The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-06-02
represented in the General Conference
only by bOnd-fdc residents and members
| in fhnir tnrritnrv

Touching the much debated questie

TERMS OF PRESIDING ELDEks.
Touching the much debated question
Of what the Constitution OF the Genera
Conference is, a commission Of seven
teen has been appointed to consider the
matter, and report to this body ioul
years hence.
The greatest change in the pastorate is
the extension OF the term to five years
Many think there are conditions attached
to this extension, but the fact is that
there are no other conditions attaching
to the fiye-year than attached formerly
to the three.year limit. To equalize
matters, an addition has also been made
to the term OF the presiding elders.
This term is extended from four years to
six, and though the Conference provided
that an elder may not preside more
than six years over the same district
until he has been away from it six, it re.
fused to say that man having served
six years on district may not be imme..
diately appointed, at the discretion oil
the Bishops, to some other district.
The changes affecting the membership
OF the church are both few and trivial.
Perhaps the Most radical is the establish
ment OF the Order OF Deaconesses. This
was for the especial benefit OF the good
sisters, and us a further proof OF the TACT
that women are having matter much
their own way in these days, it is worthy
Of note that the conference voted finally
to allow all members OF the church over
q years OF age, female as well as male, to
vote upon the question OF whether wo-
men should not be admitted to the Cen
eral Conference. 1t also established the
following uniform order OF worship:
Hymn, the people standing; prayer,
minister and people knceling, closing
with the Lords prayer in concert; les
sons from the Old and New Testament,
either one OF which may be read respon-
sively; hymn; sermon; brief prayer;
singing, to end with the DoXology, and
the whole to conclude with the Apostolic
Benediction.
THE TEMPERANCE QUESTION.
The action Of the body on the subject
of temperance and prohibition, was, as
every one anticipated, fully up to the
standard OF former conferences, and, il
anything, u slight advance was regis
tered. After the adoption ofthe regular
resolutions, which were quite us strong
MS they could be made, it Nassproposed
to take further action providfhg for the
retention in the Discipline OF certain
delivcrance on this subject which was
objected to by some because, as they al
legged, it had been used by preachers
with third party proclivities to convince
Methodists that they could not be true TO
their church unless they voted the third
party ticket. A strong effort was made
to have this deliveranCe omitted from
the new discipline. The debate was not
only spirited, but it had political and
even an acrimonious tinge. 1t resulted,
however, in the retention OF the objec.
tional paragraph by count vote OF 2O7
to 40. This paragraph declares against
the traffic in any way; estab-
lishes total abstinance us the role for
and legal prohibition as the
only proper attitude for the State, and
while it disclaims any purpose to inter
iere with the political affiliations OF its
it still warns them to be care
iul to not give their support to any party
in the interests OF the liquor
traffic.
On tho subject of organic union with
the Church South nothing definite was
done, but the cause was greatly ad-
vanced by the speech Of DR.. Steed, Of
Louisville. To the proposal from the
Protestant Episcopal Church, made to
this in common with all other evangel-
ical bodies, seeking union by absorp-
ton OF the whole lot into one fold, that
fold to be theirs and offering to give the
Apostolic Sacraments for thispurpose to
all such rs would accept the proposal
to this offer the conference returned a
polite mo, thank you," feeling, Of
course, that Methodism could never nc
cept n proposition for union which
would require it to acknowledge that IL
had never been true church, though
at the same time satisfaction was ex-
pressed at the growing liberality OF the
Episcopal Church, and the right hand
OF greeting and fellowship was extended
to that body.
The applicants for the session Of this
great body four years hence were Wash
ington, D. c., Charleston, S. G., Spring
field, Ill.,, Chicago, San Francisco, Dem
yer, st. Louis and Omaha, and, to the
great Joy OF the stalwart nor westerners,
the lot fell TO the last named, where, in
1892, will be re.enacted similar scenes to
those which for month past the press
and public OF this metropolis have been
treated. H.T.