St. Paul daily globe., 1895-10-02
POSTGRADUATE INSTITUTE.
CRITICISM OF THE FIVE-YEAR
TERM LIMIT BY ELDER
CHAFFEE.
A LAKE STREET DIFFERENCE.
Rev. Van FOssen Said to Have
Called Another Man IL
Liar.

vi. ",
church. A large number of the min
listers arrived yesterday morning,
and spent the day attending two ses-
sions of the postgraduate institute,
as it is called in default of a better
name.
An effort is to be made at this con-
ference session to form among the
ministers an association for post
graduate work, with a definite course
of study. A standing committee has
had the matter in charge for two
years, and will make their final re-
port today or tomorrow Saturday
it is expected to formulate an organ
lzation. The committee consists of
DR.. Chaffee, Rev. J. B. Hingeley,
Prof. S. S. Innes, of Hamline univer-
sity, Rev. c. M. Heard and Rev. Will
lam Mckinley. DR.. H A Cleveland,
of st. Paul, and Rev. E. L. Watson,
of the Hennepin Avenue church, have
also been drafted into the work
DR.. Chaffee, who is presiding elder
of the Minneapolis district, acted as
chairman yesterday. Several
free and Outspoken discussion was
called out. AT the morning session
Rev. E. G.. Clemens, of Forest
Heights church, read a review of
Horizons ''Verbum Del" and Rev. G..
M. Hurd, of Monticello, discussed the
"Old and New Theology"
/ Quite a warm discussion arose af-
ter the reading of the paper on the
doctrine of the Second Probation"
AT the afternoon session Rev. T. w.
Stout, of Park Avenue church, adj
dressed the ministers on the Moral
Uses of Astronomy" Rev. Watson
made an admiral platform talk on
''The Scope of Ministerial Equip
ment," which was in itself a strong
plea for the postgraduate work.
Prof. Innes, of Hamline, read a pa
per on 1.-THE Educational Man." pre-
senting high idea of intellectual
life. He suggested a quickening of
the intellect by travel, observation,
study of mankind, for study in the
university of the world" Minis
ters, he said, needed to be better busi-
ness men, not to instruct business in
their business duties, but to know
their life and be able to extend SYM
pathy to them. Ministers were
blessed with uncommon sense, but
they needed more common sense.
They should study Poor Richards
almanac and the Proverbs, as well
as Carlyle and Emerson. The older
preachers owe it to the younger men
to set them a stimulating example
of well-rounded manhood It had
been argued against a postgraduate
course that Methodist preachers
knew enough to map out courses of
study for themselves, but judicious
direction Of reading was sure to be
benefit.
Rev. DR.. Chaffee read a paper on
THE Need of a Post Graduate Course"
The world has long built it's knowledge
on faith, resting the pyramid ON it's
apex. But scarce a day passes but
some new fact is discovered and cata-
logued and the time is at hand when
all knowledge will be built up in the
natural order with a firm foundation
of acquired truth. Methodist ministers
need to study more closely the
"abutting sciences" such as astron-
omy, geology and criticism. No re-
ligion is vain that tends to meet
mans highest wants, but that
religion is most perfect which
most nearly meets them all. Ministers
must be up to- date.
DR.. Chaffee closed with a sharp criti-
cism of the five-year term limit on the
pastorate. Under that limit, he said,
a n ic
clergyman of sixty, who was endeared
to a community by long service, would
serve aoceptably for long years more,
but at that age no other congregation
would be willing to receive him. 'T
hope for the abolition of the limit he
said, "and of a system which has
caused a wicked waste of men who
might have been useful" A hearty
round of applause showed that his
words found plenty of appreciation
An animated discussion followed over
the plans and purposes of the post
graduate work. The idea was almost
unanimously indorsed. Rev. Matt S.
Hughes, of Wesley church, this city,
said: II must say that I would never
consent to having anything to do with
this plan, if the course was anything
like that prescribed for our young
preachers by the discipline. It is an
abomination Of desolation. But I am
satisfied that this course will be on
much more liberal and Methodistic
lines, and 1 am heartily with you in
the course Of study that is to be pro-
posed"
There is a little difference in the Lake
Street Methodist church, this city,
which will come before the conference
for settlement. A member of the
church is prepared, it is said, to prefer
charges against Rev. Harmon Van
FoSsen, the pastor, on the grounds of
calling another man liar. A commit
tee from the church has waited on
Bishop Fowler in the interests of Rev.
Mr.. Van Fossen to ask that the charges
be produced early in the session, so
that there will be time to settle the
matter without deferring it to the
next meeting of the conference. They
claim to have ninety of the III mem
bers of the church with them in sup
port of the pastor.
THE CONFERENCE SERMON.
Last evening the conference of the
Northern Minnesota Methodist church
was inaugurated at Hennepin Avenue
church, Rev. w. H. Knowles preaching
the conference sermon. DR.. Knowles
discourse was on the general quail
fcations of minister of the gospel
and he sought to lay down a few lines
along which the clergy ought to follow
and certain points which should be
emphasized. He said that it was a
lamentable fact that very few congre-
cations in the land had the compre-
hensive knowledge of the background
and continuity of the Bible that should
be the foundation of all belief 1t was
a fact that too many preachers did
not rely upon the Bible as they should.
The thing most essential to successful
work was a thorough knowledge of
the Bible and it's real significance, and
thorough and clear exposition of its
truth. No man haj in himself the ele-
ments that make religion strong, but
he must hold up the word of God to the