The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1896-04-15

hat on his head. You can do 1t, and IL no.
body wants to join the society he don't
have to. SO say we have perfect right to
say what you shall do IL you join our minis
try and II you don't want to do it you don't
have to join. We are here to make Meth
odist preachers aud we want you to preach
our doctrine 1t is not asking too much of a
Methodist preacher to insist that he shall
be ready at all times to preach or pray"
The Bishops address was over an hour in
length and closed with some practical sug-
gestions as to sermon-making.
Rev. DR.. Charles Parkhurst, editor OF
Ztons Herald, was introduced, and adj
dressed the Conference in the interests OF
the paper. He said that the building owned
by the Wesleyan Association, situated on
Bromfeld street, Boston, is valued at
$500, 0OO and the Indebtedness on the same
had been reduced to $4,000, and that
during the past year $15, 900 was paid on the
debt The rental on the building now
mounts to $4,000. The building and the
paper, which never cost the church dollar,
are now the property of the ministers OF the
six patronizing Conferences In New Eng
land, and are administered by twenty rep
resentative laymen for the benefit Of the
superannuated preachers connected with
these Conferences. When the Indebtedness
on the Wesleyan Building is fully paid, the
the paper must be divided annually among
the worn-out preachers and their families.
During the eight years that DIR. Parkhurst
has been the editor Of the paper, nearly
$4,000 has been divided among the six
Conferences. DIR. Parkhurst presented the
Conference with check for 1921 as its share
of the dividends for the past year.
A special session Of the Conference was
held Thursday afternoon, at which Rev. III.
A. Spencer presided: Among those intro
duced were Rev. L. H. Elliot, agent of the
Vermont Bible Society Miss Mary Il.
Lund, superintendent Of the New England
Home for Deaconnesses, Boston; Rev W.
Fl. Lyle, who presented the greetings OF
the Free Will Baptist Convention; Rev. p.
Q. Abbey, representing the Vermont Bap-
fist Convention; Rev. A. A. Smith, for the
Congregational Churches of Vermont, and
DR.. e. M. Smith Of the Montpelier Sem
mary.
At the Baptist church the womans Home
Missionary Society was addressed by Mrs.
o. d. Clapp of Windsor.
In the evening the anniversary of the
Church Extension Society was held. The
principal speaker was Rev. M. s. Hard
OF Kingston, Pa, assistant secretary of the
Board. At the close of DR.. Hard's address
a conservation service was held
Devotional services were led by Rev. II.
A. Spencer Of Montpelier. The class for
admission to full connection, to which
Bishop Fowler delivered his charge on
Thursday, was admitted, except j. l..
Wesley and j. FL. Wills. G. e. Burke of
North Hero was also admitted into full con-
nection, he having taken the full three
years. course of study in conference in the
Province of Quebec.
The following were admitted on trial: e.
l.. NJ Barnes of st. Adams, G. o. Judkins
of Bristol Station, N. H, j. e. Badger of
Barre, r. M. French of Boston, L.. N.
Moody of Waterbury, o. Eiken of Gov
entry, e. j. Gale of Barre, s. g. johnson of
Sheffield, w. M. Morrill, of Topsham, M. A.
Smith of Danville and G. w. Robinson of
West Fitchburg, Mass.
Presiding Elder L. L. Beeman of Mont
peler District read his report, which showed
that there are forty-six charges in the district
A new $4,000 church building has been
erected at Windsor and additions made to
those at Ludlow, Springfield and White
district on property the past year was $1S, 1000
Three ballots were necessary to elect
delegates to the General Conference TO be
held at Cleveland, O., in May. Rev. j. o.
Sherburne of Williamstown and Rev. A. j.
Hough of Brattleboro were elected, with
Rev. l.. o. Sherburne Of st. Adams and
Rev. W. s. Smithers OF Hardwick alter
mates. The lay electoral conference, held
at the same hour at the Baptist church,
elected Lieutenant-Governor o. M. Mansur
of Island Pond and M. P. Perley of Enosburg
Falls as lay delegates. This lay electoral
conference unanimously passed resolution
that it was in favor of making the lay and
ministerial delegation equal at General
Conference.
At two o'clock in the afternoon the lay
electoral conference marched to Hedding
Church in body and was introduced to the
Spencer. Hon. f. B. Ball Of Bellows Falls,
president of the lay conference, spoke
briefly, and Bishop Fowler called upon
each Of the lay and ministerial delegates for
speeches. All responded briefly, assuring
the Conference that their best thought and
effort would be put into the work at Cleve-
land.
Bishop Fowler spoke for ten minutes, get
ting in several bright drives at the delegates
elect, and assuring the Conference that he
had no fears that the General Conference
would do anything Of which any of them
alarm; we are coming every quadrennial
meeting to better conditions. He compli-
mented the laymen on their selection of q
governor to preserve order, and said that 1t
was wise to send Mr.. Perley, as, at the close
of the General Conference his services
would doubtless be in great demand, there
would be 80 many spawned preachers there
Mr.. Perley's connection with the SPAWN
cure establishment at Enosburg Falls is
we'll known, and the hit was loudly ap-
plauded
At half-past three the anniversary of the
Woman's Foreign Missionary Society was
held. Mrs. L. L. Beeman presided. A
hymn was read by Mrs. G. s. Nutter of St.
Adams, Miss Mary A. Pomeroy Of st. Adams
read selections of Scripture and Mrs. A Ell.
Webb offered prayer. Addresses were
made by Miss Louise Manning Hodgkins Of
Boston, editor of the Womans Missionary
Friend, and Mrs. Beeman.
In the evening Bishop Fowler delivered
his celebrated lecture on Lincoln" at the
Opera House. The Bishop was pleasantly
introduced by Hon. w. P. Dillingham;, and
for two hours and ten minutes he held the
closest attention of the nine hundred people
present. Rare indeed are the orators or
public speakers who can hold the unfiagging
interest OF great audience for two hours,
but Bishop Fowler was equal to the &C.
casion. A close personal acquaintance with
Mr.. Lincoln during the darkest days of the
war enabled the Bishop to speak with
authority. The splendid. eloquent, many
sided picture he 80 wildly drew Of the
martyr president, interspersed by many an
anecdote, will not be marred by any at