The Portland daily press., 1896-03-21
METHODIST
Something About Its Strength and
the General Conference.
THE IMPORTANT WORK FOR THE
CLEVELAND GATHERING.

Nj. e. Branch of the Church Has Over e.
100000 Communicates in the United
States.
The Methodist people are becoming
very much interested in the forthcoming
General Conference of the Church, to be
held In Cleveland In May.
This gathering of law making officials
of Methodism in the United States will
In some ways be the most momeatous one
held since the Church was established in
this country. The number of delegates
will be the largest; women for the fir st
time will be hdmitted the "time limit
question will be one which will inquest
Outside of these some questions of doc
trine will be brought up. Some of the
delegates to the Conference are radical
enough in their views to cause animated
controversies, but the woman-delegate
question will no doubt be the leading
theme for argument. There may be some
new Bishops appointed. Cincinnati
Methodists hope to get one, and they
have their hopes centered on DR.. Earl
Oranston. the senior agent of the Vest
ern Book Concern. Nearly all-of the del
egatss to the Conference have been
chosen, and the list is a formidable ar
ray of Methodist leaders.
The Methodist Church in the United
States claims approximately 1900, 900
commandments. This of course include
ell branches Of Methodists, but the Meth
odist Episcopal Church proper has in
round numbers Q, $50, 600 members, whose
church property is estimated to be worth
a little above 500, 900, 0O0 There are O yer
16 NJ. E. ministers in the United
States, $4,000 church organizations,
which have under their control 49,
church edifioes, whose seating capacity is
put down at 6,500.000 persons. In ad-
ditlon to these churches there are 1900
halls with seating capacity of $50, 600
persons. The Church ranks in number
of communicates as second in the United
States. the Catholics being first. There
are nearly three Catholic Communicates
to every Met hodist Episcopal communi-
can't in the United States, while on the
contrary there are two and half Metho-
dist organizations to every Catholic Or
ganization. This is explained by the fact
that Catholic parishes contain sometimes
as many as IA, 600 commandments
The Methodist Church is strongest in
the Southeastern States while the pro-
portion of Methodist Church membership
to all communicates ranges from TWEEN
ty-five to fifty per cent. This percentage
holds true, generally speaking, in Kan
sas, Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Ala :
bama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina,
North Carolina, Virginia. West Virginia,
Tennessee, Oklahoma, Indian Territory
and Indiana. which is the strongest
Methodist State. In Colorado, Nevada,
Montana. Wyoming, South Dakota, Ne
braska, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Penu :
sylvania, Ohio aud in the New England
Connecticut Methodists claim from ten
to twenty-five per cent, of the church
population. In Utah they have nothing
practically speaking. The percentage
of Methodism in New Mexico, Arizona
and Idaho is from five to tSn per cent In
Indiana it runs over fifty per cent, and
in the Virginias and some other States
this holds true. The Methodists are SEC
ond in their holdings of church property.
In the order of UNCONVENTIONAL families
the sMethodists head with s13S, 900, 600
worth of property.
The seventeen branches of Methodism
in the United States are the folio wing:
n