The silver blade. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1895-1903, 1896-05-02
CONFERENCE OF THE METHODIST
EPISCOPAL CHURCH..
A Spirited Contest Will Follow ON
the woman QustiOn-The
Officers, Etc.

Conference OF the Methodist EplScopa
church. body which meets every four
years, whose proceedings will enliven the
city of Cleveland and. to some extent tine
country at large, for whole month, he
ginning with the first Of May, will consist
Of about $50 delegates, one-third of whom
will have been chosen by ballot, on ac-
count of some real or Imaginary fitness for
this honor, from a denomination which
numbers about two and three-quarter mil
lions, and has a travelling ministry OF
only a little less than Il, 00O. These chosen
representatives of great church will
be gathered out of no less than 140 an
nuai conferences and missions. and will
hail geographically from every part of the
United States, from the leading countries
In Europe, from the centers of pOpulati On
i'm Asia, from South America, and even
from Africa.
In a fraternal way the Methodism Of
Canada will also be represented. Rev.
John Lathern of Halifax. N. S., will
bring the greetings of that church, while
British Methodisln will be heard from
through Rev. w. l.. Wilkinson. q distin-
guiShed church editor, and the great Meth
Odist Episcopal Church South through shat
eloquent SOutherner and prospective bisn-
OPP. Or J. c. Morris. To the words spoken
by the delegate from the southern church
the conference will listen with unusual
interest; it always does. But at this gath
0rinG the address will occur. it may be pre-
sumed, in connection with the report of a
committee appointed four years ago on
Rraternal cooperation and organic union.
and as there has been latterly in both
churches a growth of sentiment favorable
to such union, some happy developments
may be expected. DIR. Morris, ii may pe
hoped, will be more cordial than was DR..
Tigert, the southern delegate a. quad
rennium ago, and he will, in thai case, be
more cordially welcomed by the confer
ence of a church from which his own sep !
Arated 50 years ago on the question OF
slavery
In this great gathering of Methodsts !
trouble is expected from q very ancient |
cause of trouble--that which is commonly |
reported to have cast the first shadow over
Eden--a cause of trouble which, according |!
10 u crusty, but somewhat discerning |
King, Will be found presumably at the bot !
tom of all trouble; for the darby in this |
Methodist woodpile, if one may SO speak,
will be other than woman. lovely !
woman In the abstract it will be wo
man as represented in two-thirds the
membership of the church. who will lie
pleading for recognition, but in the con-
crete the appeal will be made by four
regularly elected delegates of that sex:
Mrs Bashford, wife of DR.. Bashford, pres
ident Of the Ohio Wesleyan university, and
three foreign missionaries, Miss Lydia A.
Trimble Of China, Mrs. Lois S. Parker of
India, and Mrs. Ada c. Butcher of India.
TO say that these women have been reg
uiariy elected is perhaps saying too much;
and this is the point which threatens trou-
BILE. 1t is the great divisive point in the
whole controversy, and what makes It
particularly serious is that in addition to
driving into camp by themselves those
who are opposed to women's admission.
M creates still another camp by driving
into opposition those who are favorable to
her admission but who want her to come
in. as they express it, upon proper IN
UitatiOn and by the front door,
Just now an element Of thrilling interest
Is added to this controversy by the fact
that constitutional amendment provid-
Eng for her admission has failed by Some-
thing like fifty votes The ministers have
just finished voting upon it in the annual
conferences. 1t could carry only by a
three-fourths majority Had it prevailed.
and should the conference about to con-
sene have ratified it by two-thirds ma
1ority. rs it probably would have done,
the matter would have been settled, and
none could have complained, however
sorely they might have regretted defeat
that 1t had been settled otherwise than
legally. AS, however, the annual confer
ences. in vote of nearly 10000. have
failed by even SO slight margin to pass
this measure, the admission of women by
means of an amendment to the constitu-
only proper way, as many of her
warmest friends hold-must necessarily
wait another four years That her cause
must triumph then if left to this slow but
sure process, is inevitable, from the fact
that whereas four years ago she had lit
tie more than majority of the minis
terial votes, the growth of sentiment and
of new blood have brought her
now almost the requisite three-fourths Of
these votes
The great question is. what will the gem
eral conference do with the women al
ready elected? Eight years ago five of the
c;cto Of III, Ill |