The Washington critic., 1888-04-30
WASHINGTON CRITIC
A GREAT CATuERINC.
The General Conference of the VI. 4.
Church.

Church.
The General Conference of the Metho-
dist Episcopal Church, which meets in
the Metropolitan Opera. House In New
York tomorrow, is the largest ecclesiasti-
cal parliament of Protestant Christen-
dom.
The conference will last probably about
month, and during the session much
will be done to interest the Mothodists,
not only in America, but throughout the
world. All the conferences of the Meth
odist Episcopal Church in the United
States, Europe, Asia and Africa will be
represented by delegates, who, in the ag-
gregate, will number nearly 800.
Among the important matters to be at
tended to will be the election of several
bishops. Two bishops, Simpson and Har-
ris have died since the meeting Of the last
General Conference, held in Philadelphia
in 1854. Besides, there are some Of the
living bishops who are in inlirm health.
There are eleven bishops now living as fol-
lows; Bishops Thos. Bowman of st. Louis,
Mo-; r. s. Foster of Boston, Mass. S. NJ
Merrill, of Chicago, ILL.,; Il. G. Andrews
of Washington, ID. c.. III. w. Warren of
Denver, COL; Cyrus D. Foss of Minneap-
oils Mimi; John +. Hurst Of Buffalo
N. Y; w. X. Ninde of Topeka, Kan;
w. j.. Mallalieu of New Orleans, La. Q.
II. Fowler of San Francisco, Cal. Also,
Bishop William Taylor, whose jurisdiction
only extends to Africa
The last bishop taken directly from the
Baltimore Conference was Bishop Waugh,
who was elected over forty years ago.
Bishop Ames, although he lived in Bal
Atimore for some time and died in Balti-
more, was elected bishop from the West.
Rev. DR.. Newman of The Metropolitan
Church of this city, a member of the Bal
timore Conference, has been previously
spoken of prominently as q suitable per-
son for the Episcopacy. II Is not likely,
be elected in New York will come from
the Baltimore Conference. The Balti
more Conference is entitled to four cleri-
cal and two lay delegates in the General
Conference.
Those most prominently named for the
Episcopacy are John III. Vincent, James
NJ. Buckley, James M. King, Daniel Good
sell, g. G. McCabe Henry Buttz, ]. n.
Fitzgerald, a, j. Kynett, Earl Cranston,
Sam. +. Upton. j. O. Peck, and j. w.
Hamilton. 1t is pretty certain that the
five new bishops are named in this list.
The status of Bishop William Taylor
will constitute one of the most exciting
questions which will come before the
body. -Four years ago he was q local
preacher, representing, as q layman, an
East India conference. In moment of
intense enthusiasm, excited by his heroic
and successful efforts in planting selfsup-
porting missions in India and in South
J America, he was made Missionary Bishop
of Africa. Afterward the Book Commit
tee upon whom devolves the payment OF
the salaries of the bishops, decided that
Bishop Taylor must receive his salary
fromthe Mission Board, as he was not q
full fledged bishop. Bishop Taylor has
persistently refused to receive his salary
from this source, regarding his theory of
| selfsustaining missions as forbidding his
| receiving any money from the missionary
treasury. He claims equal rank with
the other bishops, and that he should be
ll,aid from the same source.