The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-04-24
A GREAT METHODIST YEAR
The Quadrennial Meeting of the MethO-
dist Episcopal General Conference.
The Most Important ~Assemblage Known 10 the
Denomination-Some ofthe Leading Cues.
tions to Be Considered at Omaha.

01tne Leading QueS.
tions TO Be Considered at Omaha.
1t so happens that presidential year Is
always a great Methodist year. and that
just before the meeting of the political con-
ventions there is held in one of the large
cities what is known as the General Con-
ference of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
The last assembly of this kind was held in
New York IN 1883, and now. the requisite
four years having elapsed, we ore upon the
eve of another such conelave, the favored
locality this time being Omaha. 1t
will convene on the "a of May, and
SO great will be the amount of
work before it, that n final adjournment
will be reached only when May itself ad-
journs, and even then. judging from the
past. it will not be ready to adjourn. Out
of the thousand OF moro propositions sub
mitted to the last conference, deliberate
action was taken upon abont a hundred:
the remainder, when the final doxology was
sung. were either on the table or under il.
and in that unsettled situation have they
been compelled to ~remain-for the good of
s.N le~
rennium has gone by.
This conference, which meets only in
presidential years. is, in some respects, the
most important gathering in which Method
lists ever convene. From the stand point of
sentiment it must. perhaps. yield the palm
to the Ecumenical Conference, which met
in Washington in October last. and in Lon
don ten years before. But. udging by the
pOwe r inhering in the two bodies, and by
what they can do along practI-
cal lines. the first place must
unquestionably be gwen to the body
which cOnvenes next week In Omaha. The
last named body. it is true. does not repre-
sent the Methodlsm of the world, but it
does represent the most extensive branch
of MethOdism. Besides. 1t has many great
Offices to fill. while the Ecumenical had in
Its gift-beyond the few honors bestowed
during its brief session-neither dignity
nor emolument.
A BIG CLAsS-MEETING.
In one respect the Ecumenical was only q
big Methodist class-meeting. The brethren
were called together merely for the ex-
change of views and the cultivation of
good feelings. They could talk ad libitum,
and they did this. it must be admitted, in
excellent spirit, with signal ability and
- oDtiAih W. moJ
reasonably expect, too, that there will be DO
end of speech-making at Omaha. InfOrmer
sessions of the same conference 1t has
been nothing unusual for thirty OF forty to
clamor for the privileges of the floor at the
same time, while the spectacle of any
measure appealing in vain for some one TO
throw light upon 1t Is a wholly unheard-of
occurrence In that body. But the General
differs from the Ecumenical Conference in
the fact that besides being endowed with
fh. mfr 0f utfaranea ~ likQUIaa nOeaealaa
an enormous power of legislation.
From this point of view the approaching
quadreDnial cOnclave Is not only superior
to the Ecumenical Conference. but it far
outranks the annual conferences. The lat
ter are merely executive and administra-
tive bodies. They have no power to enact
laws; the whole of this inheres in the con-
ference which meets every fourth year.
From this body must emanate all changes
In polity. and all notifications of
the Discipline. In fact, with a few
observation-disclosures in which the
acts of the General Conference are rem
dered legal only by the concurrent action
of the annual conference.-the body which
holds its approaching session at Omaha
las entire control enthusiastically. not only
of all the ministers of this branch OF Meth
Odism. but of all the members, of even
those exceedingly privileged characters,
the bishops; and, what is perhaps still
more important to practical minds. of all
the vast property interests and all the ex-
listing offices.
ROvIN 1T b L
To appreciate fully what this means we
must dip into figures a little. The Metho.
dists of this continent number q little less
than five and O half millions. The en-
rolled communicates number that many.
or nearly so, and il for each member
we allow the addition of two adherents
who are not members. We see at once
that this prospective gathering at
Omaha will affect IN some measure q
Methodist constituency aggregatlng about
sixteen millions of people. Of course the
Influence of the conference upon the great
bulk of these will be slight and wholly in
direct. But over more than twO.ttths OF
this great constituency its control will be
at once direct and supreme.
That enterprlsing and prosperous branch
of Methodism known as the NJ. T.. Church
South-the second largest of all the de-
nominations into which Methodism is d.
vided-wlllb be represented in this confer
ence only in a .raternal sense. 1t will send
greetings by honored delegates. and will
no doubt be deeply interested in whatever
the conference may do. Possibly, too. It's
policy and feelings may be modified to
the gathering may exhibit. This will sure
ly be the case should favorable action be
taken upon the memorials to be submitted
looking toward organic union of tho two
1 DOGle5. GUN tulo u uOb inc COnlcTeuCo u
tho Church South, but the General Confer
ence of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
and it's decisions. therefore,, can only
affect in any binding sense the members
of that church. When it Is remembered,
however, that there are nearly two
million and a half of these-nOt count
ing adherents-and that this church, in the
aggregate both of its benevolences and
membership. is far in the lead of all other
Methodist churches. IL will be readily
seen that in speaking of its quadrennlal
conference as one of the greatest co%nclaves
i'll which Methodists ever convene. we
have kept quite within the truth. and that
we have not at all oyerestimated either it's
direct Influence or the power il must exert
indirectly-being the governing body OF the
largest amongst them-Oyer the Methodist
churches i'll general.
BODY OF PICKED MEN.
This conference Is a delegated body. 1t
consists of picked men from both the clergy
and laity. The fifteen thousand ministers
of tho NJ. +. Church are divided into one
hundred and thlrty-one annual confer
ences. and every four years each of these
makes its selection, generally by ballot, of
the men who are to represent it in the
quadrennial conference. The ratio is one
delegate for every forty-five ministers and
one for every fraction of two
thirds of that number. A conference
which Is large enough TO send two or more
ministerial delegates ends also two lay
delegates. These are not elected by the