Mexico weekly ledger., 1886-05-27
nnlngs III the Raneral Conference.

Delays Of the General Conference.
The tenth session Of the General
Conference of the Methodist Episeo-
pal Church, South. is now convened
in Richmond, Va, This conference
meets once in fom years, anil Ia com
posed of an equal number Of lay and
clerical members. Each annual con
ference sends one minister and one
layman for every thirty-six members.
The Missouri Conference sends four
of each. eight in all. Tho present
body is composed Of 26S members,
The bishops preside, one day each,
i'll regular succession. There were
five bishops ut the meeting of the
Conference, aud four have been elect
cd since. The membership of the
church is 900, 90i. Money raised
| for missions Si6S,2ll.
1t is customary for the bishops to
present An address, something after
the order OF the presidents message
to Congress, From that address we
extract the following: During the
four wears just passed, our own total
membership has increased l3o,2H,
the largest total iuadrennial increase
since our organization" Our color
ed membership has gone down to
527 persons 1t will be remember
ed that at the close of the war our
colored members were organizcdin into
a separate church, and for this church
we are now cndowing II college as a
training school for preachers and
teachers. TO this endowment one
Missourian, Rev. Moses L. Payhe,
has this year given $4,000. The
establishment of Il University at
Shanghai for the training Of Chinese
youth in the English language and in
the history and science of the West
has met with large favor, and some
patronage from high quarters among
the Chinese themselves
This institution is crowded with
pupils and is self-supporting. The
medical school established at the same
place has been equally successful"
With the aid of the Woman's Board
l of Missions 1--WE have at present
twelve male and ten female missiona-
| ries in that field, seven church-build-
, ings, and fourteen rented chapels.
The total value of the mission prop
= erty there is 107, 300 of the Parent
l Board and S2S 300 of the Woman's
l Board" Besides this we have mis-
= sions in Mexico, Brazil, Indian Ter
D.. ritory and elsewhere.
After discussing several other mat
7 tiers the bishops sound the following
1 alarm: "Acts of worldliness to
e which our church half a century back
n was u stranger are now regarded
I without alarm by many christian men
and women; such as attending thea.
tiers and operas, occasionally visiting
i the race course, dancing, permitting
children to attend the weekly mat.
l. inee, to which may be added some
d noticeable forms of Sabbath desecra.
ton. such as the neglect of church.
'. going, excursions for pleasure, ant
. the buying of food in the market
$ house. Yet graver offences, occa
It slonally committed, pass unchalleng
ed by church authorities such a:
i gambling in futures, and in purchas
ing lottery-tickets. 1t is not merely
Is that such things are done, but tina
l. the doing shocks the spiritual sensl
1t bility of the membership so little
V Tertultian said that the love of pleas
: ure threatened the destruction of thu
church more than the fears of mar
d tyrdom, dreadful as were the perse
y c~utions of his day"
"The report from the vote of thu
+ annual conferences upon the proposed
- change. of nane is as follows: veal
:, 81, nays 3,415." The bishops eX
le press the hope that this is the end o
10 agitation on the subject of our churcI
h name. Our official name will there
70 fore remain Methodist Episcopa
Church, South the Northern Meth
odists is Methodist Episcopal ChurcI
y in the United States of Americs
L Neither one is entitled to call itsel
NJ. E. Church.
Among the things done by til
present Conference, a very importar
decision was rendered On the appe:
O., case of one Pickett, who was locate
ty by the North Texas Annual Confer
T. ence because he refused to admin:
e, ter baptism by immersion when dc
lie sired to do so by the candidate. II
lie took an appeal to the General Con
" ference, and that body sustained I'll
ne action of the Conference. This
# appears that baptism by immersio
ty is as much the law of our church
e. baptism by affusion.
r. Memorials were semitic the COME
ed ence requesting that provision
no made for the appointment of evange
We lists, but after full and free discu
nd sion it was resolved to leave the ma
lat ter where it is. 1t was argued tn;
n. every preacher should be an evange
ist in his own charge. 1t was feare
that too many would be asking to |
20, appointed with a rowing ccmmissie
to go where they pleased, intrudi1
lr. themselves into other mems fields
hit labor.
He A very large and able committe WI
ed appointed to consider the matter
nd our relation to other Methodist bod
to in reference to the injurious custom
on two Or more different churches q
'g- tempting to occupy the same fe
Die when there is not work for more tn.
one. For illustration, two Meth
dist churches in Mexico is simply
di- waste of money. The same may al
he be said of two Baptist congregation
ere The Conference will probably appoi
committee to confer with a like col
mittee to be appointed by 9th
led Methodist churches on this subject
En- The question of entertainment f
IN. the General Conference has becor
a serious n of late years. SO lar
a body in session from 20 to 80 da
en- imposes a heavy tax On the city whe
it commences. Accordingly, a +,
olution was passed that hereaf'