The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-05-06
THE METHODIST GENERAL CON
FERENCE.

The meeting of the General Conference
which begins on Monday at Omaha, will
be one of the most important gatherings
of that body in the history of the Metho-
dist Church in this country. The ques-
tons that will come before it are numer-
Gus and of more than usual importance.
Perhaps the most disturbing issue will
be the eligibility of women to the con-
ference. This same mat er, it will be
remembered, came in for a great deal of
discussion four years ago, and kind of
a compromise was made. 1t was agreed
that the laity, men and women, of the
churches should vote upon the question
of the eligibility of women to the con-
ference, and that the local conferences
should vote whether the restrictive rule
of General Conference representation
shonld be so modified as to make the
matter Enthusiastically legal. With the
former majority vote was sufficient, but
III order that the women might succeed
on the latter proposition they had to Sc
cure majority of three-fourths of those
present and voting, Among the laity an
unusually small vote was cast-a proof,
perhaps, of the little interest in the mat
ter among the general church members
but the result was very emphatically, so
far as the vote was concerned, in favor
of the admission of women. The ma
jority, too, among the conferences seems
to have been likewise favorable, but 1t
was not equal to the necessary three
fourths. The question has thus been
negatived SO far as the popular vote
goes. But the General Conference is the
supreme law-making body of the church,
and so far as can be estimated the ma
jority of the present delegates to it are
advocates of the admission of women.
Those from the West are especially ur-
gent for it. So it is likely that some
rahical step will be attempted, if not
taken.
Next to this question is that of the
basis of representation in the conference.
The laymen wish to be given the same
position as the ministers. At present
the clerical delegates outnumber them
nearly three to one. The church sends
one delegate for every $1,000 members,
and on such basis the Omaha body will
consist of about 500 delegates. Now
this is an unwieldy body to do business.
Furthermore, the size of it involves a
great expenee. The last General Con-
ference cost something over $6S,000. In
view of this the laymen wish the body to
be made up of two clerical and two lay
delegates from each conference.
1t is doubtful whether there will be
any new Bishops elected. No vacancy
has occurred during the past four years.
But there is movement to have the two
missionary Bishops, Taylor and Tho
burn, raised to the same class as the
others and the distinction abolished. 1t
is not popular with the body of the
church. The last conference saw the
extension of the pastoral term from
three to hive years. 1t is not probable
that any change will be made at Omaha
in this limit. There is desire, how
ever, on the part of some that the term
be seven instead of five years. Aside
from these questions are others of de-
nominational interest, including the
matter of revising the body of the church
discipline. There are also the election
of the editors of the church papers and
the Secretaries of the auxiliary societies,
so that the month at Omaha will be a
busy one.