New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-04-30
THE METHODIST COUNCIL
READY FOR THE GREAT CONFERENCE.
ITS NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. THAT AXE TO nA
DISCUSSED CANDIDATES TOR Frisco

the habatcn OF of the largest ana most reptcso"
atvc ecclesiastical councils In the woid-The 0ene~
Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church Inc
first session of the Conference win begin tomorrow
morning at O'clock and will continue until p IA
Bmilar sessions will be held on every day OF the wcok
except sunday until the Conference has Done IT'S WORK
The oonmttes having charge OF the arrangements In.
rludes General Clinton B. Fisk. DR. j. NJ Philips OF
the N s,o6sf Book Concern. and the Rev. Drs A X.
sanetef5 and A. J. Palmer Tho Metropolitan Opera
Hons ~ hired because Il the largest and most con-
trally situated Of all the buildings which would servo
the purposes Of the Conference besides the main
room all the concert hall and the smaller rooms are all
a the disposal OF the Conference for committoe pur-
poses branch post-oflce as well rs o telegraph aud
messenger services Will be established Temporarily In
the Opera for the convenience OF the delegates
In the audience roo the orchestra chairs VIII 20 TO
served for the exclusive OF tho delegates who VIII
number about $50 All the boxes rented at prices
ranging from $50 to 800 for the month They have
been taken by delegates for their families, and by
members OF the church in Eew-York and VICINITY
though Chicago, St. Louis Cincinnati, and other parts
Of the West represented among the renters All
sposcd of In few weeks after the Opera House
had been secured The money thus obtained VIII so
10 the fund dcfrayng the expenses of the Conference
The rest of tho house Is open TO tho public, ana WALL
seat fully 1000 people No tickets VIII DO required
for admission. The stage Will be reserved for the
Bishops and visiting officials and guests OF the church,
and the space front of the stage. used by the orches
ira in performances will DO occupied by the represent"
Atves Of the various newspapers.
AN EXPENSE BILL AND HOW TO MEET IT.
Many thousands of people interested In the Affairs
,f the church will be brought to tho city during tho
Itting of the Conference, 1t is estimated that the
average attendance daily. in addition to tho delegates,
will not be less than LOCO. collection Is regu-
larry taken In Methodist churches at intervals during
the years dcfray tho general expenses OF the
Conference From tho fund thus obtained the trans
portation OF delegates and officials. missionaries and
irad Ia he ar he
Is paid. Transportation is large item in the ex'
pense account, for many Of the delegates come from
such distant countries as Africa, China, Japan and
various parts Of Europe. Tho old way was to arrange
for the care OF delegates ct the houses OF families
I'm the vicinity Of the Conference, but now they are
provided With rooms at the leading hotels unless they
desire make other arrangements. The total ex-
penses for trans portaon and maintenance during the
Conference is estimated ut about 100000 II this
should exceed the fund the excess is made up by tho
Book Concern. 1t Is proposed that the sessions shall
not continue more than five hours day. The COM
mttees viii DO in session In their rooms most OF tho
day. On Tuesday and Thursday evenings and SUM-
day afternoons religious services win be held tn the
Opera House
HOW THE CONFERENCE WILL WORK.
Little time Will be lost In organizing the Methodist
quadrennlsls Tho Rev. Dr. ID. S. Monr0o. who was
secretary OF the last General Conference, has made
up tho roll of members from the official names that
have been sent him. and he viii call the roll when
the Conference opens The bishops will all be present
at the first meeting and Bishop Thomas Bowman,
the senior in the Episcopal College, will preside.
bishop Will preside over every session. Thore arc
now eleven bishops in the Methodist Church and they
rank in seniority after Bishop Bowman in tho
following order Randolph S. Foster, stephen NJ.
Merrill Edward G. Andrews. Henry W. warron,
Cyrus D. Foss, John F. Hurst, William X
Nindt, John NJ. Walden, Willard F. Mallaeu and
Charles II. Fowler There is also Missionary Bishop
appointed by the last General Conference, wiIlfsm
Taylor Bishop for Africa.
Every Annual Conference in the Methodist Epis-
copal Church is entitled to q ministerial delegate to
tho General Conference for every forty OF Its
members two lay delegates are also allowed to each
Annual Conference which has more than one minis
tcrial delegate. Among the lay delegates to this
Conference are such well known men as John D. Stay
back Of Now-York; Governor Phlneas c. Lounsbury,
OF Connecticut; Congressman John B. Storm, OF
Philadelphia Isaac Bailey, of Chicago; Alden spearc,
of Massachusetts, and General Clinton d. Fisk Tho
bishops have vote in the Conference. 1t is urged
by delegates that they not necessarily pres
Ont officially but there by the courtesy Of the
Conference, which IS tho legislative body Of tho
church. The Conference elects bishops, editors OF
church periodicals, secretaries Of the general church
)cietcs and book agents to manage tho publishing
interests of the church in NewYork. Cincinnati, Chi
-cago and ST. Louis.
1t is ortyfour years since the General Conference
held its last session In New-York Up to that time
10 had been mado up of delegates from all Methodist
Episcopal Conferences in the country. At that
sion discussion between the North and south
on the question Of slavery 1t resulted In the sep
GRAFTON OF the North and South Had that separation
never taken place, Methodists fond OF saying,
there would have boon political separation
Of the states the that in consequence.
The feeling between those two divisions Of the church
has been moro amiable than now, and their
ultimate reunion, though IL is not likely to be brought
about 10y this Conference. viii probably DO one of the
interesting subjects of discussion.
THE CHEZ QUESTIONS AT ISSUE
1t is agreed that the leading issue in point OF
eral interest is the question whether women
eligible delegates to the General Conference Just
how this issue is TO DO presented IS not yet apparent
The movement to admit women IS new and has a
large support in the country although 1t is said not to
be favored generally by the bishops tho leading
church officials. At lcast five women have been
elected delegates to this Conference and others have
been elected reserves alternates Thoy are women
who stand high IN the church and known through
the country, and have the ability II they get the
chance to argue their equal rights with mon in the
Quadrennal councils Of the church The women
who have been sent by Annual Conferences are Miss
Frances Z. Willard president Of the Womans Chris
Temperance Union, of the Rock River Conference,
Illinois Mrs Mary 7. Lathrop Of Jackson, Mich, an
alternate who is regarded as one Of the most per-
suaslve of women debsters, and Of whom the Rev.
Dr. j. NJ Reid, secretary OF the Mission Board said
recently that she without exception the most
eloquent woman he had ever hstencd 10 MS. Ango-
lima r. Newman who has taken prominent part In
the Mormon agitation; Mrs Harriet A. Roberts, an
alternate from the Nebraska Conference; Miss Mary
Mind, also a wcl-known temperance worker, Of
nkesoundng name, but not related 10 Bishop Ninde,
and Mrs. Lizzie d. Van kirk wife Of leading banker
In Pittsburg and prominent in the church work OF
that city, Mrs. Van Kirk, Is ssid will not como to
the Conference delegate unless the decision Is in
favor of the womod Tho question is likely TO be one
Of the first that win be discussed
Tho North Nebraska Conference elects two women as
reserve delegates, Mrs. Henrietta Hodgetts and Mrs
lose g. Harding; tho Southern Illinois Conference
sends Mrs. salle NJ. Logan and Mrs. sallie L. n. |
Needles as reserves Mrs. Isabella NJ. Hsrrough is an
alternate from the Dakota Conference, Mrs Charlotte
T. Fisher from the Colorado Confcroncs others are