The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1886-05-13
TIE QUADRENNlAL CONFERENCE.
TIE GREAT COUNCIL OF TIE METHO-
n'ST CIURCH, SOUTH.
-Four Bishops an'd Two hundred nnd Fifty Lay
Delegates Assemble iu Richmond.

RICHMOND, May 5.-Thc General Con
ference of the Methodist Episcopa,
Church., South, met to-day in Centenary
Church. Nearly ull the delegates werc
present. The thirty eight Conferences,
under the control Of the General Confer.
cncc i'll the United States, reach from
Maryland to the Republic of Mexico,
and from Florida to Washington Terri
tory. There arc two other Conferences,
one partly i'll Texas and partly i'll
Mexico, and the other entirely in Mexi-
co, with headquarters at the City of
Mexico, making forty Conferences in all
the Southern Methodist Church.
The membership Of the Church, ac-
corling to the last report, received only
few days since, is nearly one million
persons. 1t has increased to this from
loo,o 600 persons i'll 1865. Besides, there
Is mission work among the Indians and
! SmrSclN settled districts of the West, on
the borders and i'll Mexico, and in Brazil
and China.
The General Conference represents tho
Church. 1t employs nearly three hun
drcd missionaries, and cxpcnds in the
maintenance of missions and the Dcr-
rormancc of mission work some $500 600
annually. It's church extension board.
with headquarters at Nashville, has been
organized only four years, but in that
tune 1t has expended about $50, 600 and
has assisted $50 churches. The publish
ing operations are conducted at Nash
| NllI", where the largest printing house is
situated, and operated by the Church.
1t is interested in Il large number of
educational enterprises, the largest OF
winch is Vanderbilt University.
The General Conference is thc chief
Legislative body of Il large Church scat
tered over vast domain. 1t is, in rcali
tN, tn" Congress Of the Church, hayino.
S'pr"m" power i'll forming and main
tanning the Church polity. 1t is COM
poSsd OF delegates selected by each Of
the annual Conferences in proportion to
their membership. The Conference
comprises about $50 members, divided
equally into clerical and lay representa-
tiNrS. Secretary L. 9. G. Lamar is a
prominent delegate.
The whole work Of the Church in its
various departments will be reviewed nj
the Conference and plans devised fo,
1utlne operations. In fact, the Who'll,
polity is subject to the revision Of thi,
booty. The Discipline of the Churcl
Will be gone over, and any advisable re-
visions made
y resolution was made at the last Con-
terence to change the name from thc
Methodist Church, South, to the Metho-
dlSt Church OF America, but was over
| WhclmnglN defeated, and the matter
Will probably not be brought ND again,
Ihe general drift of feeling seems to he
conservative. and there is not likely to
he any radical change. The relations
with the Northern Church are most cor
dial
The Conference is charged with the
duty OF rlccting all the general officers.
and will probably elect five new bishops,
who hold their offices for life: three prn-
cfAl secretaries and editors of the vari-
"uH organs of the Church, besides flliun
the various boards, the membership Of
all OF which will be revised The bi,.nops
| will preside over tic Conference il turn,
hut are not property members of that
body. They have no right to vote.
lhcy have the privilege Of the floor,
however, but rarely avail themselves (:
II. lhc secretary of the Conference, an
important officer, is elected after it meets
III regular session and is not necessarily
Of that body.
The Conference, which meets only
every four years. will last from twenty
to thirty days Much interest has been
aroused on account Of the important
business to be transacted. The election
OF bishops has especially attracted n
great deal OF attention, as there are Scv-
cral candidates for the high honor.
The Conference was called to order bv
Bishop II. n. McTyicrc, Of Tennessee,
senior bishop. -Four other bishops of
the Church were present, to wit: Keen
or, OF New Orleans, Wilson, Of Mary
land, GrandbCrry, Of Missouri, and Har-
grove, of Alabama. Besides these there
are about 25O delegates, clerical and Law,
present. The Conference elected the
l{cV. DIR. john S. Martin, Of the Balti-
more CqPfcrcncr, secretary, with the
following assistant secretaries. Dr. b. B.
Crawford, Of Alabama; Rev. DIR. w. A..
Gambler, North Georgia Conference. and
Rev. John 6. Vincent, Missouri Confer
Cncc.
The Rev. DIR. a. c, Blcdsoc, Of Broad