Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-03-10
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE.
The Methodists Interested In the
Coming May Session.


Questions of Vast Importance to he
SettIed--Thore May he Serious Dis
sensions--Women Demanding Admis-
sion.
The New York Times of Sunday last
contained the following;
The great delibcrative, legislative, and
executive body of the Methodist Episco-
pal Church known us the General Con-.
ference will hold its next quadrenial
meeting this year in Omaha. The SEES
slons will occupy the entire month of
May, and for several reasons they
promise to be fraught with most notable
results. Methodists are looking forward
to the General Conference with great
interest
At least two questions are bound TO
come up the settlement Of which may
cause the birth Of new denominations. A
large number of other questions are
likely TO cause undue excitement, as
upon them may be reflected the inilu-
cnce of the greater questions, without
any reference whatever to the merit or
demerit of the lesser. Many of the
annual conferences have instructed
their delegates to the General Confer.
ence how to vote on the question of adj
hitting women to the conferences, and,
whether favorably or unfavorably, TO
cast their votes on every other question,
no matter how remote, accordingly,
Therefore, delegate in favor of the adj
mission of women will not vote for any
man opposed to their admission, no
matter what Office he may be put up for.
The General Conference will be very
large body. 1t will be made up of six
ministerial and two lay delegates from
each of the Ill annual conferences II
will be presided over in turn by the 16
resident bishops of the denomination.
The annual conferences are divided into
two classes, called the fall and spring
conferences, from the season of the year
in which their meetings arc held The
majority OF those conferences have
already elected their delegates Those
of the east are now assembling, and
much attention is being directed to them
in the hope of discovering indications
as to what course they are likely to pur-
sue on the great questions of the day.
The east and the west were directly
arrayed against each other in the pre-
liminary votes that the General Confer
NV - AG1@f itlCt III llllo CITY,
| directed should be taken on the woman
question in 1890 and 1891, the west vot-
| ing largely in favor of admitting women
and the east on the other side. The
delegates that the western conferences
have elected are known to be almost
all woman" men, while in many in
stances, to guard against any possibility
OF conversion by the eloquent orators Of
the other side in the conference, special
instruction has been given to vote for
the admission of women as lay delegates
In the case of the Cincinnati conference
a delegate who has been instructed that
way is pronounced "anti- woman"
man.
viii the east adopt the same tactics !?
is question often asked in Methodist
circles. Here in New York and Brook
Ign, where the foes of women are the
most bitter and most numerous, the
prevailing sentiment is that the dele.
gates will not be hampered in any such
way. There is no likelihood that any
but anti-woman men, however, will get
a place on the delegation from either
the New York or the New York East
Conference.
Rumor is busy among the constituent
cies concerned with the mention of the
men who are likely to be elected or
whose names will be presented. In this
city Chaplain G. G. McCabe, correspond
ing secretary of the Missionary Society.
is prominently spoken of. He is an un.
compromising anti-woman man. The
Rev. DR.. NJ. DC. Crawford, correspond
ing secretary Of the City Church Exten-
sion and Missionary Society, is also
mentioned. He is also a decidedly anti
woman man. Others by whom the New
York Conference may be represented
| are; The Rev. DIR. james M. King, Sec
rotary of the National League for the
| Protection of American Institutions; the
Kew Or. j. IL. Day, pastor of Calvary
Church; the Rev. DR.. A. j. Palmer,
presiding elder of the New York dis.
| trict; the Rev. &. Ii. Gregory of Trinity
Church, Poughkeepsie; the Rev. Charles
W. Willard, pastor Of the Washington
| Square Church; the Rev. j. Il. Belcher
of Kingston, and the Rev. Drs. j. II.
Miley and q. X. Crooks, professors al
Drew Theological Seminary, Madison,
y. j. Every one Of these ministers is
on record as opposing the admission of
women.
From the New York East Conference
only "anti-womanN men are expected TO
be sent to the General Conference The
Rev. Dr. James NJ, Buckley, editor Of
the Christian Adg0cdte of this CITY. is sure
to go. So are the Rev. DIR. George p.
Mains, pastor Of the New York Avenue
Church, Brooklyn, and Presiding Elder
G. S. Wing of Stamford, Conn. Others
mentioned are the Rev. DR.. George Il
| Road OroeidaOt Of ntal,;,.a,,
Carlisle, Pa; the Rev. Or. D.. Oramei
Peck, secretary of the Missionary So
clety, Brooklyn, and Presiding Elder
John w, Beach Of Middlctown, Conn
Almost half century has passed
since the followers of John Wesley in
America divided upon the slavery cues.
tlon INTO two parts, which have never
been reconciled. The next most i'm
| pnrtant crisis came less than genera
ton ago, when the laity demanded and
received at the hands Of the clergy and
were admitted to representation in the
General Conference. Since then tile
development of the church has been
remarkable, and many find the cause of
il in the wider and wider sphere Of
| activity that tho church has allowed to
it, women members.
Five women succeeded III getting
elected as delegates from as many con.
fercnees to the General Conference Of
1855. They were Miss Frances Il. VIII
lard Of the Rock RIVER Conference,
Amanda g. Iilppey Of the Kansas Con-
ference, Mary G. Hind Of the Minnesota
Conference, Angie +, Newman Of the
Nebraska Conference, and Lizzie b. Van
kirk Of the Plttsburg Conference. They
were elected under dc Interpretation of
term "lay," as including both men and
women, but the General Conference
was not ready to Let them take their
seats.
The decision to exclude the women