The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1892-05-14
M. P. GENERAL CONFERENCE.
Some Notes on Its Approaching Sessions in
westminster-List Of Delegates.

The regular quadrennial sessions of the
General Conference of the Methodist Prot
estant Church will be held in the NJ. p. Church,
this city, beginning on Friday of next week
and continuing for about ten days or two
weeks. The conference is composed OF dele
gates from the annual conferences, OF which
there are forty. The ratio of representation
is one minister and one layman for every two
thousand persons in full membership in the
Church, and rs the membership is about lGO,-
600 the conference will consist of 100 dele
gates. All chosen may not be present, but
about $50 are expected.
The highest officer of the Conference is
President, who is elected by ballot and pre-
sides at all the sessions of the body. de con
tinues in office for four years, and until his
successor is elected, and is. during the IN
term of the meetings of the General Confer
ence, the connexional officer of the Annual
Conferences. He is chiefly presiding officer,
however, as he has no duties after adjourn
ment except to answer correspondence, and
his official duties are very limited.
The presiding officer may be 4 layman or
minister A layman has never been elected
to this position, but there is some talk OF
electing one this time to demonstrate how
perfectly the church recognizes the equality
of laymen and ministers.
BUSINESS OF THE CONFERENCE.
The first subject to come before the con
ference will be the admission of three women
as delegates and one as ministerial delegate.
These have been elected from Indiana, Iowa,
Kansas and West Virginia. The church dis
eiplne allows each Annual Conference to de-
! termine who shall represent them, but their
admission will be resisted on the ground that
this liberty refers only to suffrage so far as it
affects the annual conference. The church
has never voted on the admission of women,
| although it is said there is a widespread SEN
timent in the West favorable to it.
As 10 the woman claiming TO be minister,
/ her admission will be resisted on the ground
| that no Annual Conference has ever received
authority to ordain woman, the last General
Conference declaring such action void.
The next matter of importance will be the
election of general officers of the Church
editors of The Methodist Protestant, published
at Baltimore. and The Methodist Recorder,
published at Pittsburgh Pa; Foreign Mis-
sionary Secretary, q Home Missionary Secre-
lary, and Secretary of the Board of Minis
| terial Education, Publishing Agents for the
publications named above, and boards for
| conducting the various benevolences- of the
church.
Foreign Missions will no doubt receive spe-
cia attention. A recent report on this sub
| iect has been submitted to the Board OF For
| eign Missions by Rev. L. ii. Lewis, u. u,
President of Western Maryland College, who
was appointed to make survey Of the work
in Japan Much discussion has been occa-
stoned thereby and interest in the subject is
probably greater than ever before.
There may be some effort to make changes
| in the creed, but there seems to be so little
general interest in the church on this subject
that the few who advocate it will find diff
| entity in securing attention.
Educational interests of the church will
come before the conference, but it is not eX'
pected that any radical changes will be made
| The project of building a university at Kan
sas city has not been abandoned and may
come before the conference.