The evening times., 1897-04-08
METHODISTS In SESSION
Maryland Protestant Conference
Holding Meetings at Baltimore.
Rev. A. ID. Melvin Elected President
of the BOdy-Retiring President
Kinzer's Encouraging Report.

Baltimore. April 8.-The sixty-ninth ses-
sion Of the Maryland annual conference OF
the Methodist Protestant Church began yes
terday morning in the Broadway Church,
Monument street and Broadway, Rev. F.
H. Lewis, pastor. The conference was
called to order by the president, Rev. j.
b. KinZer, with Rev. II ugh L. Efderdice as
secretary.
The most important business before the
conference. the election or president to
succeed Rev. j. ID. KinZer, whose term OF
office expired by reason OF the fiye-year
Limitation rule, was an easy task, and
Rev A D. Melvin was chosen on the
second ballot. The other candidates
were Rev. DR.. F. T. Tagg, editor of the
Methodist Protestant; Rev. F. T. Little,
pastor of Starr Memorial Church, and Rev
DR. j L. Mills, of st James Church, Kent
county all of whom received a number Of
votes.
In thanking the delegates for the honor
conferred upon him, and expressing the
hope that all would be satisfied with his
ruling, Mr.. Melvin said a few words OF
wisdom TO the practice of which he in
no little measure attributed his present
elevation I'm all my experience in con-
ference" he said, Il never rose to a
point of order, and if 1 did / would not
now be here, for have noticed that those
who rise to points OF order never rise TO
anything else
Other officers were elected as follows:
Secretary, Hugh l.. Elderdice; assistant
secretaries, Dorsey Blake and Z. p. Nowlin-
Board OF Observation-Disclosures, Louis
Randall: church extension, Avery Dono-
van, superannuated fund, l.. F. Warner;
foreign missions, W. 8. Phillips; educa-
tional, II s. johnson, general home mis-
sion, a. s. Beane.
DR.. kinZer read his annual reports,
noting the erection Of new church buildings
and paTsOEages. including the new church
at North Carolina avenue, Washington
Dr. Kinzer urged the necessity Of spread
ing out in church work. He said that the
conference has been gaining one church
year in Baltimore for the last nine years,
and he expressed the hope that the in
crease might continue.
He spoke of the political excitement of
last autumn as a source of decentralization
to church work. The work of the Ep-
worth League, Woman's Foreign Mission
ary Society and Baltimore Church Exten-
sion Society was recommended. Support
was urged Of the Western Maryland Col
lege and Seminary and OF the Methodist
Protestant, the Baltimore organ of the
church.
Statistics for the year show 8, 81 con-
versions and 2,S9O accessions to church
membership. Christian Endeayor societies
number 174, with 6,979 members. Sun
day-school pupils number 25,050.
DIR. KinZer's recomme ndations were that
conference should rescind the standing
rule for the president to make appointments
to camp-meetings He urged that pastors
holding camp-meetings make them the oc-
oasion for promoting Christian endeavor,
temperance and educational subjects, and
the intelligent appreciation of general
church interests.
He commen nted on carnp-meetings in late
years as not having environments favor
able to plain evangeiistic work. Although
they have lost popularity, he said, great
crowds still attend, and the church ought
to adapt itself to the changed relations,
without relaxation of conference author
ity over the meetings.
Another recommendation was for the
selection of an evangelist to work under
superintendent of the conference for
whom S3O0is to be appropriated from the
funds Of the Church Extension Society.
Rev. F. c. Klein, of Laurel, Del, for
merly missionary to Japan, preached
the conference missionary sermon at the
morning session.
Considerable debate was occasioned by
varying motions to fix the hours of the
session. Some of the members wanted a
single, continuous session each day in
order to give the committees more time
to consider questions which might be re-
ferred to them. Others, and these pre-
vailed, wanted morning and afternoon
session, with an intermission at noon for
luncheon, which is served in the basement
room of the church by committee of
ladies' Their argument was that MEM
bers of families, who are entertaining the
delegates, should be given an opportunity
to be present at afternoon sessions
Rev DR.. L. w. Bates said the whole sys-
tenn of holding conference is wrong. He
declared that a congregation of 200 or
800 people ought to pay for the entertain
ment of their ministerial and lay delegates
while attending the conference sessions,
instead of putting sometimes two or three
delegates upon one family in the place
where conference meets. So long as the
people are entertaining the delegates, he
stated, they should be given opportunity to
hear their guests hold forth in afternoon
session.
Visiting ciergymen of other denomina-
tions Will be welcomed as individual guests |
within the bar of the conference, but The
members decided by vote not to present |
such visitors formally to conference un-. |
less they come as accredited fraternal
delegates This action was taken in order |
to save time and do away with Interruptions |
due to the presentation Of such visitors and |
their speech-making.