Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-12-27
BALTIMORE LETTER.
THE METHODIST CENTENNIAL con-
yENTION PRO- EEDINGS.
A Report of the Closing Work, Fur
nished by the 'Record-Union's
Special Correspondent.
BALrlMoRE, December 16, 1884:

In nv previous letter ! gave an account
of the first two days proceedings of the
| Centennial Convention. The interest
which characterized those sessions has
/ increased, making the entire occasion one
of great success. Figures are proverhially
supposed to be dry subject of contempla-
ton, but this Centennial Methodist Con-
ference rolls them over its tongue as though
! they were the sweetest morsels which this
great assembly, with hundred years be-
hind it. could offer to an admiring world.
They are dished up at every season, and
the meals usually consist Of many courses.
How YOU Methodists do like TO talk
! about your four million of communicates,
remarked member of another denomina-
ton to one of the delegates yesterday; and
your correspondent, who overheard, could
not help thinking that, though there might
| have been a little envy in the remark,
there were Also considerable common sense,
and a not undeserved rebuke in it likewise.
There are, however, some things to be said
in mitigation of this fault, if fault it be-
In the first place, the habit of numbering
its people is not purely Methodistic. 1t is
an American habit; more than that, it is
a frailty of human nature.
DENoMIN.AL STATISTICS.
DR. Dorchester, of the NJ. Z. Church, in
his able and exhaustive paper on this sub
| iect, declared the present strength of this
church in the United States to be as fol-
lows: Travelling preachers, 26,932 local
preachers, SO, 953 members in full, 3,724,
145; probationers, 177,236; total commu-
nicants, 1851 ,026. For the whole world
the figures he gave were: Travelling preach
ers, 349S9; local preachers, 1908; COM
municants. 5,319, 943. The educational and
financial statistics were presented by DIR.
James III. Carlisle, of the Church South.
who said that within the Conferences rep
resented in that centennial gathering there
were seventy universities and colleges, with
perhaps as many classical seminaries
about 100 female colleges, and ten theo-
| logical schools. Methodism had now 10000
| Sunday-schools, with more than 100000
teachers and 100000 pupils. Her
churches numbered $4,000, and were in
creasing at the rate of five for every work
ing day in the year. These houses of wor-
ship would accommodate, he said, about
| 100000 attendants, and their money
value was about $4,000 600, the parson-
ages Of Methodism being estimated at 500
100000 In all its bounds the Church paid
yearly about S12,000,000 for salaries and
kindred claims. The aggregate amount
raised last year for all purposes by the NJ
E. Church alone was stated by the speaker
to be not less than S17,000,000 which, he
said, was probably more than half the az.
gregate sum raised in that year by the
Methodist Church at large.
NORTH AND SOUTH METHoDIsTs.
Excluding the representatives. of the col,
ored churches, the Conference is virtually
composed Of Representatives of two bodies
1.-THE NJ. f. Church and the NJ Z. Church
South. Outside of these there are but six
white delegates in it, two of these being
from the Primitive Methodist Church
two from the Independent Methodists, and
two from the NJ E. Church of Canada
Thus the two great bodies referred to, who
were one up to 1874, and who then sepa.
rated on question having reference to the
| social position of the negro are now sitting
|
counsel, with the separating cause occupy
ing place in their midst, and even taking
his turn, with the best men from among
themselves, in presiding over their deli
berations. As DR.. McFerrin so terselv
stated the case Yesterday Forty years
ago" he said, the Northern and Southern
Methodists solemnly turned their backs
upon each other, and now his soul was
gladdened by seeing them face each other
and come together again" A marked
feature thus far is the delicate and unre-
hitting
INTERCHANGE OF CoURTEsIEs
Between these two bodies. No opportunity
for kind words is neglected on either side.
| \ notable instance of this is that given
above, where DR.. Carlisle, of the Church
South, stated so frankly the immense pre-
| ponderance Of money contributed yearly
| by the members of the older and larger
| body which operates principally in the
North. That the spirit of fraternity
should develop rapidly in such an atnos-
phere is inevitable. Still, neither party
is prepared to go back upon its history in
reference to the matter which originally
divided them, as was plainly shown by
| the two essays of yesterday morning DR.
0. H. Warren, of the NJ. E. Church, spoke
upon "The outlook of Methodism in
1884" and DR.. J. d. Blackwell, of the
Church South, upon the outlook in 1884
The former, in stating the attitude of the
early Methodist preachers toward slave
holding, spoke of the system in the strong
est terms of condemnation, and the latter
argued Just as strongly, by implication at
any rate, in support of the Southern view
of this subject, quoting largely in justifca-
ton thereof from the Epistles OF Paul.
NO SOLID NORTH OR SOUTH.
had an interview, a few DAYS since,
with several members of the Convention.
Among them was Judge Jordan Stokes. of
Tennessee, patriarchal gentleman who is
held in the very highest regard in the
Church South, to whom | was referred as
one who always thought before he spoke
and whose words would carry great
weight" said Undoubtedly the hand of
God was in the separation and it was an
act of love. We couldn't see it at the time,
but it resulted in the emancipation of the
slaves When He desires it we shall be
reunited. In our mission work we ought
to join hands at once. should like to at
tend a Union Conference and | think if
Dr. McFerrin were TO attend such gath
ering the Lord wouldn't let him live an
other day, but would take him to heaven
in chariot of glory. My conviction is
that the colored race, which divided us,
will in some way be the bridge by which
we shall come together again. But before