The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1896-12-27
METHODIST PREACHERS.
Sum Jones Gives Ia Glimpse of
Their Lives.


The annual gathering of the Nortt
Georgia conference has just closed 1t.
session at Dalton. and when got or
board the train yesterday in my towr
for Atlanta l found q train load ci
Methodist rrcachcrs--a jolly. hearty
noble company of men homcward
bound from the session of their confer
cnce. some TO move to new fields of labor
and some to go back TO their old fields
No Methodist preachers appointment
10 any pastorate lasts longer than IL
months Their term of Office expires
every IL months--every year--and they
are either removed or rcappointed to
the same work. This fact keeps up the
interest in these annual gatherings.
Every Methodist preacher attends his
conference IL he has to borrow the
money to pay his fare or walk. They
look forward TO their annual conference
when they shall all be united socially
and religiously again. Methodist
preachers are very fond Of each Others
company. \ fellow feeling makes them
wondrous kind. After the roll call Mt
| the beginning Of their annual session
| the regular routine of business begins.
Each Methodist preachers character is
| passed. one after another, If there is
nothing against him. There is no
church that guards the character OF
her preachers more than the Methodist
church. The fact that he is Methodist
preacher is pretty good proof that he
I is all right. If there is any report
against him his case is referred to n
committee, and If there be any grounds
for the report. specific charges are pre-
ferred against him. Now and then q
Methodist preacher is arraigned for
heresy. or for INSTRUMENTATION. and oc-
casionally one for immortality. No
preachers character is passed at the
annual conference until he first gives an
account of his work. which embraces
the success of his ministry in spiritual
things and which discloses his fdelit,
in raising the various collections
ordered by the church.
Then they have applications for adj
mission into the conference, whose
cases are all voted upon after pretty
thorough representation of the special
cases. These sessions or annual confer
ences last generally from five to seven
days. In the meantime the bishop ard
his cabinet hold their sessions between
the sessions of the conference. and gen
orally at night. The bishop and the
cabinet at the conferences is composed
of the bishop and the several presiding
elders on the districts of the confer
ence. The presiding elders are simply
an advisory board TO the bishop. They
discuss the fitness and unftness of GER
tain preachers for certain appointments
The bishop who seeks the glory of God
and the good of men only has an arlu-
Gus task at nm annual conference be-
cause he acts for both parties. the
preacher and the church he is TO
serve.
One of our bishops said: eve have
three classes of preachers in our con-
ference. The first class are the best
preachers whom everybody wants at
every church. The second class is com
posed Of the preachers that nobody
wants. The third is composed of tho
preachers who are taken by any church
without murmuring." The first two
classes give the bishop n good deal of
trouble 1t is hard 10 determine where
10 send preacher when 200 places
want him. 1t is hard to know what to
do with preacher when not one out of
the 200 places wants him. 1t is an easy
task TO place large majority of preach
crs who will 20 anywhere and whom
any place will take without murmur-
ing.
Each conference has what is called
its "gum-logs." They are generally
men who are inefficient and don't know
and yet they flattcr themselves that
they are generally sought for by all tie
churches. Two of orr Georgia preach
ers once upon time when they We're
koung and effective being mutual
friends agreed with each other to keep
tab and that so soon as one found that
the other was growing ineffective and
getting to be a gum-log he would so
notify him. Time were on. BY and by
they were both old preachers. Finally
one screwed his courage up to the
sticking point, took his friend out To
one side md said: II have painful
duty to perform. we pledged each
other in our younger days that il either
of us grew ineffective we would notify
the other. In compliance with that
promise l come TO you to say that you
are no longer sought after by any of the
churches. None of the churches want
you. You are gum-log the conference
can't float" Whereupon the gum-log
replied to his friend: "Thcre is not n
word of truth. sir, in what you say. l
am more sought after to-day than
ever in my ministry. But am candid
when say to you TINT you are the most
inefficient man in our conference. You
are the worst gum-log of ALL" A preach
err is the last fellow in the world to find
out that he is gum-log.
From all these annual gatherings
many preachers go away disgruntledan and
dissatisfied with their appointments.