Evening journal., 1890-03-28
METHODIST CONFERENCE.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF BISHOP
BOWMAN.

an Address-BaneYolent Collections.
DIR. Young's Plan ms Accurate as Any
thing That Can be Devised.
MILFORD, Del, March 2s.-Bishop
Thomas Bowman, of ST. Louis senior OF
the College of Methodist Episcopal
Bishops, arrived at Milford this morning,
and, accompanied by Rev DR.. Thomas
Myers, of the Maryland Bible Society,
who came down on the train with him,
proceeded at once to the Avenue Metho.
dist Church where the Wilmington
Methodist Episcopal Conference was
holding its twenty.second annual session.
Bishop Bowman reached the conference
but short while before the adjourn
ment of the morning meeting, and while
Rev. DR. George Il. Reed, of Dickinson
College, was making an address in the
interests of that institution. That the
senior bishop is well known and
and is favorite with the
Wilmington Conference was shown
by the storm OF applause which greeted
his entrance to the church, and which
continued as he proceeded up the aisle
and for some moments after he had taken
his seat on the platform alongside Bishop
Andrews. DIR. Reed continued his ad.
dress after this outburst of enthusiasm
had subsidized, and at its conclusion the
formality of introducing Bishop Bowman
was gone through with, this bringing out
more hand clapping. Bishop Bowman
presided over the Wilmington Confer
ence at its session in 1881 at Lewes, Del.
and made a very favorable impression by
his firm, but quiet and impartial rulings.
He will relieve Bishop Andrews to.mor-
row morning, and will preside during the
remainder Of the session.
Sketch of Bishop Bowman.
Bishop Bowman was born near Ben
wick, Columbia county, Pa, on July Is,
1917, and was educated at Wilbraham
Academy, Massachusetts,, at Cazenovia
Seminary, New York, and Dickinson Col
lege, Carlisle, Pa, where he graduated
in 1887. After studying law for a year
at Carlisle, he entered the ministry in
the Baltimore Conference of the Meth
odist Episcopal Church. From 1910 to
1S4S he taught in the grammar scaool of
Dickinson College, and in 1S4S he organ
lied the Dickinson Seminary at Williams.
port, Pa, over which he presided for ten
years, and became distinguished as Q
pulpit orator. In 1S4S he was elected
president of Indiana Asbury University.
at Greencastle, Pa He was chaplain Of
the United States Senate in 1854 and
1865, and continued to preside over the
Indiana Asbury University until May,
1872, when he became bishop. In 1878
he visited officially the missions of the
Methodist Episcopal Church in EUROPE
and India.
Conference Benevolent Collections.
There was a long discussion in the
conference over the adoption of a new
system of making the apportionment for
the conference benevolent collections. A
plan was submitted by DR.. ]. w. Young
of New York, when Rev. w. f. Corkran
made the report of a special committee
appointed to confer with Dr. Young in
regard to his system. The paper sets
forth the fact that the apportionments
for the benevolent collections to the con.
| ference districts and charges is not an
equitable one, and states the neces.
sity for system made accord
ing to the numbers and the ability
OF the conference membership, one that
would not use the extra proportionment
contributions of some to diminish the ap
portionments Of others, whose contrihu.
tions are too small, but that would leave
such extra offerings to the credit Of those
making them, and that would leave to
the small contributors the full amount OF
equitable apportionment. The committee
examined DR.. Young's system and recon
mended its adoption, which the confer
ence did. DR.. Young is the pastor of th,
church at Alpine, on the Hudson, and is
q member Of the New York Conference
DIR. Young's Plan.
His plan is based on the money paic
for ministerial support, the averag,
amount of unincumbered church property
per member and the membership
of the individual churches as
representing their ability to pav or
the seven correctional benovolences
This plan is new one, although DR.
Young has been working on il fof six OF
| seven years, and says it is as accurate a.
anything that can be devised bv human
| ingenuity. He is seeking to engraft
this system in the whole church. in order
to remedy the present inequality, and is
doing all the work at his own expense.
To Consolidate Three Corporations.
The Rev Charles Hill of Elkton sub.
mitted resolution authorizing the con.
s0lidation of three conference corpora.
tions who held certain funds for confer.
eHce claimants. These are the board of
stewards holding the Bates legacy. trus-
tees Of the Riddle fund, left by Rev.
James Riddle of Wilmington, and the
trustees Of the centenary sfund, holding
money from the Philadelphia Conference
for supernumerary and superannuated
preachers. AS an argument for the con
solidation OF the corporations the com
| mittee stated that the charter Of the
trustees Of the centenary fund would
expire by limitation in 1891. The reso.
lutions were adopted, and the three
finds ordered to be placed with the board
Of stewards.
womAn's Work.
Rev. DR.. A. w. Rudisell, the newly
appointed associate to DR.. Goucher at the
First Church, Baltimore, was introduced
as representing the Woman's Foreign
Missionary Society, and in the afternoon
made an address at the anniversary OF
that society. the president, Mrs. +. B.
Stevens, presiding, Addresses we're also
made by DR.. Clark, Of the New York
Christian Advocate, and DIR. MendenhaIl,
of the Methodist Review.
FrsedmaR's Aid.
In the evening the Freedmans Aid
and Southern Educational Society held
its anniversary, at which addresses were
made by Rev. v. S. Collins and DR.. Hart.
zell. DR.. Kynett, secretary Of the Church
Extension Society, made an address, in
which he said that since the organization
of the society until November last the
Wilmington Conference had given to the