New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-03-01
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE.
ANOTHER TALK WITH DR. T. L. FLOOD.
eossg LIVELY QUESTIONS FOR THE eRhA'
urrRonIsr GATHERING IN NAY.

MEANWHILE Penn Feb. c5.-I mot Dr. T. L. flooo
Editor of The Chautanquaa" the other day anu
him TO- now points on the coming Genera ."n'eao -
the Methodist Episcopal Church. He ana W. nov,
struck times In which now things ehafae"i1o -"
movements of the Methodsts In their prepsi "o,' 80
The Ccnera, Conference 10 meet IN Newforh oiy ID
Nav next Ex-Governer Pattson, OF Peniss'a"a'
has been elected lay delegate oy .o'"''eo
India This choice will save the travelling c>lDiS''
nj delegate from India to this country anu re'u'n
tn. - royernor was a delegate from the PhiiadeE
nj, co,,,,euce four years ago, when he wore Guper
n.,os,, hop.rs lie made a useful member OK thai
body ard he would doubtless be elected again oy nus
phiIaaepaia friends, but the Hndoos a'ipe'eo '''o
and ,s,t him in. Another case IS mar OF Jon" NJ
rn,,,,s At the head Of the Methodist Book Concern
AZ No sos Broadway, who has been elected lay oee
r.,s hx a conference in Mexico He has been men,
h. beforc II Is new departure 10 elect Americans
To reprcscnt conferences located In foreign countries
I'm this aw-makihg body, but 1t Is dangerous proe
dent When the time comes that the po"eH"i III
uuencc In America Is brought to bear on the churches
IN Ais, ant lands to sac rfce their native right or repro
.,,,iop I'm the General Conference by electing Amer
lean Mcthodsts delegates. then the Methodist sSs
ten OF conference representation Is goAe' inc ooeo
,ona bond Is weakened, canker has entered H. 'he
foreign Methodist church becomes an American chuich
and is likely to suffer.
"Thc men chosen among the foremost iay me" !"
Mc,bod,sm ON this continent. Mr.. Philips Is man
nj superior business qualhcs tons, and he has done
splendid work In the sixteen years he has oeen d, inc
head of the Methodist Book Concern Inc man a. INC
head OF this immense establishment ought by la" Vi
b,s church 10 DO member Of tie General conference
~, ,.,,o n, his olBcc Governor Pattison Is devoted
IN Netb.dism He teaches large Bible class IN inc
Sunday school every Sabbath and as Bishop simpson
once said to me, he Is ono OF the best men IN OH
Methodism. Tho objection Is not to the men, 'of
thew we're not consulted about being delegates out a.
precedent It is not only novelty but 1t forcooocs
4Dft I'm "a
turn the tide OF the Mississippi River about as queA
rs YOU could get the New-York conference to elect
isymsn from the Philadelphia conference, and vice
versa Tho conference lines in America arc as reiois
drawn ia these matters Congressional and state
lines are politics, and this Is one OF the s'or'es
Of this great ecclesiastical organization.
BOTH A BISHOP AND LAYMAN.
But more remarkable thing is yet TO he tod.
The Rev. Bishop C. II. Fowler, LID. OF san Fran
CISCO Is elected q lay delegate by conference
IN Dakota and that too, when be has not been ioof
years Ia tho episcopal Office. We believe he never was
a member of this conference, and a. bishop ne IS
not a member OF any conference Certainty hc IS NOT
q isyman since he Is Bishop. having accepted tho
ONCE and Is using its functions II so happens
that all tho full Bishops preside over tho Cenora 'o
ference In rotatory fashion, but no Bishop can MAKO
q motion or vote or engage in debate unless BY INC
courtesy of the body. II on some hno morning hA'
May IN Ncw-York Bishop Fowler should preside over
the General Conference Bishop aud hen tie next
morning turn up In tho Dakota delegation as ID,
delegate to mako motions and speeches ana Vo'o, "
would 30 LIKELY to try all the tmbers In he ola Aetho
dist ship At a prcsches' social tea the other day
We were discussing this point, when gentleman sa'o
that in this mattor Bishop Fowler reminded him OF
tho farmer who tossed his boy up ON load Of NAY
and called ont: Are you UP. son! yes, an up
too much, father, 1 ain going down the other sde.
This gentleman thought Bishop Fowlet's Office OF lay
delegate would be dspo>ed OF summary wlth inc pio
yious question close behind It.
"Bnt here comes another man whose name Always
appears In these discussions, Bishop William Taylor
He was elected . Bishop for Africa, and Tor AFRICA
only ue was a lay delegate when he was elected
II was a queer thing to do, but when the Ceherai Co
ference does a thing there appeal, and was so
in this case Here however, Is ths peenn hTi.y VA
tina esss; When Bishop Taylor comes up 70 New
York in May he cannot preside because he not n
Bishop he cannot sit as delegate, because thore u
no organized conference in Africa which Is feeosmheo
nv the law of the church, he cannot come as deie
gate from that land. II some American conference
should elect him delegate then 1t would inVoi'o mo
same Question that will DO raised In Bishop Fowler
casa IL u porpexing but tho cases promise TO Dc on
the docket Now, add for the first time, the eecuoh
Of several women lay delegates, ana we see inc
living and lively questions that will agitaie the Dras
Of the committee on credentials al tine very 'nio9o
of that great body
WHY THE CONFERENCE MEETS IN OPERA
HOUSES.
sYou ask me what building the General Conference
will occupy. The Metropolitan Opera House has oeoh
leased for all necessary meetings curing the mon'h VI
Nav II requires large audience room to accommo
date more than 400 delegates and more than 2,ooo
visitors who will attend the daily sessions, and New"
York City is great centre for Methodists. inc"
from Brooklyn, and adjacent cities In Newly rh e"
Jersey Pennsylvania and New England there VIII No
great throng of visitors 1t Is singular ia0' ma
while Is over 100 years old In This country
there Ia only ono church edce in the connection lat
ia considered large enough for this gathering, anu that
IA the Peoples Methodist Episcopal Church ID hoso'
Mass IL will seat about $500 persons. "hen inc
General Conference met In Brooklyn IL went 10 ,n0
Academy OF Music; in Baltimore, 1t was doDaf1ed p5
It's size from meeting In church IN 49,
me-, I'm Plies Opera House in Philadelphia, an olert
house, and in May next It will convene IN an Sps d
aSise TO seat 5000 people the necessity exists
In denomination which has been regarded as inc
1sope's church. that in cNery great city OF the iahu
ibets shall be at least ono audience room Dr..
John Hamilton undertook to solve TINS Plcpsh I5r
I, MAS great task, but 1t was done When bis term
Of three years expired the as s Sod Of the enerrse
and said: This Is an extraordinary case III;
necessity h to This his ioh YEAR II was DONE and
he was continued pastor OF that eholvh Iot %
authority. What is the result SIMPLY nn rhS 1 argc
part scattered and appeal has been naue 10 d .
hurch Extension icty By Bishop Foster for saooO
to help pay q ucDt VII plci"i''
limits Methodist preachers pastoral term had ps,
nltsed John ". Hamilton TO remain ten years hc woo1C
have Illustrated that great church ana great ecu
gIcgaiien possible even IN Bo>ton the naruc =,
fty soil which to plant and enllivss Men"a Us ~
Ais land. In New-York. Brooklyn, chicago or any
nne of several other large cities he cOhid have done II
In les ,,oc because the conditions would have beer
more favorable and talents and generaiship woulC
have couuuercd DR.. Talmage has built a gfea
church ctifce in BROOKLYN for the Presby berishs
peecber dld II for the C0ngegatonsiists. Tho zap
ilss have in 1sment Temple Boston and now
too with an ex Methodist preacher they Sueeeeu y
thai place DIR. Meredith. formerly a Metho9s
,rrscher did II on Saturday afternoons with Bibie
rlass IN that Temple. Joseph COOK fills II on Monda,
mornings with bis lectures Music Hail. Chcirhs'l
And Dr. swings church In Chicago show what othei
men can do.
INFLUENCE HURT BY THE THREE YEARS hu Lf"
at is the deep and abiding conviction OF iarse
number of the biggest aymcn as well as o1 the grea'es
saac,ass IN Netbossm that the Methodist Eplscopa