Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-11-19
THEIR SECOND DAY.
THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE
VIRGINIA METHoDrsTs.
CHURCH EXTENSION IOR 1897.
Report of the Board-As to Costly
Edinces-A Sad Announcement-An
Interesting GaveI-DiscipIIne-Rou-
tine Work.

| OF Suffolk, conducted the preliminary de-
votional service. at the conclusion OF
which the presiding officer, Bishop o. p.
| Fitzgerald. assumed the chair. The Sec
retaries read the minutes Of yesterdays
session. and the body was ready for busi-
| ness.
/ The report of the Board Of Church Ex-
| tension for 1897 was submitted. and af-
| forwards referred to the proper commit
| tee. The report shows that during the
year the board has aided 404 churches.
expending on them $4,000. Attention was
called to the fact that since the organi-
zation of the board s27.4Oo have been
awarded to churches in the State and
| $500 loaned. In the same period the
board has been aided by the Virginia
| Conference to the amount of sf7,s00 The
boards assessment against this confe-
renee for the current year is $500.
Another feature of the report deserving
| of mention was the announcement that
! the board has adopted a rule not to aid
in the construction OF churches that cost
| to exceed $1,000. 1t is explained that this
action is taken in no spirit of discou-
raging the erection OF costly church
| edifices by the denomination, but IL is the
| conviction of the board that such should
| be undertaken only by those church con-
gregations whose means will preclude the
| necessity of appealing for assistance from
| outside sources.
A SAD ANNOUNCEMENT
Rev. r. n. Sledd. d. D., OF this city.
interrupted the proceedings TO announce
the receipt of a telegram from Nashville,
Tenn. conveying the intelligence Of the
sudden death of Mr.. #. b. Holt, treasurer
of the General Mission Board of the de-
nomination in the South, which sad event
occurred on Wednesday afternoon at
Weatherford, Tenn. Bishop Fitzgerald.
who himself was an intimate friend of
the deceased, paid q Driet put tender trl-
butte to Mr.. Holt.
A visiting minister, Rev. Mr.. Thomas
of North Carolina, was introduced to
the conference.
These interruptions OF the regular
business of the body continued, when
Bishop Fitzgerald, holding up the gavel
he uses. that 1t might be seen, related
its history" The wood from which 1t
was made he said, was from box
wood tree, planted by the late revered
Bishop Early in his garden, at Lynch
Bishop Fitzgerald was presented with the
gavel by Bishop Early's sons, as me-
mento Of the tender friendship that
marked the relations of these two
bishops before death separated them.
The Bishop, before leaving the subject
of zayels. remarked that he disliked TO
use executive weapons, and admonished
the members to maintain good order.
which admonitionf II might be remarked
In passing. the Tennessee prelate has
gently hinted several times before du-
ring this conference session.
DISCIPLINE.
Resuming the routine, the following,
offered by DR.. George w. Ray, of New
port News, was referred to the Commit
tee on Memorials to the General Con-
ference:
.'Resolved, That the Virginia Annual
Conference memorlaliZe the ensuing
General Conference to so change the
Discipline that all restrictions may be
removed from the limit and the number
of pastoral charges in the several pre-
siding elders districts may be gradual
ly increased"
Another memorial, bearing on the sub
ject of certain Irregularities in quarter
ly and district conference procedure. and
praying for their regulation, was also
referred TO the Committee on Memo
rials to the General Conference. This
last memorial was offered by Rev. DR.. a.
Coke Smith, who arrived yesterday af-
ternoon from Lynchburg.
Conference Question 2-Are all the
preachers blameless in their life and
official Observation-Disclosures resumed.
All the ministers in the Richmond DIS
trict passed satisfactorily, and, in the
main. made favorable reports. West
Richmond Districts twenty pastors were
also called and passed, each, as his name
was reached, making brief verbal re-
port OF the years work.
Rev. W. A. Campbell, agent OF the
Virginia Bible Society and the American
Bible Society, addressed the conference.
In the course of his remarks. which were
listened to with considerable attention,
he made a plea for Bibles in the Sol
diers' Home for Confederate Veterans,
at Richmond saying that many OF the
old soldiers were without Bibles. AT his
suggestion, a collection for the purpose
was taken a number Of the conference
members contributing.
Under a suspension Of the rules, Rev.
DIR. L. H. Holsey, Bishop of the African
Methodist Episcopal Church of America,
was introduced, and made an ad-
dress. He spoke in the interest Of the
Payne Institute, of Augusta. Ga, which
was established by the Southern Metho-
dist Church, and which 1t Is proposed to
rechristen Haygood Hall, In memory of
Rishop Atticus G. Haygood, the dead
author of "Our Brother in Black" and
whom, Bishop Holsey declared, was the
best friend the southern negro ever had.
The speaker asserted that the civilizing
nrocess the race had undergone since its
introduction through slavery into Amer
lea had fitted the colored people OF
this country for the evangelization OF
the race In their fatherand. He de-
clared that the great mission of the
southern negro was to Christianize
Africa.
THE collection followed the colored
mans address, and amounted to $502,
Bishop Fitzgerald remarking as he con-
trihuted s95 that he had reserved 1t that
he might make II a. part OF the Virginia
Conference collection for the Payne In
stitute.
AN OBJECT LESSON.
While the subscription was being
taken. DIR. Tudor, of Richmond, re-
marked that the scene was an object
iesson for the northern brethren. who
might learn from 1t that the South. un-
aided. was solving the great social and
national problem of the races.
The only distressing feature of the con-
ference was developed when Question %
u,as resumed and Rappahannock Dis
trlct was called. The aame of Rev. M
watts. OF Middlesex Circuit. was
called In response. Dr. A. G. Brown
rrae,ding elder OF Richmond District
s,eted that charges very seriously in
,,-s- tha moral character ~ NJ