Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-05-01
Neutrality Negotiations.
TROY CONFERENCE LETTER.
The Burlington District-Changes Likely
ODE Made.

iOAhAibbN, Aplll -.
On Saturday last the Burlington district
was represented by the presiding elder,
Rev. j. w. Bennett, and was on the whole
found to be in Il prosperous condition.
The health of the preachers and their
families, has for the most part been good.
The benevOlences of the church have
been well supported and several cumber-
some church debts have been removed,
notably that at Rutland which has for a
long time embarrassed that congregation.
At Hinesburgh the church edfice has
been remodelled, at an expense of several
thousand dollars, and Il good many other
improvements, and debt payments have
sgnalized this centennial year. BurlinG
ton church is the first in its contributions
to the regular DenevOlenceS ; and its cen
fury Offering, beside its large contribu-
tons for home objects, was nearly five
hundred dollars.
The aggregate gifts of the conference
to the cause of education and the fund for
WORKOUT ministers is something over fifty
thousand dollars-a pretty good showing
for Il year of such marked financial strin-
gency. The character of every minister
has been inquired into, and there were no
complaints of moral delinquency made
against any member of the conference.
One preacher was charged with insubor
dination by his presiding elder, but the
committee to which his case was referred,
recommended that his character pass 1t
was Il case of misunderstanding simply
and did not involve any moral principle.
| The various exercises of the conference
have not been up to the average of for
mer years y good many of the exercises
have been decidedly duh. Bishop Bow
man, is said to have preached grandly on
Sunday, though your correspondent did
not hear him as he was commanded by
the committee on religious services to
blow the gospel trumpet for the COngre-
gatiOnalstS OF this city.
Bishop Walden of Chattanooga, Tenn,
| has been present for two or three days.
He may be good executive officer, but
| he is not an inspiring preacher
There are liable to be Il good many
changes of ministers in the Burlington
district. At Winooski Il change is talked
of solely on account of the unfaVorable
affect of the climate on the present pas
tor, Rev. ID. &. AyreS. Rutland is to have
a new man and the Rev. Charles Reynolds
for many years chaplain of Albany peni-
Tertiary is talked of for the place. Rev.
l.. a. Dibble will probably remain at
Shelburn, where he has done such elf
Gent service for the past two years. Rev.
Mr.. Elkins will remain at Williston and
Rev. NJ. \. Wicker and, Il. w. Gregory
at Charlotte and North Ferrisburgh, re
spectively.
The cabinet, by which | Iaean the Bish-
OPP and his advisers, the presiding elders
are having good deal of trouble to fix
the appointments. a number of churches
that had made their selections of minis
ter in advance of the meeting of confer
ence, are said to be already sick of theiI
choice, and it is more than probable thai
there may be some very interesting de
velopments between this and tomorrow
night One thing is certain that it is not
"A good year for the professional, ecclesi
astical politician, whether clerical or lay.
! go this afternoon to see the famous
monument on the historic ground of tn,
Saratoga battlefield, which is about sever
miles from the city. | may give you som
account of it in my next. CLERlCUs.