| LAUGHED AT THE IDEA
OF body of Methodists being asked TO
make such declaration as this, but the
point was appreciated, and so far as secur-
ing the favor of the delegates was con-
cerned this happy hit may be said to have
made Mr. Taylors fortune. After that he
could speak as he pleased and the brethren
| were sure to shake their sides at his oddi-
ties Finally when a Bishop for Africa
was resolved upon, an inspiration seemed
to come upon the assembly, pointing to TINS
| strange genius as pre-eminently the man
for the place All, it is true, did not fall
in with this view. The Bishops, | am told,
did not, and it is quite certain that Drs.
Curry, Bingham and Lanahan, who, when
they saw how the cat was going 10 jump,
made, successively, the motions to post
pone to Friday, to postpone indefinitely
and to adjourn, were not pleased with the
turn things had taken. But the Conference
took the bit between its teeth, and after
laying these dilatory motions on the table
in quicker time than it takes to tell it, the
balloting began, resulting in the election OF
the great missionary hero by $50 votes out
of 355 1t is expected that this new mis-
sionary Bishop will establish his head
quarters on the Congo, and there are many
who predict that he will shortly open up
that vast country to the operations of the
church whose commission he has accepted
in the same broad sense i'll which Stanley
is opening it to civilization.
THE EQUALITY QUESTION.
After electing a colored man to q church
editorship, and ordaining another man OF
colored sympathies as Bishop for the conti-
nent whence the colored brother halls, the
Conference felt, no doubt, that it could let
up little along this line, and it did so in a
| manner which the colored membership may
not think entirely satisfactory. Very early
in the proceedings of this body it became
evident that desperate effort would be
made to get an expression from it favorable
| to the most pronounced form of social
equality between the white and colored
| races Colored men had been excluded
from certain schools and churches of this
denomination, and this crusade proposed to
remove these barriers TO negro freedom, and
TO make all the institutions of the church
| accessible on the same conditions to black
and white alike. This question threatened
| for time to be a serious bone of conten-
ton in the Conference, but through little
strategy the trouble seems to have been
| gotten rid of The Committee on the State
of the Church, of which Governor Patter-
son, of this State. is Chairman, adopted a
report providing for Just such an expression
as the most radical advocates OF the equal
ity theory had desired. The vote was a
tie-25 against 25-and the casting vote of
the Chair, democratic though it was went
| in favor of the resolution.
IN DILEMMA.
With such a report as this impending
over it, what was the Conference TO do?
To pass it would mortally offend some
white people III the South, and TO vote it
down would be equally offensive to the
colored people. The point was to get this
question passed upon before the report
| from. the Committee on the State of the
Church came in, and fortunately there was
a report living upon the table from the
| Committee on Freedmen's Aid which at-
forded an opportunity for doing this. This
report leaves things virtually as they have
| been in the past. 1t atfirms the theory OF
| equality, but leaves the practical working
| of il TO the wishes of the different commu-
mites and sections in which the church
operates Strange TO say, by an almost
unanimous vote this report passed and
| vet il is not strange for the radicals who