The Wichita daily eagle., 1891-10-09
THE METHODIST EcUMENlCAL.

WASHINGTON. Oct. S.-Rey DR.. T B.
Stephenson OF London presided at this
mornings session of the ecumenical Meth
Odist conference. Rev. Griffin Wilson Of
England opened the session with prayer.
The morning subject for consideration
WAS "The Present Status Of Methodism in
The Eastern Section" Rev. DIR. Waller of
Lonlon. secret airy of the WeS cyan confer
ence. read an essay on the subject. DIR.
Waller gave 5 atistics TO show the phe-
nOmenat progress the church had made
during the last thirty years. During the
decade, said DR.. Waller, population in
England increased III per cent. and in
Scotland 7.9 per cent, but in the same
period the membership of the Wesleyan
Methodist church IN Great Britaid in
creased 2l.2 per cent.
Rev. John Medicraft of Manchester, rep
resenting the English Methodist new con-
nectiOn, followed DIR. Waller He de-
scribed the progress of Methodism
throughout Europe, Asia snd Australia.
Rev. James Donnelly of Newry, Ireland,
vice president of the Irish Methodist con
ference was the next speaker. He told of
wat Methodism was doing abroad IL
was gathering up the little waits from the
streets. Ii was looking to public morals,
whether the pubic was gambling in high
JT low lite. Applause.
DR.. Hugh Price Hughes of the West End
LOa3oR misseon said that cruel law
forced the N0ncOn Ormists TO send their
children TO church schools 1t was the
ambition of the Methodist church TO free
the children from the sectarian schools of
jhe church of England, and to establish
IN England something like the magnifi-
cent system of non-sectarian schools
which were the glory of the country on
this side OF the Atlantic
Recess was then taken.
At the conclusion of the devotional exer-
cises al the afternoon session Bishop
Charles r. Fowler OF San Francisco read
an essay on The Present Status OF Meth
odism in the Western American Section"
The present status of American Method
Ism, he aald, was the result of uunumber-
ID forces OF heart and brain, of tide and
tempest. of climate and temperature, of
transit sud eclipse through countless ages.
A hundred Years OF growth on this soil
ana in this free state has produced a con-
dltion OF life diSsimilar from any other de-
velopment among men. a hundred
Tears ago there was but one
Methodist denomination and only
one annual COnference-only So travelling
preachers and l4,9SS members Today
There were fifteen denominations Of
MethodistS, a fact thought TO show that
hey have some brains and some independ-
bnce. Perhaps with more brains and
more Independence there would be less
denominations, perhaps only two or one.
The one conference has multiplied into
about 500. aud the S3 travelling preachers
have multiplied into 81 ,615, besides $4,000
local preachers. and the l49sS members of
actual communicates have multiplied into
over 5.0OO,O0O. with 5000 600 sunday-school
children and 4 following Of over u, ,00O. 900
souls IN the republic. In speaking OF the
principal wants of the church, Bishop
Fowler said: Her highest want is firn
grip upon the supernatural. Unless
NethodlSm Is supernatural, il Is nothing.
The great center and secret of Methodism.
the reason OF her expanse, Is To bear testi-
moBy 10 a movable religion, to secure
and repeat the witness of the Holy Spirit.
Our next need is ideas We must reach
out 10 Sll directions with the appliances
aeceSsary for varied success. We ought 20
capture and utilize every idea that brings
success 10 any other church -