The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-04-04
M ETH0DIST CONFERENCE
Continued from First Page,)


conference session Of the forty-eighth
meeting of the New York East confer.
ence was called to order by Bishop
Merrill with only q few present, but
after the opening prayer by Rev. S, H.
Smith of Brooklyn, N. Y, the assembly
room rapidly filled up and by the time
the session was ready for business
every seat was filed, while many were
standing at the back OF the room. The
attendance was the largest which has
yet been present at session of the
conference.
After the opening exercises Rev. DR..
| Hubbell of Brooklyn arose and stated
| that it was believed by many that the
| composite name of many churches was
at variance with those printed in the
conference minutes and Is therefore not
only an element OF confusion in the
history of the churches, but in the pro-
cess of time might result in the loss of
legacies to their boards of trustees. On
his motion it was voted that the pre-
siding elder of each district be instruct
| ed to present the subject at the first
| quarterly conference of each church in
the ensuing conference in order that
appropriate action might be taken to
| harmonize such names where conflict
now exists.
The transfer of Rev. T. F. Clark from
| the Central New York conference and
of S. T. Carlander from the New Eng
land conference to the New York East
conference was then announced.
| The matter of the election of trustees
! for the Forsyth street church in Brook
| Ign was brought up and the following
trustees We're elected: Mark White, F.
A. Spencer and Elisha Seeley.
| The next business in order was the
reading of the yearly report of Elder c..
j. North presiding elder of the New
| Haven district, Mr.. North spoke of
| this district as the very flower of Yam
kee Methodism, and said that the spir-
| itual work of the past year has given
gratifying results. There has been I'M
precedented interest aroused in revivals
! in some of the churches. In regard to
| the Mills meetings Mr. North said that
| the result was not what had been hoped
for by pastors and people, the general
| idea being that better results would
| have come from special meetings held
| in separate churches. In other places,
| however, the work of evangelists has
| been more effective, especially in Der
| by, Higganum, Naugatuck, Waterbury
| First M. f. church and in Plainville.
| The work at Middletown has resulted
in the organization of new church
| with thirty members at Smith Farms,
In church finances there have been diff
ficulties since the coming of the hard
| times, and the wave of prosperity has
not yet reached the churches. Only
two or three have, however reduced
| pastors salaries, while twenty-siX
churches have increased the salaries
OF the churches which have reported
only eleven have fallen short of collec-
| tons
Just at the close Of last year the New
| Haven CHARACTERIZATION union was form
ed and has contributed $1,000 to hell
poorer churches, and has saved one
church from falling into the hands OF
the sheriff Summerfield NJ. e. church
Of this city was in a precarious condi-
ton. and by the generosity of certain
gentlemen $1,400 yearly interest fol
three years was raised. Sunday schoo
work has prospered finely. Two prom
inent questions which have arisen are
how to prevent the exclusion of the Bi-
BILE from the Sunday schools by Les
son Helps" and how to get the children
to attend morning church service.
At the conclusion Of the report Rev
| Or. Pullman of Bridgeport asked thc
presiding elder If the finances of loca
churches were controlled according te
business principles, and if the minister
could tell on business basis where al
the money went to.
| The elder replied that the funds were
handled in a business way by good bus
mess men, and Mr.. North said that tht
financial board of the churches was the
auditing committee Of the quarterly
conference, where careful inquiry was
made into the financial condition of the
churches.
Rev. a. C. Eggleston of New Yori
district said in connection with th'
matter that each church ought to ap
point an auditing committee and tina
the discipline required this.
Bishop Merrill next called the presid
ing elders forward and asked them i
there was anything against any of thu
effective elders In their respective dis
tricts, and all answered that there wa
not This proceeding was applauded
as it has heretofore been the custom t.
call each effective elder and ask tn
presiding elder concerning him. TIL
new system adopted by Bishop Merrill
is more agreeable and occupies les
time.
roll call of pastors was next takel
and as each one was called he gave tn
amount which had been collected in hi
church during the past year for mis-
sionary purposes. The amounts givel
ranged all the way from SIS up to s., 00C
While this was going on a fine buncl
of roses was placed on Bishop Mer
rill's desk, presented by W. p. Thomp
son of Port Chester
The next business taken up was tn
advancing of the members of the frs
year class to the second year class
Some of the candidates had not submit
ted sylIabi of their reading and it wa
voted that all such be required to sub
nit sylIabi to the next conference. TIL
candidates advanced were Franl
Moody. Frank Marsland, W. Z. Scl1oon
over, G. p. Pardington. Harris x
Smith, Robert ]. Beach, Herbert E
Munson and Royal w. Raymond. o.
motion of Presiding Elder Van Alstyn
Roger e. Thompson was discontinue
from the candidate list on account o
i'll health and inability on that accoun