The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-05-28
M. E. GENERAL CONFERENCE.
Rev. S. K ArOuthnot Writes an Inter.
estIng Letter Concerning 1t.
To the Editor of The Republican.
CLEVELAND. O.. Nav %.

CLEVELAND, O., May %.
Last week in the Ecclesiastical
column | exhorted your readers not
to swear. | hope when you cast
your eyes over these full pages it
will not cause the sanctity of the
"sanctum" to be disturbed.
1t is the happy privilege of the
writer to be an interested spectator
at the quadrennial session of the
General Conference of the Method
list Episcopal church. Knowing
that you number many MethodIsts
among your subscribers and also
believing that few (?) remarks may
not be uninteresting, | venture to
give some impressions.
The place of holding the daily
sessions Of the conference is the
new armory building of the Ohio
National Guards, Cleveland, Chic.
This huge building has been lately
constructed. Indeed it is not
wholly completed yet. 1t is built
of stone from the famous Berea
quarries. l should Judge the
building was 225 feet long by 125
wide and 200 feet high. There are
high towers at the four corners, and
the general appearance and fit
impression is that Of huge med g.
vial castle, In the interior of (this
building is temporary structure
resembling a large pen. The walls
Of this open" run parallel with the
walls Of the building and are every
where about twenty feet distant.
So to imagine the vast room in
which the general conference holds
its sessions, you have first to think
Of Il large rectangular room boarded
up with new boards. This room
has numerous doors opening from
corridors which surround the space.
This room is tastefully decorated
with flags. The stars and stripes
of course predominant, but in order
that the foreign delegates may not
be too lonesome, the national flag
of every country in which the M.
E. church carries on mission work
is displayed.
The centre Of the room is reserved
for the delegates. On both sides
and at the rear of the central space
run low galleries having ascending
seats; these are the portion
of the house assigned to the
visitors. In the front of this room
is the stage, elevated about five feet
from the floor, and back of the
stage reach in ascending plan tier
after tier of seats. Now If the
reader has a good Imagination he
has the place of meeting pretty well
IN mind. The bishops (sixteen in
ally sit in body upon the stage.
One of their number presideS over
the deliberations of the body. On
the first day the senior bishop elv
ways presides, the next day the one
next in seniority, and so on in sue
cession until all have presided, when
they begin again in the same order.
Hence the general conference always
has different presiding officer each
day. But if any of my readers i'm,
agine that on that account the
conference must often suffer for
want of a wise ruling head, let me
hasten to disabuse his mind. There
are no better presiding officers of
deliberative assemblies IN the world
than the bishops of the NJ. E.
church.
FIRST EXPERIENCES.
My first session was that Of Mon
day evening, May 18th. A special
session Of the conference had been
ordered to receive the fraternal del
egates from the M. E. church South
and the Methodist church of Can
ada. Bishop S. NJ. Merrill was the
presiding officer. To any loyal
MeCnOHlSC VINO looks Tor the 1rSt
time upon a general conference IN
session must come feelings akin to
those which come to the Moham-
medan when he first sees Mecca, or
to the deyout Roman Catholic when
he first visits Rome. Your writer
must confess that his heart was
strikingly stirred as he remembered
he was at the sources of all the
streams of legislative, judicial and
executive powers of one Of the
great churches of Christianity.
No attempt will be made to
report the speeches or to give ev;g
a synopsis of them. 1t suffices to
say they were all great speeches,
breathing the deepest feeling of
fraternity which recognizes the
common brotherhood Of all, because
Christ is our great Elder Brother.
ELECTION OF BISHOPS.
One of the great powers commit
ted to the general conference is the
election of biShOps. The commit