Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-05-05
METHODfSM SOUTH
Eleventh QuadrenEial Session Of the
N. E. South Church.
Work tobe DOne-sOme of the Prominent Dele
sates-Arrangements for the Enter
tainmsnt Of the GueRts Who
Attend.
ST. Louis Republic.


which convenes in this city on Wednes-
day, May z, will in many respects be the
most important religions gathering that
has been held in st. Louis for years, and
from reports that are being received
from all over the country it promises TO
be by far the most largely attended
meeting in the shistory of that body. The
wonderful and rapid growth ofNMetRod-
ism since the first organizatIsn Of some
thing over century andsa. ,haaf ago is
trulv marvellous, and.ft cahnot be bet
ter illustrated than by recalling few
statistics in the history of the church
in America: The first Methodist
society in the United States.
was organized in New York in October,
I776. Eight years later-the flrst confer
euce. which embraced ten preachers,
representing q membership Of lI6O, was
held. Now the Methodist Episcopal
church alone has q membership in this
country Of nearly 5000, 900, and the
Methodist Episcopal church, South, has
in the neighborhood of 800 ,0o0- Up
10 1874 there was no division among the
Methodists in the United States, and one
general conference represented the
church from North, South, East and
West. But at the conference held in
that year a separation Rsbrought about
by the difference of opinion between the
Northern and Southern delegates on the
slave holding question. Bishop James
O. Andrews of Georgia was the
owner of a large number of slaves,
and because he refused to part
with them the Eastern and Northern
members of that body succeeded in hav-
ing him suspended from his high office in
the church. This created a feeling of
dissatisfaction among the Southern MEM
bers, who straightway prepared to with
draw from the general jurisdiction and
form q conference of their own. This
was successfully accomplished and the
first meeting was held in Louisville, KY,
in Nav, 1916 There was built the
foundation for the present large and
successful organization known as the
Methodist Episcopal church, Southj and
il is to the able and earnest divInes that
stirred the church through those critical
perioasl that the present prosperity is due.
Since then ten quadrennlal conferences
have occurred, and the benefits
resulting therefrom are known the
world over. In view of the stand taken
by the representatives. of this
body on the question of slavery there is
one significant fact in relation to their
work that is not so generally known as it
should be :. When the division occurred
the missions which had been instituted
and carried on by the united church were
taken up and vigorously prosecuted by
the Northern branch under the direction
of Bishop william Ccpers, who had made
the subject special study, and for a
long time gave the matter his undivided
attention. During the twenty years fol-
lowing lS45 the church spent over 81 >
900 200 in this work of endeavoring to
convert the plantation slaves At the
close, of the war, when the colored race
established an episcopacy of their own;
all their church. property was transferred
to them gratis, and they are still being
largely aided by the Methodist Episcopal
church South, especially in the establish
ment of institutions for the education Of
candidates for the ministry.
FHE,PREsENT CONFERENCE.
Since the first assembly in Louisville
there have been ten general conferences.
Two of them we're held in this city, but
the Importance attached TO the former
gatherings hardly compares with the
significance attaching to the one now in
preparation. at the last general con-
1886, arrangements were made providing
for plan of entertainment, quarteFing
the delegates at hotels and creating q,
fund 20 defraS the travelling and other
expenses of the attendants. Heretofore
il has been the custom to entertain all
members of the conference at the homes
ofthe Methodist families IN the city where
they meet, but the increasing attendance
makes this plan very impractical and
il was to avoid such Inconvenience that
this action as to entertainment, etc.
was taken at Richmond. The commits
sion chosen to do this work is composed
of Col. G. W. Cole, the railroad magnate
of Nashville, Tenn. (; Mr.. r. NJ. Scruggs
of this city, G. II. snyder, prominent
cattIeman of Georgetown, Tex; Rev. J.
j. Ieferty, editor of the Richmond
Christian Advocate, and Rev. c. T. An
dreRs of Mississippi. This COMMITTEES has
for some time been busily engaged in the
work deyolvinG on it. Mr.. Cole has been
delegated TO negotiate for transportation
and Mr.. Scruggs has been placed in
charge of the local arrangements. Mr..
Cole has not yet submitted his hnal re-
port, but he has succeeded in securing
reduced rates from all the railroads, and
in most instances a rate of one fare for
the round trip has been obtained for all
PAAA4Sb VA 6LtCh0AAE AAAO NOAfpA-
ton.
THE LOCAL COMMITTEE
of arrangements, with r. NJ. Scruggs as
chairman and DR.. T. M Ffnney as sec
Rotary, is composed of the following gen.
tIemeu of the city: S. NJ. Kennard,
George A. Baker, Samuel Cupples, G.
o. Scruggs, J P. Boogher, III. D. Lewis
and Es c. Ketchum. This committee,
under the direction of MIR. SorugRs, has
been energetically at work for several
weeks past. The first matter to be
agreed upon was the selection of a place
for holding the convention, and Cente-
nary church, situated at the northwest
corner of Sixteenth and Pine streets, was
unanimously adopted as the most avail
able and desirable location. This church,
botf BIZ reason of its history and ad-
mirable advantages for such large
meetings, is well entitled to the dis
tinction and honor thus conferred
upon IT. Deriving its name from the
fact that il was established when
Methodism was 100 years old. It has
passed through all the trials and tribula-
fious reyeraes and good fortunes that