Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-06-01

a busy aud ,Evoutful week.
o the Editor Of the Frec.Prcss


has been making, mp, for lost time, A
week ago it had done. scarcely any thing
except pull itself together, barring the in
itial act of tearing itself to pieces, so to
speak, 10y the exclusion Of the women.
| This week, however, it has attended to
business with unusual energy. If ever
before in the history .ot the church so
many sweeping changes were effected in
so short time, the oldest inhabitant GER
tainly fails to remember it, Considering,
! too, that, coucurrently with the settle
ment of these weighty matters of legisla-
ton, the conference has elected its new
bishops, the week becomes absolutely
without its parallel in Methodist annals.
First came the grating into the old
| stem of the church of an entirely new
branch intended for the special benefit of
the good sisters This is the order of dea-
cOnesses, TO minister to the poor to visit
the sick, pray for the dying, care for the
| orphan, seek the wandering, comfort the
sorrowng and save the sinner, relmguish
Ing wholly all other pursuits" They will
differ from nuns in that no vow Will be tax
en-, and that their religious labors can ut
any time be reluquished. 1t is provided,
however, that they may dwell together in
| homes and it Is probable that, as means
OF Identification, they will wear some pc
culiar garb, possibly the plain gowns aud
| big sOmDer DOnnets the good Methodist
sisters used to wear when the church
taught that flowers and tlouces were i'll
ventlons Of the wicked one. Boards APP
pointed by the annual conference are TO
have supervision of these devoted women,
aud all who are accepted will receive a
license or certificate; provided, however,
as the discipline will say, that mo person
shall receive such certificate until she
has served probation of two years OF
continuous service, and shall be over %
years of age
This is novel feature in the economy
OF Methodism, and some will lock askance
at it.
Another very important action on the
part of the conference was its settle
ment OF the much COntruverted question
touching the episcopal status of riehup
Taylor Desperate efforts were made to
keep The status Of Il missionary bishop
where 1t formerly stood, but they were uu-
awaiting, for the nual action makes Bishop
Taylor Us FULLY bishop as any of the 9th
el9, ana gives hlm his pay from the same
source. His episcopal powers, however.
are -tlll Limited to a RIGA and African
Work, and l. l. probable That, though his
salary in future viii come from he epi--
copaI fund, his back pay OF $1,000, ii he
B
sOulce where the sum is still held to his
credit, namely the missionary treasury.
But far more Important than either OF
these was the advanced ground taken on
lay repre- eutatiou. -Four years ago Il com
miss on was appointed 10 consider and re-
port whether or not lay representation
should be introduced into the annual con
tereuces. and also whether the number Of
laymeu in the general conferences might |
not with advantage be increased. The re !
port was that the lAity We're not needed in |
the annual bodies, Dut that in this ou9d- |
reunal body their Representation Oupht tn |
he equal to that of The ministers. I-Don !
the first point general acuuiescence was |
obtained, leaving the law inst as it was. |
but the action on the latter point provides |
for a radical change
The law at present is That no annual
conference can send to this body more |
than two laymeu. and that those confer i
euCcS which are entitled to only one nm |
isierial delegate, send but one from the |
l4ity. Hence. the laymeu Constitute less |
than one-thlrd The entire DELEGATION. and |
are, of course, al X corresponding dlsad- !
vantage when the voting occurs. This re |
port however, proposed 10 eGuallZe the (
thing, and it was only t. be eND4cted that |
the ministers ~0uld, at first lock upou !
such an abridgemeut Of their PRIVILEGES |
with disiavOr. Just as natural was if. too. |
that the majority of the laymen should be- !
in The affirmative ON the question There |
was quite tussle, aud on a motion To uut |
oil the matter Tor eight wears. the lavuen |
by the saving provision Of A vote bv or ,
d-rs, tied the ministers. But tie session |
being then ended by limitation of timr
the opposing forces slept on their muskets !
for night, and then. INTERCHANGEABLE |
smoked the pipe of peace Together. me i
final result being that the UroposaI Ia |
make the representation of the Ialtv eUual |
to that of the c,erJv GOES tn the anIin.i !
conferences, and that. ii these bodies favor
1t by a three-fOurths vote. G,ymrn may he !
elected on the new basis. and then' the |
ensuing general conference coucurrIng nv !
a two thirds majority. tboss Tins elected
will he admitted t. tina. body. and lie
new era in Me'hud,st legislation he TINS
fully ineugmated.
Greatest Il all. however. is the cbange /
as to the time limit. Originally there wa |
no time limit in the Nrfhodist EnisconaI
church, though there uas AN unwrittpn
law that all the preachers shonld chance
frequently. Many years ago, however. So |
DR.. Buckley said Yesterday a man named |
Sila, Slubbins got po.seSsion of a snng
pastoral berth in BROOKLYN. and m snitp Of
a., \