The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-05-03
THH WOMEN BARRED OUT.
The Second Day of the M. E.
QuadrenniaI Conference.
ADVERSE COMMITTEE REPORT
On the Question of Admitting Fe-
male Delegates--The Address of
the Bishops - Prosperity
OF the Church, SC.

NEW YoRK, May 2.-The second days
session Of the twentieth annual General
Methodist Conference opened promptly
at 9 o'clock this morning at the Metro
politan Opera House. Bishop Stephen
A. Merritt occupied the chair. The pro-
ceedings opened with prayer and read
ing Of the Scriptures. Bishop Merritt
then read the address Of the Bishops
extending to the delegates the episcopal
greeting and blessing. The address re-
viewed the revival work that has been
going on in the church since the last
conference, four years ago. Since then
not less than $4,000 souls have been
brought into the church. The member
ship has increased from l,769,543 to
2,O9O,393. There has been great i'm
provement in the architectural designs
Of the churches. Considerable cor
respondence has been had with the
English Church about the English and
American Churches TO be held in the
United States in 1891. The delegates
were urged TO support only the official
book concerns and papers. After DWELL
ing at length on the growth OF skephcsm
the address advised that only men OF
scholarly minds who are able to cope
with the arguments of scOffers should
be placed in the pulpit. Attention was
called to the standing Of the Missionary
Bishops. 1t is now known who are to
support the Missionary Bishop, or 10
whom he is amenable, The growth OF
the number Of delegates TO the quadrien-
NAL conference was spoken OF, and 1t
was suggested that some change should
be made that would limit the represen-
tatiOn. The increasing arrival on
our shores OF members OF the Roman
church makes it imperative that the
members OF the Methodist Church
should work TO convert them. The
Bishops are OF the opinion that the
Church OF Rome is snare to the people
and threatens our institutions. The
struggle between capital and labor is re-
ferred to in the address and it was denied
that the church has any right to take
part In political struggles or had taken
part in them. 1t was advised that steps
should be taken to adopt some regular
order Of worship so that in all churches
the form would be the same.
The Bishops severely criticised the
secular Sunday newspapers. THE liquor
traffic was deprecated and total prohibi-
ton was advised. The liquor traffic, it
was held, could not be legalized without
sin. The members OF the church were
advised to work for the destruction OF
the pernicious traffic.
WOMEN BARRED OUT.
The report OF the committee appoint
ed to report on the eligibility of women
as delegates was then brought forward.
II was presented by Rev. DR.. Shinkle.
The committee reported, "That after ser
ious discussion they have become con-
yinced that when the rule was passed
relating to the admission Of lay delegates
to the general conference, the church
contemplated the admission Of men only
as lay delegates. Under the constitu-
ton and laws women are not eligible,
aud the committee agreed that the pro-
test against the ladies should be sus-
tained, and that the conferences from
which they were sent be notified that
the seats are vacant"
The report was signed by eleven mem
bers OF the committee and six OF the
members refused to sign it. 1t was re-
solved that the debate on the subject be
postponed until tomorrow, when it
should be the order OF the day.
Rev. DR.. Barnes, OF Michigan, offered
a resolution 10 the effect that the previ-
Gus question should not be called for to-
morrow until all the delegates had had
a chance to speak upon the question at
issue. The resolution was not adopted.