Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-10-09
THE METH0DISTS
r,rD ANOTHER INTERESTING SESSION AT
WASHINGTON.
Soma V,ry We'll Conceived Addresses Delivered and
Routine Business Of Various Kinds Transacted.
An Important Rvsu: in Church History.

Wilson, OF England, who has achieved \
notable reputation as q missionary
among the Fiji Islanders When those
services were concluded the secretary,
Rev. DR.. King, called the roll Of dele
gates.
The Business Committee named BiSh-
90 Merrill, of Chicago, and Rev. DR..
Arthur, of London, TO preside over. the
Conference during the second session OF
the third day and the first session Of the
fourth day respectively.
The subject assigned In the pro-
cramme for consideration during the
morning session was 1.-The Present
Status of Methodism in the Eastern
sections" and the essay was delivered
by Rev Dr. Waller, OF London, Secre-
tary Of the Wesleyan Conference.
DR.. Waller, In speaking OF the status
of Methodism in Great Britain and Ire
land, said it was important to bear In
mind the sphere In which 10 has had TO
move, the ecclesiastical atmosphere 10
has had to breathe and the influences
with which 50 has had 20 contend.
When In 1774 John Wesley sent 10
DR.. Coke 20 establish the Methodist
Episcopal Church ia the United States'
he said: "In America there are no B.Sh-
oDs. neither any parish minlsters-So
that for hundreds Of miles together
there is no one either 70 baptize or 10
minister the Lords supper" IL Is
di0icult. be said, to exaggerate the
social. pohtic9l and ecclesiastical forces
with which Methodism has had 70 con
tend. Victories have been achieved IN
the presence Of almost inSuperaole 90
stacles. ,.-Lo..-
In ireland the work has had to be car
ried forward against an intoleranJ no
manism, a power with which the Amer
cans will yet have TO reckon. Dr.
waller then gave statistics TO show the
DbeDomenal progress the church has
made during the past so years. During
the decade. said DR.. Waller, the popu-
lation in England has increased III per
cent. and I'm Scotland il has Increased
10 per cent, but In the same period the
membership of the Wesleyan Methodist
Cburcb in Great Britain has increased
o. . Der cent, and in the other Metho-
dist churches there has been al increase
of1O1 Der cent. The status Of church,
sofd DIR. Waller, is determined to
great extent By the way In which 1t en-
ters into the educational work OF the
nation. No church can live, grow OF
DrosDer that does not care wisely ana
ioyinclv for the children OF the people
I, England there arc nearly two million
scholars in the Sunday Schools. me
sr9tus of NethOdism, continued Or.
Waller. IS determined by its missionary
zeal Recently there has been re-
markable revival OK home missionary
enterprise. The way In which Meth
odism is endeayOring TO solve the proc
lens of city life and the manner IN
which she is striving 20 make her
strength effective I'm the redemption OF
- 40 secs OF mankind from the bond
attracting the a5tenu6b and admire
tion OF all classes Of the commute
DR.. Waller then sovs statistlcs TO
show the large increase made during
the past ten years in the number Of
ministers of lay church members and OF
children in the Sunday schools. In
Ireland he said the increase In the num-
Der OF church members is only SIS but
during the decade there has been de-
crease in the population of nine per
cent. But the fruit of Irish MethO-
dism Is 60 be found i'm many lands and
especially In the United States. French
Nethodism alone shows a decrease, but
the circumstances have been eXcep-
tioDal.
In conclusion DR.. Waller referred to
the prophetic utterance of John Yves
ley when he declared that it was the
purpose OF God in raising up Method
ISM mot 20 form q new sect, but to re-
form the nation, particularly the
church"
MethOdiSm is not and never has been
sect. It's catholic spirit ard doctrine
have prevented it from falling into
narrow scctarianism.
Rev. John Medicraft, OF Manchester,
representing the English Methodist
new connection followed DR.. Waller.
Rev. James DOnneily, OF Newry, Ire
land, President OF the Irish Meth
odist Conference, was the next speaker.
He said that the church was in dan
ger of a split from seli-glory. Some
times he felt reason to regret the parade,
and boasts that MethOdiSm was the
largest protestant church In the world.
The Methodist church In Europe was
gathering mp the little wallis from the
Streets it was looking TO public morals,
whether 10 was gambling In high or low
life.
Among the really interesting things
that haze takenplace since the confer
ence opened was the address Of Bishop
John T. Hurst. Among other things,
be said:
"The first meeting-place in the new
world. " he said, "waS q Sail-lOft in New
York. In that work of faith woman
was present. Barbara Heck, and were
NctSodism addicted Co that piece of &C.
cles.astical folly called canouization,
the British brethern would long since
have placed Santa Susanna first on its
list of saints, while the Americans
would have begun their catalogue with
SAINTS Barbara.
'In due time the Sall-loft developed
into a church-thc old John street
church-around which thousand
sacred memories must ever linger.
Then came the Pivital action in rela-
tlor 10 this country st the Wesleyan
conference OF 1869. John Wesley made
the statement: eve have pressing
call from our brethren Ia New York,
who have built meeting house 20 come
over and help them. The answer was:
Richard Bosrdman and Joseph Pilm0Or,'
TLe0uesJiOn then was, What can we do
for them in token Of our intereStin them?
The answer was, Let us now make .
collection And $50 wore given by the
ministers present 20 pay the passage
money for tho frat itinerants from
Britain 20 America.
From that little beginning oftwo