Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-04-09

Interesting Facts About the Next Session
of Troy Conference.


The fourth annual session of the Troy
Conference of the Methodist Episcopal
church will be held at Pittsheld, Mass.
Il charming city of about 10000 inhabi-
tants commencing Thursday, April % and
closing probably on the following Tues
day, the bishop presiding being Rev. DR..
> VI. Merrill of Chicago. Bishop Merrill
is strong man intellectually, has occu-
pied "A prominent position as an ecclesias-
teal litterat, principally through the
fame of his works on Ecclesiastical Law
aud "The Second Coming of Christ" al
though he made his mark as editor for
many years of the western Chris
Uuu 1drOcutc at Cincinnati. He was
also the presiding bishop at the General
Conference session in Philadelphia two
Years ago, which relegated Burlington
district back from the Vermont to the
Troy Conference. The latter conference
has held its session i'm Pittshcld but once
before, in 1861, and this time. as is gener-
ally the case, tine ministerial delegates
Will he entertained 10y the Plttstield
church.
Troy Conference is composed of SIX dis
tricts named Il, follows, after the cities
1t the head of their districts respective
ly; Albany, Burlington, Cambridge, Sar-
atoga, Plattsburgh and Troy. The saa-
ries of the pastors in every case are add
iusted to their supposed needs and the
ability of the charge to pay. They range
from >iOO to 5000 and average about $1,000.
The charges paving $500 or over are
Amsterdam, $500; Albany: First Meth
Odist Episcopal church, 5000; Ash
Grove, 5000 Grace, 5000; Trinity, $1,000 ;
St lukes, $500; @chenectady, $500 .
LansingbUrgh, $500; North Adams,
Mass, $1,000; Pttsheld, 5000: Troy
State street, $500; North Second street,
$1,000: West Troy, Washington street,
$500; Gloversville, $500; Glens Falls,
$500 and this city, 5000 The amount
paid pastors last year in the conference,
including the rental value of parsOnages,
was Sl99,2l9.
Last year an unusually large number of
ministers were located in the weather
appointments, so that this year fewer
changes will be made than usual in that
class of charges. As far as known, Bur
lngton, Glens Falls, Amsterdam, and
Lansingburgh are the only large churches
whose pastors will be transferred, while in
the second grade, Cohoes, Canajohare
Whitehall and Cambridge and possibly Il
few others Will undergo change. Ii is eX-
pected that Rev. w. II. Hughes of Amster
dam will 20 to Schenectady, Rev. |. ID. Van
Nalkenburgh of Sand Lake has received
call from l.anSlnIDurGn, ana Kew
George \. Barrett of Schenectady may
possibly be transferred to Glens Falls
Out of the three hundred min
listers of the conference, about lO(
will be changed. Resolutions have beer
prepared and will be Introduced taking
from the presiding bishop the power OF re
moving and stationing ministers, and be
slowing it upon the bishop and his cab
met, the presiding elders. The theory adj
vanced to sustain this action is that the
presiding elders who are on the grOunt
know the situation better than the absent
bishop. However, there is likely to b,
more impartality in the old method, tn,
bishop requiringa full presentation before
him of the pros and cons of a disputed case
and it is the opinion of one qualified tC
know that the old method will be retained
Wednesday will be devoted to the exam
ination of theological students and candl
dates for the ministry, of whom there ar,
four classes. Rev. NJ. ID. Jump of thi
city has charge of the examination of tn,
| first year class
| During the year the following members
of the conference have died The Rev
Sanford Washburne of Mechanicsvlle
the Rev. Gideon II. Townsend of ROM,
Lake; the Rev. Alpheus ;. Bigelow 0
Keeseville, the Rev. Daniel Rose of vii
| Jamestown, the Rev. b. NJ. Hall of Wis
cheers Ferry, the Rev. David Osgood o
Argyle. and the Rev. Iebulon Phillips o
Troy. These had all retired from activ
work in the ministry.