St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-10-09
Miles and staff, called on and paid their
respects to Mrs. Gen. Grant.
GLoRIEs OF METHoDIsM.
Numerous Divines Draw Inspira-
ton TherefrOm.

Numerous Divines Draw Inspira-
ton Therefrom.
WASHINGTON, Oct. s. The second
days session of the ecumenical Meth
| odist conference was called to order t his
morning by Rev. L. B. Stephenson, of
England. The body of the Metropolitan
church was filed with ministers, among
whom were several negro delegates, and
the spacious galleries were packed with
visitors, ladies predominating. The
morning session was devoted to an essay
by Rev. d. j. Waller, of London, on the
Present Status of Methodism in the
Eastern Section" followed by addresses
by several foreign members. DR.. Wal
Ter said it was important to bear in mind
the sphere in which Metbodism has had
TO move, the ecclesiastical atmosphere
1t has had to breathe, and the influences
with which it has had to contend.
Victories hav been achieved in the
presence Of almost lnsuperable OBJ
stacleS. In Ireland the work has had
to be carried forward in the presence of
powerful and intolerant ROmaniSm, a
power with which the Americans will
yet have to reckon.
During the decade, said DR.. Waller,
the population in England has increased
III per cent, and in Scotland it has in
creased 7.9 per cent, but in the same
period the membership of the Wesleyan
Methodist church in Britain has in
creased PIP per cent, and in the other
Methodist churches there has been an
increase of 10.l per cent.
The Status of Church,
cosI
great extent by the way in which it
nation. No church can live, grow or
prosper that does not care wisely and
lovingly for the children of the people.
The speaker then gave statistics to
show the large increase made during
the past ten years i'll the number of
ministers, of lay agents. OF church
members and of children in the Sunday
schools.
In Ireland, he said, the increase in the
number Of church members is only So,
but during the decade there has been
decrease in the population of per
cent. But the fruit of Irish MethOdiSm
is TO be found in many lands, and es-
pecially i'll the United States. French
MethodiSm alone shows decrease, but
the circumstances have been eXcep-
tional. In conclusion, DR.. Waller re-
ferred to the prophetic utterance Of
John Wesley, whom he declared that it
was the purpose of God in raising up
MethOdism mot to form new sect, but
to reform the nation, particularly the
church. He declared that methOdiSm is
not and never has been a sect. Its
catholic spirit and doctrine have pre-
vented it from falling into narrow sec
tarianiSm.
Work in Old Lands.
Rev. John Medicraft, of Manchester,
representing the English Methodist
new connection. followed Mr.. Waller.
He held that Methodism in the Eastern
section was performing a great and
good work in the whole world outside
of America. Throughout the vast re-
gionS of Europe, Asia and Australia
MethOdlSm was eXerting a great in
t1uence. Amongst barbarouS peoples,
whose teeming millions were bound in
superstition, in the great cities where
the spirit of Christianity was not known
at all, MethOdiSm was working it's way.
Rev. James DOnnelly, of Newry, Ire
land, said the Methodist church in Eu-
rope was gathering up the little waits
from the streets; it was looking to pub
lie morals. whether it was gambling in
high or low life. In old Ireland, as had
much in growing timber, but it had
brought forth much fruit.
DR.. Hugh Pryce Hughes, of the West
London mission, said that DR.. Walters
statistics showed that the Church of
England itself was in the minority in
England. A cruel law forced the nom
conformists to send their children to
church schools. Now their ambition
was to free the children from the sec
tartan schools Of the Church of Eng
land. They hoped to establish in Eng
land something like the magnificent
system or non-sectarian schools which
were the glory of the country on this
side of the Atlantic. He believed that
the sinners belonged to the first church
that had the good sense and the audac-
ity to Ego for them"
Rev. Bishop Charles II. Fowler, of
San francisco, read an essay upon the
present status of Methodism in the
Western (American section. Metho-
dism, he said,
Never Whipped Quaker
or burned witch nor banished a Bap-
fist. History tells us that the present
status of American Methodism is the re-
suit of unnunber forces of heart and
brain, tide ana tempest. of climate and
temperature, of transit and eclipse.
through countless ages. A hundred
years of growth on this soil and in
this free state has produced condition
of life dissimilar from any other devel-
| opment among men.
To-day there are fifteen denOmina-
| lions of Methodists, a fact that is thought
to show that'they have some brains and
| independence. Perhaps with more
brains and more independence there
would be less denominations, perhaps
only two or enc. The one original con-
ference has multiplied into about 800;
and the eighty-three travelling preach
ers have multiplied into SLIGO, besides
$4,000 local preachers, and the 14,9SS
members of actual communicates have
multiplied into over ), 100000, with 5.O00,-
900 Sunday school children and follow
ing of over $4,000, 600 souls in the repub-
lie. Methodism crossed into this cen
| fury with over $4,000 churches and
about $1,000 parsonages, with church
| property worth more than $500, 1000, 600.
| Again we must fight for the centers of
| population. The
Cities Are the Fonts
| Whoever holds them holds the future.
The church must settle the labor diff
Guilty. Ii we allow any other agency to