Omaha daily bee., 1888-04-29
N. E. CHURCH CONFERENCE.
They viii Legislate For Nearly Two
Millions of Adherents.
GENERAL MEETING NEXT WEEK
A Forecast OF the Questions to be Con-
sidered New Bishop to be
EIected-other Important
Church Notes.
Methodist General Conference.

Methodist General Conference.
NEW York, April 2S.-[Special TO the
BBEl-The general conference Of the Meth
odist Episcopal church, which meets quad
rennially, will convene on the lst OF May for
its twenty-fifth session, the place Of meeting
being New York city. 1t met four years ago
In Philadelphia, and in 1880 Cincinnati was
the favored place. The local arrangements
are unusually elaborate. The Metropolitan
opera house on Broadway will be the scene
Of the gathering, and the elegant hotels in
chat select neighborhood will shelter most of
the delegates. The cost Of the building has
been provided for by the sale OF the eighty
four private boxes it contains. Each of these
accommodates from six to ten persons, and
the price for each during the month the body
will be in session has ranged from $50 TO 800.
The conference proper will occupy the par
uuet, and there will still remain about two
thousand seats which will be open to the
public. This Is admirable, and with the ex-
Ception of those who think that q church
condems theatrical performances ought not
TO use an opera house for the TRANSACTION of
its most important business, oil will no doubt
be satisfied and happy.
The conference will consist of about four
hundred and fifty delegates. These will
come from all parts of the country and some
of them from abroad. In the M. E. church
there are annual conferences to the number
of Ill. Each of these will be represented in
the general conference by from one to six
ministers and by one or two individuals from
the laity. The conference which sends two
or more clergymen sends two ~laymen-never
more than that number, while If only one
minister goes, but one layman can be sent.
Among the ministers the ratio of representa-
ton is one delegate for every forty-tive men,
bers of each annual conference, and one for
every fraction of two-thirds that num-
Der: Formerly it was one for every
conference too large, Many think it is still
too large, and the bishops, during this quad
rennium, have submitted to the annual con-
ferences a proposition to reduce it. This,
however, has met an emphatic negative,
largely, no doubt, because so many aspire to
be elected to that body. Nor are the minis
tiers to be blamed very much, for it is undeni-
ably a great honor to go to general confer
ence, 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 go, be-
cause there are so many of them.
Among the lay delegates are found govern
ors, judges and others who are prominent in
civil life, including even o few distinguished
women, like Mrs. Angie F.. Newman, of Ne
braska, Mrs. Mary G. Mind, of Minnesota,
and. Frances,G. Willard of the whole country.
This, by the way, will be the first entry of
the good sisters within the arena of the gen.
: eral conference, the male species having
hitherto had their own sweet way there, none
daring to make them afraid, 80 to speak.
This, too, in spite of the fact that the women
constitute so large a majority of the church's
constituency. In this new departure some
see an act of tardy Justice, and others are so
enthusiastic that they think they see in 1t al
most the dawning of the millennium. But the
cooler heads, led by DR.. Buckley, say these
body, and will not be allowed there. The
matter has already excited long and heated
discussion in the Methodist press, and it will
few days in the conference itself. Doubt
less, too, this conference, like its immediate
predecessors, will be asked to license women
to preach and to provide for their ordination,
far responded in the negative. Thus 'the
woman in the case' will be conspicuous
early and often, and the promise is that, as
usual, she will make. things lively.
The general conference is the only body in
the Methodist church possessing the power
to make or change any of its laws, and con-
sidering the numerical strength of the
church, this one fact accounts abundantly
both for the honor inhering in an election to
that body and for the widespread interest
felt in its results. Late statistics place the
whole number of travelling ministers at
over fourteen thousand, with nearly thirteen
local preachers, while the total membership
falls but little below two millions. 1t controls
also 23, 900 or more Sunday schools, in which
there are a grand aggregate of people, young
and old, amounting to 2, lGO,244. Add to these
items the additional facts that this church is
raising annually for various purposes over
$40, 600, 900; that its book concerns did q bust
ness last year amounting to two millions, and
that 1t touches the masses Of the people TO an
extent to which, perhaps, no other Protestant
church does, and one sees at once, not only
the greatness of the church itself, but the
Importance, also, of the body which has the
sole right to legislate for 1t. Usually, though,
pnttyithat pltpn tho uvnnt Nnn,o 4, la,;o- e.,
II, the general conference is exceedingly
deliberate and very slow to make changes. 1t
looks sometimes, Just before the body con,
venes, as though it might so transform the
organism OF the church as to render it un-
recognizable by even its oldest friends. The
coming conference would certainly do this if
1t adopted all the suggestions volunteered
by correspondents in the church press, and
1t would not fall very far short of doing il
should it act favorably upon the propositions
that will be made in due time by its own
members. 1t is safe to predict, however,
that this gathering will be little less con.
sentative, II any, than its predecessors have
been and that the old ship will emerge from
the forensic temptests lying before her, not al
all damaged, and with very little alteration
IN her rigging.
1t is inevitable, though, that some changes
will ne made. Many clamor for the relaxing
OF the rule in regard to the popular amuse
ments. The strong point with these Is that
Methodist practice along this line is not in
'' 1899 N"NS ~ -
tam a disciplinary rule which is so often dis
regarded, is bad policy, especially since
while 1t remains, it places Methodism at a
disadvantage with other denominations Re
quests for changes in the Itinerant system 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 to meet
special cases and q provision by which pre-
siding elders, instead of being appointed as
now by the bishops shall be elected by theii
brothers. Possibly too. in the same connec
ton something may be done by way of con
ferring more power upon the bishops cabi
net, OF which the presiding elders form tn,
component parts. This with a view to re
ducing the power of the bishop in the sta
tioning Of ministers. Another matter TO be
considered and which will probably be de
cided in the affirmative, is that of extending
the power Of the laity by giving them repro
sentatives in the annual conferences. An
other question will be that of union will
other Methodist churches. There may be N
definite proposition for such union, but tn
matter will come up in some form, and
healthy growth of sentiment will be indi
Gated. The conference will also complet
arrangements for a gathering in this countr'