The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-04-27
N. E. GENERAL CONFERENCE
An Outline of Work To Be Done at the
Coming QuadrenniaI Session.
Will Certainly Be COnsidered-The Elec-
ton Of Bishops the Leading Issue.

JonrHaI.
The General Conferences Of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, which meets Fundamentally,
will convene on May for it's twenty-ffth ses-
sion, the place of meeting beiag this city. 1t
met four years ago in Philadelphia and in 1850
Cincinnati was the favored place. The local ar
fangements are unusually elaborate. The Met
ropolitan Opera-house Broadway will be the
scene of the gathering, and the elegant hotels in
that select neiehborhoOd will shelter most Of the
delegates. The cost of the building has been
provided for by the sale of the eighty-four pri-
yate boxes it contains Each of these accommo-
dates from six TO ten persons, and the price for
each during the month the body will be in ses-
SIGN has ranged from $50 to 500. The confer
ence proper will occupy the parquette. and there
will still remain about two thousand seats.
which will be open TO the public. This Is sd-
mirabIe, and with the exception OF those who
think that church which condemns theatrical
performances ought not to use an operahouse
for the transaction OF its most important bust
ness. all will. no doubt, be satisfied and happy.
THE conference will consist of about $50 dele
gates. These will come from all parts of the
country, and some of them from abroad. In the
NJ. e. Church there are annual conferences to
the number of Ill. Each of these will be rep
resented in the General Conference By from
one TO six ministers, and by two individ-
uals from the laity. The conference which
sends TWO or more c1ergyuen sends two laymen
never more than that number, while if only
one minister goes, but one lsyman be sent.
Among the ministers, tbs ratio of representa-
ton is one delegate for every forty-fve mem
bers OF each annual conference, and
number. Formerly. it was one for
every thirty. but that made the General
large. and the bishops, during this quad
Tennium, have submitted to the annual con-
ferences proposition to reduce it. This. how
ever. has met an emphatic negative. largely. no
doubt, because so many aspire to be elected to
that body. Nor are the ministers to be blamed
very much, for it Is undeniably great honor TO
go as delegate to General Conference not to
speak of the advantage it is in making other
dignities possible. Naturally. from the careful
manner in which they are selected, one expects
to find the church's greatest men in her General
Conference. But of course. all the great men
cannot 60. because there many of them.
Among the lay delegates are found Governors,
judges, and others who are prominent in civil
life, including even n few distinguished women. =
like Mrs Angie T. Newman, of Nebraska, Mrs,
Wiard ~ ,Sa % S; "
will be the first entry of the good sisters within
the arena of the General Conference, the male
species having hitherto had their own sweet
way there. none daring to make them afraid,
30 to speak. This. too. in spite of the fact
that women constitute so large "a majority of
the. churchs constituency. In this de-
parture some see an act Of tardy JUS
tice, and others enthusiastic that
they think they see 10 it almost the dawning of
the millennium. But the cooler heads led by
DR.. Buckley. say these women have no right in
that body, and will not be allowed there. The
matter has already excited long and heated dis
cusslon In the Methodist press. and it will doubt
less be bone of contention within few DAYS
In the conference itself. Doubtless. too, this
conference, like its predecessors, win be asked
70 license womsn 20 preach and to provide for
their ordination, request to which the church
has always so far responded in the negative.
Thus 1.-THE woman in the case" will be conspicu-
aF1aa qFIu and nft and T7fsa ar-mI
IL that, as usual, she will make things lively.
The General Conference ia the only body in
o change any Of its laws, and considering the
numerical strength of the church, this one fact
accounts abundanty both for the honor inner
ing In election 20 that body and for the wide
spread interest felt in it's results Late sta
tsties place the whole number of travelling min
listers at over 1900, with nearly ID. 600 local
preachers, while the total membership falls but
little below 100000. IL controls Also %, 900
more Sunday schools, in which there are q
grand aggregate Of people; young and old.
additional facts that this church is raising
pually for various purposes over $40, 600, 900;
that its book concerns did business last year
amounting to So 000. 900. and that il touches the
masses Of the people TO an extent TO which,
perhaps, nc other Protestant church does,
and one sees at once, not only the greatness
of the church itself, but the great Importance,
also. OF the body which has the sole right to
leRslate for it. Usually, though. notwithstand-
ing the great power iphering in it, the General
Conference is exceedingly deliberate aud very
slow 70 make changes Itlooks sometimes. just
before the body convenes, as though it might so
transform the organism of the church TO
render it Understandable by even its Oldest
friends. The coming conference would certainly
do this il it adopted all the suggestions voun-
teered by correspondents in the church press
and IL would not fall very far short of doing il
should il act favoraby upon all the PROPOSITIONS
that will be made in due time by its own mem
bers. 1t IS safe to predict, however, that this
gathering will be little less conservative if any
than it's predecessors have been, and that the
old ship will emerge from the forensic tempests
lying before her not 81 all damaged, and with
very little alteration in her rigging
It 10 inevitable, though that some changes
will be made. Many camor for the relaxing of
the rule in regard to popular Hmusements The
strong point of these is that Methodist practice
along this line is not in harmony with it's pre-
cepts, and that to retain disciplinary rule |
pecially since. while it remains, it paces Meth |
odisIa at disadvantage with other dsnomina- |
tions. Requests for changes in the itinerant |
oystem of the church are very numerous among |
those which are not unlikely TO prevail being |
the demand for the extension of the pastoral |
limit either uniformly, or so as 20 meet cases,
and provision by which presiding elders, in |
stead of being appoir ted as now, by the bishops,
shah be elected by their brethren Possibly. |
too, In the same connection, something |
may be done by way OF comforting more power I
upon the bishops cabinet, of which the presid- |
ing elders form the component parts. This. |
with view to reducing the power of the
bishops 10 the stationiug of ministers. Another |
matter to be considered, and which will probably
be decided in the Affirmative, is that OF extending
the power of the laity, by giving them repre-
Bentatives in the annual conferences. Another
question will be that OF union with other Meth
odist ehurchea There may be definite prop
Dsision for such union, but the matter will come /
mp in some form, and healthy growth of senti-
mens will be indicated. The conference will /
also complete arrangements for gathering in
ahis country in 1891 of representatives of all
Methodist churches in the world similar body
TO the famous Ecumenieal Conference which met
In 1881 in London.
But the greatest interest will center in the
elections. It is not quite true, have
paid, that ehe conferences will have in it's Gift
sufficient number OF Offices 10 allow Of one or
more being conferred upon each OF thu $50 dele
gates; but it is true that. II service on boards
and committees be counted, it viii have nearly
enough TO allow Of such distribution 1t IS also
true. and some think very unfortunately so.
lhat The delegalea are general thing.