Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1892-03-30
Baltimore Conference NJ. E. Church
South.

the evening before by Rev. l.. l.. Lloyd, !
alternate, in the place OF Rev. j. II. !
Waugh who had been appointed princi-
pal, but was prevented by carbuncle |
an attack of the grip.
The regular work of the session COM
menced on Wednesday morning, Bis
hop John C. Keener presiding.
The following secretaries were elect
ed
Secretary, Rev. James E. Armstrong;
recording secretary, Rev. J. Watts
Shoatf; assistants, Revs. George L.
Tyler Asbury R. Martin, James p.
Stump, Henry S. Coe, and William NJ.
Waters
The usual committees were then APP
pointed and the routine work of the
conference was proceeded with.
The Report of Rev. w. A. Harris,
d. D., President of the Wesleyan Fee
male Institute of this city, which was
read on Thursday morning, shows the
prosperous condition of that Institute
that it has 152 boarding pupils-and
that a chapel and infirmary are need
ed, and hoped that provision would be
made for an infirmary, at least, if not
a chapel.
Randolph-Macon College has 100
students and is in prosperous condl-
ton. The Academy at Bedford city
has ITO students, and is now self-sup-
porting. The Front Royal Academy is
approaching completion, and will be
even larger than the one at Bedford
city
The Randolph Macon Woman's col
lege at Lynchburg will be completed
ready for the session to open in Sep
TENDER of next year.
The report declared that 100000 was
needed for the endowment of the chair
of Biblical literature in Randolph Ma
con college, and $4,000 more for the
completion and inauguration of the
academy at Front Royal.
At II O'Clock on Friday morning, the
question of change in the time OF
holding the annual sessions of Confer
ence from March to October was acted
upon 1t was agreed to submit the ques-
ton without debate and was decided in
the negative by a vote of ayes y; noes
81. Seventy-seven of the clergy and II
laymen voted no; So clerical members
and seven of the laity aye. OF the Staun-
ton delegates Rev. J. T.Williams voted
no, and Lay Delegate Reeves Gait, aye.
The Conference on Saturday put its
| ''foot down-heavily" ON what the re-
port an Evangelism called ''irresponsi-
BILE or self-styled evangelists," by
adopting almost unanimously the fol
lowing report of the committee on
Evangelism:-
"Your committee, to which the sub
| ject of Evangelism was referred, has
carefully considered the subject and
respectfully report:
1--WE are fully convinced that the
employment of irresponsible or self
styled evangelists, travelling through
out the country and operating in oul
churches, is an evil of great magnitude
ITO specify-The respect of the PEG
pie for the duly authorized ministry is
diminished, discord is introduced into
the churches, means that should bt
used in the regular work among Oul
people are diverted; a lamentable il
reverence follows the teachings o
these men, irreverence marking theil
own speech and conduct; the CONVEX
siOns that are counted, in many case
do not show the evidence of real change
or even of genuine conviction OF sin
that serious errors in doctrine are Otter
promulgated by them; that our meth
DDS of calling sinners to repentance are
discredited-and, not to multiply thu
statement of facts, we add only this
that after revivals conducted by thes'
men, congregations are diminished, the
means of grace are neglected and the
people less easily impressed by The
gospel of the Lord Jesus.
THE paper referred to us directs tina
some measures be devised for the prop
er protection and direction of thu
work of the church by the members o
this conference.
eve therefore recommend:
81. That our pastors, whenever ablt
to do so, conduct all the services them
selves.
20. That if aid should be needed
they call to their assistance their breth
rem in their own or adjacent confer
ence.
80. That such travelling evangelist
be not admitted to our churches.
q That our people are urgently ad
vised and requested to give no coun
tenance or support to such men, either
by attendance upon their services, OF
the contribution of means.
"It evidences our conviction Of the
Importance of all that we report, wheI
we affirm that in our judgment NJ
more effective system or method OF
evangelization (the itineracy) has beer
used in modern times than that hither
to in use in our church and which we
sincerely trust will never be abandon
eds
Rev. V. w. Wheeler was very severe
in his remarks about the evangelist
Smith who recently held a meeting al
| Clifton Forge, and who labored tC
create a division between the pastor
and people. In reply to Il question Of
a member how to determine whether OF
not man is a responsible evangelist
the Bishop replied, that a responsible
one always has his papers"
| Rev. DR.. Morrison delivered an ad
dress on Foreign Missions, showing
how rapidly it had advanced during
the past % years. In ten months OF
the current mission year $3.50, 1871 q
have been collected. The same pro,
portion for the remaining two months
will place the receipts largely in excess
of the assessments; and the debt will
be half diminished by May, But be
sides paying this debt, the church was
doing far more. Its membership had
increased during the two decades from
400, 900 to 1885, 600. and was equipped
with unsurpassed buildings, a publish
ing house and fine educational facili-
ties. He asked che Conference to
pledge So, 400 for the support of its own
missionaries in Japan-Reys. b. W.
| Waters and Newton-and in a short
time the subscriptions amounted to
| 50, 440.
On Sunday the pulpits of the differ
ent denominations of Harrisonburg
were filled by Conference ministers, as
well as the churches In number of
villages in the county.
4 l