Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-10-04
THE METHODISTS.
A Worlds Conference to be
Held Next Week.
THE SECOND IN HISTORY.
Some of the Scenes That Were Witnessed
at the Baltimore Session-The Com
mittees in Charge-Wash-
inston tho Place.
snocfaI correspondence of The Gazette.

| the United States, and, if present arrange
ments are allowed to stand. it will be
| twenty years before this country can be
| favored with another such conclave. The
| design being to bring together representa-
! tiveMethodists from all lands into which that
! system has extended. it has been thought
| that these ecumenicais could not be con-
veniently held oftener than once in 4 de-
cade, and that fair play would require
| them TO alternate, as 10 the place of meet
ing, between the Old World and the New
Naturally, the first gathering of this kind
| was held in the country where Methodism
originated, the immediate scene of that
memorable convention being City Road
chapel in London-Wesley's chapel, which
aijOinS the house where much of his life
was spent and where his death oCcErre l..
and which has for its background the
cemetery in which, with those of many
other Methodist worthless, his honored re-
Mains are entombed. This was in 1881, and
il is Il striking fact that previously 10 that
time there had been not only no conference
representing the worlds Methodism, but
none in which the privilege of looking one
another in the face had been enjoyed by the
numerous Methodist sects GU either of the
two continents. Since then. however, the
American MethOdisS have had such 4 con-
ference 1t WIS held at Baltimore
in December, 1854, to celebrate the
centennial OF the famous Christ
mas conference, at which in the
same city, under the molding hands
of Coke and Asbury, American Methodism
took on its first organized form. II is main
tanned 10y some that the first suggestion of
an ecumenicai conference fell in an inspired
moment from tile eloquent lips of Bishop
James. but be this as IL may, the credit of
making the project feasible, and of bringing
about the first realization of it must be
given TO the interchangeable DR.. y. G. George,
who shortly after the first Methodist ecu
menical was taken in the full glory of this
achievement, to the larger ecumenical in
which not Methodists alone, but all the
othG sects are united.
Grand and popular as is the ecumenical
idea of to-day, ii was far from being re-
ccived with universal favor at first in either
England or America. In the mother-land
there were not only divisions in the Metho-
dist fold, but as legacy from the StrifeS
which had caused these divisions, bitter
eamity remained. Fancy DR.. George Os-
bora Of the Wesleyan church of Great Brit
ain and Rev William Griffith of the Metho-
dlst Free Churches, two Methodist giants,
who, since the bitter controversy which
thirty years before led to the organization
of the churches last named, had never spoken
as they passed by-fancy these men
being brought together after so long an
estraneemcnt in u fraternal conference!
such meeting could scarcely have been
anticipated by these veterans with unal
lowed pleasure. By the force of events,
however, they We're brought to take part IN
il, and with the happiest results, too; for
Fbefore the conference closed, MIR. Griffith,
referring TO the good he had derived from
attending it, said that at first he had TO de-
sire to be present, thinking 70 practical re-
suit would be Obtained, out now he felt as
though he could not have afforded to be alb
sent. adding, with pathetic emphasis
which stirred the whole assembly-"And
there is not a person in this conference to
whom cannot give the right hand of fel-
lGwship.n
+ The feeling of opposition in America was
mot so bitter as in England; and yet, even
here. with the civil war and slavery only
seventeen years off, it was by no means GER
tain that the lion and the lamb would be-
have themselves in the worlds Methodist
conference quite as they should. But they
did most admirably; and who that was
present Will ever forget the scene enacted,
and the impression for good produced,
when, at the close of ringing speech by
Rev. j. Z. Price, an eloquent colored delegate
from North Carolina, DR.. {. X. Marshall,
one of the most eloquent and striking fig
ures in the Southern delegation, sprang to
his feet and reached over several pews to
take the black mans hand, saving, as he
graspcd it, with an JUNCTION which thrilled
that vast worlds gathering, 81 greet you as
Il brother and thank God that your people
are free"
Among those who at first did not favor
Methodist ecumenical conference were
many, no doubt, who felt as did the re-
nowned editor of the New York Advocate.
DR.. Buckley is always for or against, and
when ne is against he is very much
against; nor when he takes a stand, is he
an easy man to convert. And yet-let 1t be
known everywhere-Dr. Buckley has been
converted, and he stands before the
world rs converted man upon his
own formal and editorial confession.
This conversion, however, has no refer
ence to his belligerent attitude toward the
question of women in the general confer
ence; it is simply change of mind in re-
gard TO the good which may result from the
ecumenical couference-a change, which,
doubtless, is but one in many hundreds:
for when man so firm in his opinions as
DIR. Buckley confesses to change OF heart,
we may quite believe that conversion
has become epidemic. The doctors
confession is in the last issue of his paper.
He was not in sympathy with the ecumeni-
cal movement AT first, he tells US, suspect
ing it 10 be another name for Il dress parade
OF the different bodies, mutual admiration
society, kind of Sectariau worlds fair"
but now, he tells US, he is in sympathy with
such gatherings. critical observation of
kind having converted him TO belief in
their utility.
For the better regulation Of its business,
the vast Methodist community represented
in the Washington conference will be sepa-
rated into four general divisions as fol-
lows: First division, the Methodist Epis-
copal church and the Methodist Episcopal
church, South. Second division, other Meth
odist churches in the United
States and Canada. Third division,
the British Wesleyan Methodist churches.
Fourth division, other British Methodist
churches. Besides this division by four
the conference and the community it repre-
Sents will also be divided for convenience
by two, the resultant aggregates being
called severally the Eastern section and
the Western section. The business
committee, having entire charge
OF all the affairs of the con-
ference will consist of twenty members,
ten being visitors from abroad and the
osher ten representing Methodism in
america. The members of this COM
niittee from the Western section are:
Bishop J. r. Hurst, Bishop ]. c. Gran
berry, Bishop A. Carnam, Drs. ]. C. EN-
bury, j. W. Hamilton. j. NJ. King, j. r.
Murray. A. Walters, p. II. Whlsner, and
Professor j. N. Van Week. To this
oaSiness committee must be submitted all
questions, proposals, resolutions, communi- |
cations, or other matters not included in the |
regular programme, and the gentlemen !
composing this body will be the court of ,
nnol appeal as TO which Of these various |
matters snail be presented for action to |
~ iareer body. Such an arrangement as |