Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-05-03
coNFERRING mETHODlsrs.
Perplexed over the Admission OF
women as Delegates.

women as Delegates.
New York, May 2.-Bishop Bow
man, the presiding officer Of thu
Methodist General Conference, ap
pointed two committees to consider
the eligibility Of women as foreign
delegates. The protests against the
admission Of women are, first, on the
ground that their admission implie.
and compels a vital Interpretation BY
this body Of the law not enacted by the
General Conference alone, but which
was ordained by constitutional pro.
cess; and, second, because their al.
mission modified the construction o.
the General Conference in a manner
and TO an extent not contemplated by
those who gave the latter its dele
gated power.
Foreign delegates are objected tc
on the ground that they do not reside
within the bounds of the conferences
whose certificates they bear. Jobr
Z. Richards, from the Montana Con.
ference, is objected to on theground
that he was elected by conference
not convened in accordance with the
plan provided by the discipline, both
as to time and place.
The above was received for yester-
day, but was unavoidably delayed
-Ed.l
THE SECOND Days SESSION
OF the Conference opened at 8 O'Clock
with Bishop Stephen NJ. Merrill in
The chair. Bishop Merrill read the
address OF the Bishops extending to
the delegates the Episcopal greeting
and blessing. The address reviewed
the revival work that had been going
on in the church since the last Con
ference four years ago. Since then
not less than 45O, 600 souls have beer
brought into the church, and the
membership has increased from
100 ,534 to 2,093, 1886.
After dwelling at length on the
growth Of skepticism, the address ad-
vises that only men of scholarly minds
who are able to cope with the argu-
ments of scoders, should be placed in
the pulpits.
A respectable support for mission
ary Bishops was urged.
The growth of the number of dele
gates to the quadrenniel con
ference was spoken Of, and it wa:
suggested that some change SHOULD
be male that would limit representa-
ton.
The increasing arrival on oul
shores of members Of the Ro
man Church makes it imperative thai
members Of the Methodist Churcf
should work to convert them. The
Bishops are Of the opinion that thi
Church OF Rome is snare to th.
people and threatens our institutions
The struggle between capi al al,
labor is referred to in the address ant
it was denied that the church has
any right to take part in a politica
struggle or had taken part in any.
1t was advised that steps should b,
taken to adopt some regular order o
worship so that in all the churches thu
form would be the same. The Bishop
severely criticised the regular Sunda,
newspapers. The liquor traffic wa
deprecated and total prohibition ad
vised.
The committee on the eligibility o
women as delegates reported tina
after serious discussion they have be
Icome convinced that when the rul
was passed relating to the admissio
OF lay delegates to the General Con
ference, the church contemplated th
admission of men only. Under th
constitution and laws women are NJ
leligible, and the committee agree
| that the protest against ladies shoul
be sustained. and that conference
from which they were sent be not
fed that their seats are vacant.
was resolved that the debate on Ii
subject be postponed until tomorrow