Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1888-05-25

METHODIST CONFERENCE.
Making Up For Lost Time-The- Or.
der of Deaconesses-BIshOp TayIor's
Status = Lay Representation - The
Pastoral Term-The Election OF Ksish-
ops.

Pastoral Vefm~The Election OF BiSh~
ops.
NEW YORK, May 23.
To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
The conference these last few days has
been making up for lost time. A week ago
it had done scarcely anything except pull it
self together, barring the initial act of tear
ing itself to pieces, SO to speak, by the ex-
clusion of the women. This week, however,
it has attended to business with an energy
that is both commendable and unusual. If
ever before in the history Of the church 80
many sweeping changes were effected in so
short time the eldest inhabitant certainly
fails to remember it. Considering too that,
concurrently with the settlement of these
weighty matters of legislation, the confer
ence has elected its new bishops, the week
becomes not merely remarkable, but abso-
1utely without its parallel in Methodist an
mails.
= First came the grating into the old stem
of the church of an entirely new branch in
tended for the special benefit of the good
sisters This is the order of deaconesses.
The duties of those belonging to this order
will be declared by the new discipline to be
''to minister to the poor, to visit the sick,
pray for the dying, care for the orphan, seek
the wandering, comfort the soTrowing, save
the SHINING, and rslinquishing wholly all
other pursuits, devote themselves in gene
raj way to such forms of Christian labor as
may be suited to their abilities They will
differ from nuns in two essential particulars,
namely: that no VOW will be taken, and that
their religious labors can at any time be re-
linquished. It is provided, however, that
they may dwell together in homes, and it is
probable that, as a means of Identification,
they will wear some peculiar garH, possibly
the plain gowns and big somber bonnets the
good Methodist sisters used to wear when the
church taught that flowers and founces were
inventions of the wicked one. Boards ap-
pointed by the annual conference are to have
supervision of these devoted women, and all
who are accepted will receive license or
certificate; provided, however, as the disci-
pline will say, that sfno person shall receive
such certificate until she has served a proba-
ton of two years of continuous service, and
shall be over twenty-five years of age"
This is a novel feature in the economy of
Methodism and some will look askance at it.
ty applause bestowed upon the sentiment
and from the demand made for its repeti-.
ton, took ths,yiew held out by DR.. Thoburn
of India, tie prime champion of the move
ment, when he said that he seemed to hear,
in the coming footsteps of the deaconesses,
s'the tread of angels feet" and that he be-
lieYed God was about to raise up an army of
women workers such as had never been
dreamed of.
Another very important action on the part
of the conference was its settlement of the
much controverted question touching the
Episcopal status of Bishop Taylor. The con-
tentien on the part of the other bishops and
of the missionary board had been that, as he
was elected missionary bishop, he was not
full Episcopate, but was only sort of
fedgling, with down where his WINS ought
to be, and that consequently he must be
paid, not out of the regular Episcopal fund,
but out of the money given by the church
for missionary purposes. That too which
strengthened this view was the fact that all
former missionary bishops had been content
to hold this subordinate position and to get
their salary from the source indicated. But
Taylor begged to dissent, and so did that vast
and enthusiastic following which regards him
as one of the greatest of modern heroes, and
the conference has just emerged from the tug
of war on this issue. Desperate efforts were
made to keep the status of q missionary bish-
op where it had formerly stood, but they
were unavailipg, for the fnal action makes
Bishop Taylor as fully bishop as any of the
others and gives him his pay from the same
source His Episcopal powers, however, are
still limited to Africa and African work, and
it is probable that, though his salary in fu-
ture will come from the Episcopal fund, his
back pay of twelve thousand dollars. If he
ever gets it, will have to come from the
source where the sum is still held to his cred
it, namely, the missionary treasury.
But far more important than either of
these was the advanced ground taken on lay
representation. Four years ago commits
zion was appointed to consider and report
whether or not lay representation should be
also whether the number of laymen in the
general conference might not with advantage
be increased. The report was that the la1ty
were not needed in the annual bodies, but
that in this quadrenHial body their represen-
tation ought to be equal to that of the min
listers. Upon the frst point general acqu1es-
cence was obtained, leaving the law just as 1t
was, but the action on the latter point pro-
vides for radical change.
The law at present is that no annual con-
ference can send to this body more than two
laymen, and that those conferences which
are entitled to only one ministerial delegate
send but one from the laity. Hence the lay
men constitute less than one-third the entire
delegation, and are of course at a correspond
ing disadvantage when the voting occurs.
This report, however, proposed to equalize
the thing, and it was only to be expected
that the ministers woald at first look upon
such an abridgement ef their privileges with
disfavor. Just as natural was it too that the
majority of the 1aymen should be in the af-
frmative on the question. There was quite
a tussIe and on motion to put off the mat
ter for eight years the laymen, by the saving
provision OF vote by orders, tied the minis
ters. But the session being then ended by
limitation of time, the opposing forces slept
on their muskets for night anc then meta
phorically smoked the pipe of peace togeth-
or, the final result being that the proposal
to make the representation of the laity equal
to that of the clergy goes to the annual con-
ferences, and that if these bodies favor it by
three-fourths vote laymen may be elected
on the new basis, and then, the ensuing gen
eral conference concurring by a two-thirds
majority, those thus elected will be admitted
to that body and the new era in Methodist
legislation be thus fully inaugurated.
Greatest of all, however. is the change as
| to the time limit. Originally there was no
| time limit in the Methodist Episcopal church,
the preachers should change frequently.
Many years ago, however, so DR.. Buckley
| said yesterday, man nanaed Silas Stubbins
got possession of a snug pastoral berth in
Brooklyn, and in spite of bishops and elders,
| if not of the people, insisted upon keeping
| 1t until MS Term OF Service HdO Iohcueo TIE
unprecedented length of four years. This
was the last straw, and to guard against thss
repetition of such an offsnse the pastoral
limit was then fixed at two years. Twenty.
four years ago it was extended to three years
This was done with fear and trembling. II
was risky experiment many thought, and
| there are those at this day who hold that il
was mistake, and who, far from extending
| the limit, would like to shorten it. It is ev.
| idsnt though that these are in small minor
| ity, and are so far behind in their notion oi
| things that there is no hope of their ever
| catching up with the procession.
| For a long time the progressives of the
| church have clsmored for q change Many
| have felt that the limit should be removed
| altogether, leaving providence to settle mat
| ters which are now determined solely by the
almanac. The majority, however, have beer
| willing that there should still be q limit, but
have insisted upon an extension. The argu.
ments of these reformers are familiar Moth
| ing new was said in the debate, but the ole
| points were presented with new force and by
some new voices. 1t was problematical al
| first whether the extension would be to foul
vaars or to FIVE The renoYt of the commit