New-York tribune., 1891-10-14
AGENCIES OF THE CHURCH.
THE DISCUSSION AT THE ECUMENlCAL
METHODIST COUNCIL.
NV ppr.cHrRs AND THE CLERGY-woMEN IN
THE cHURcu-A PREPoNDERANcE OF oriN-
ION IN FAVOR OF ALLOWING THEN ~
PREAcH-THE WORK OF WOMEN

.lo ,,, - tb onening of the six days session
~ the Ecumenlcal Methodist Council Inc ,on+
refarred to the business cOlnmiteco 80. a. .,a
act,on NJ Methodist missionary bOdles "oiAine -
some fields was reported back fhVoiaoS' ",' on
.o,ttoo uas apponted to consider the SUBJECT Inc %
% - rroceeded TO the order OF the day te
htoc+ 9 The Church and Her Agencies Delhs 'i1
so,nc ne that discussed yesterday INC ,.,,a
Travis general missionary secretary VI V'0 80 - rho
Netbodist Church. England, read P"P0I ~ rh
place and Power Of Lay Agency in the Ohui'i'. ,hn
Cbrrch as founded was community Vi o'o''
- no such distinctions as priests ana
noonle or clergy and laty All the iieiiioo' 40
e. tba came relation to Christ. The oVieioN mn mn
clergy and laity dates from the secohu cen'u' I
question f. Is the difference between tho oio,e
w.. 1a,,v organic or only functional, one Ol o'u0i'
or simply one OF Office The eaiS ''' -
naver talked about "mnlsters" ana idS P'0"o,' Pn
hnt travelling preachers and LOCAL PI9"'"'
W. W., -,ts,ar, are not q sacred caste, cur
.,nad og from the laity By mystic Po"eIS
oonysvod in ordination but brethren Lay asenCs
has place In the government OIL t"c '"u-'N
The Methodist denominations are far Hoh oeinS u.s.. 20
"a IN ts proper extent And here Is the supreme olu
| cnItv 10 organic Methodist union. lie Peaueu i''
systematic training Of lay preachers r,-..
rhe Rev. NJ. DC. Crawford Of the Methodist Episco-
u, rhurch OF New York set down for an auHcss
~ uTba Desconess Movement" but owing to ms Ill
,ess Risbop william X. Nnde, OF Kansas, uealeu ue
suhiect A sanity lndy, without church Hu hu Ni
| aue1lrated a school for deaconesses III inc "''
/ METROPOLIS Tho movement had surpasseo 'le
nectatIons OF IT'S sangine friends Ihere "eie '"'"'
one homes and five hospitals and many young "on'o"
were seeking 10 join the noble sisterhood' Ill soN'
-. ,ha movement had been viewed with alarm.
- vas said TO resemble Papal methods. lie wis
ready to borrow from the Roman cathoiIos, Vi ""'
body any good thing that could be useu 10 au'
He recognized the holy duties Of motherhood anu Vi
the family but what Of the women VINO "eio "
mother thousands OF the homeless ana the neip"s'
Who was to define woman's sphere lie pono'oN
they could be trusted and Gods WORK ooulu Hc'ei W
consnmmated without their aid ~
Tho Rev Dr. W. ID. Walters. secretary London MIS-
sion WESLEYAN Methodist Church, spoke OF MeIhoulSt
hrotherhOods and sisterhOods. He said it wouu h'iVe
been far more fitting If sister had been Ihor0 ~
present her own cause. lie hoped that az the neA'
council a woman would be permitted TO take her place
upon the platform and address the conference zap
nIonse1 There was need Of some special agency
IN reach the depth Of Whltechapel anu
other abodes OF crime. The Superihtehu 'l'
of the Western branch was an extraordinary
man. but he had extraordinary wife-that was
Uuph Price Hughes (Applause) They had organized
the sisters OF the People" who managed In a mar
veous way to get In perfect touch with the people
| There was need for work with the rich as well a'
with the poor. QIear, hearJ
The Rev j. Hugh Morgan, OF England e1toled the
value OF system in church work. The Rev. Dr. lhoas
b. Appeget of Newersey, spoke of the agency OF lay
workers in the Church He had found the power Vi Vc
alty a blessing. The Rev. DR.. Thomas Lawrence, OF
England feared the Methodist Church vas not raising
the number of local preachers II should The local
| nreacher was necessary to village Methodlsm Inc
Rev. william Arthur of England, said that the oiu
question as to the place of the aty In the Church had
become the question of the power Of the laty IN te
government Of the Church. That was very different
question from the FIRST and, in dlsputatiouS aSsein
| BLY, was calculated to make trouble.
| The Rev J. s. Simon. OF England dissented strongly
from the Rev. DR.. Travs's views. John wesley maze
a distinction between the men he ordained ana thoSe
| not ordained lie had in view an organized churcI
probably on the Presbyterian system j. H. Little OF
London expressed his qualification at learning OF the
! extent of womar-s work In America woman had
heen elected 10 sit therehe referred to Frances VIII
| lard a name beloved both sides Of the Atlantic
At this juncture the Rev. DR.. Stephenson made the
point OF order that II was not In order fof ine"Der
from the Eastern section to reflect upon the action Oh
the Western section, which was perfectly competent
| to manage It's own business.
| The Rev A. p. Leonard. Of New York. was the next
! snealer lie said that the need of earnest work on
| the part Of the laity great Indeed, and ne was
thoroughly convinced that the masses OF the people
could never be reached except through thelr eHotI''
J Every member Of the Church must come to coheuer
himself An evangelist to souls. What, asked the
/ II.
ton and what is it for but to save the souls OF the
/ people about 1t?
! councillor J. Duckworth, OF England thought there
was danger OF wasting time in discussion of the sub
ject The English Methodist Church was perhaps more
dependent upon the layman than the Church in Amer
lea. The decrease OF the lay agency was Cduse lo'
| sadness in England
| Mr. Atkinson NJ p, of London, believed In women {;
married man las 90 per cent Of the Wesleyan minis
ters were) was bound TO say so. They were more IN
tellgent in their Judgment upon social questions His
own wife and her sisters had been forty years Leaders,
and he would rather be led by them thah 10y te peSi
dent OF the conference himself They would have more
time to think Of what they going to say AT this
point recess was taken.
A discussion OF the general subject OF the Church
and her agencies was continued at the afternoon session.
The Rev. Dr. D. J. Waller, OF London, secretary of the
Wesleyan Methodist Conference, presided.
| The Rev. DR.. Benjamin st. James Fry, Of the
Methodist Episcopal Church. St. Louis and editor Of
THE Central Christian Advocate" read paper upon
| the subject OF womanS work I'm the church. There
| was ministry OF women in the Church in apostolic
times This became an established order and was OF
assistance 10 the Church. Professionalism had generally
failed to secure the full OF help from It's women
| Methodism as IL grew, had produced many women
worthy OF association with the mother OF the Wesleys
| A hundred should enter the work where was
| engaged and must take prominent part in IT,
| The place where the children born and raised
open to men, bt when that fact was realized
the women had organized and sent female missionaries
abroad Man could not deal with the victim Of mans
lust: ID was work for women themselves. The Church
could not DO the work before 1t without the aid OF
| women.
The REV. william German. OF the Irish Methodist
Church Belfast. made strong plea for In con
| nection with every phase OF church work.
Professor j. p. Landis, Of the United Brethren In
Christ Of Dayton Ohio. would not be thought behnC
his predecessors In his respect for woman. Womer
might, could, would and should preach the Gospel Il
they wsnto to. The greater part of those who at
tended church women.
The Rev Thomas Hunt, of the Primitive Methods
Church, Manchester England, thought that womel
constituted the majority Of the church attendance the,