The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-03-22
LEXINGTON
CONFERENCE
A Prohibition Leaders Criticism
of Bishop. Opposition to Min
isterial Transfers.


CHEsTERTowN, Nd, March 21.-At the
opening Of the session Of the Wilmington
Conference, Methodist Episcopal Church,
Saturday morning, Bishop Walden, the
presiding officer, spoke pointedly in ref
ersnce to the attitude to be assumed DUR
ing prayer He wanted to know whether
1t was proper for the congregation to
knssl In prayer. with their backs to the
pulpit and eyes open?
seWould II not be better. he asked, for the
members Of the congregation, even III they
do not knell at ALL to remain facing the
pulpit and lean their heads forward to
the bench in front of them. He advocated
what might be termed kneeling benches
In each pew. He said he had seen au-
thoffty for standing during prayer and
for kneeling, but he had failed to find
any authority for sitting up insthe pew
The consideration Of constitutional
questions was promptly taken up. The
subject of equal Jay and ministerial rep
resentation in the General Conference was
one Of these questions, upon which decided
and outspokcn views were held by both
the ministers and lay delegates present.
The laymen stood almost unit for equal
representation, while the ministerial
ranks were divided.
Though the question was put without
debate, quiet canvass by the friends OF
both sides had been made, and when the
question was put and the laymen lost by
a vote of 81 to 49, laymen and some minis
tiers did not conceal their disapproval of
the position taken by the conference.
The church at Middletown, DEL, and
the Laymen's Association of Philadelphia,
representation. A prominent lady dele
gate from Delaware said after the vote:
"Ths is reform In tho government of
the Methodist Episcopal Church which
must come. The present system is a great
wrong to the laymen. The pew Is as
potent as the pulpit, and the laity should
be equally represented with the ministry
in making laws:for their government The
cause of the defeat of this measure Is the
great number Of young men in the confer
ence who have not yet had their eyes
opened to the important relation which
the pew bears to the pulpit in running
church.
Il want to know the names of the minis
tiers who voted against equal lay repre-
sentation, and promise you to see that
none of them shall ever become my pas
tor"
On the other hand, some layman are OPP
posed, as they put it, to making the Cen
eral Conferences unweildly by increasing
the number Of delegates which would fol-
low equal representation. Some ministers
indorse the laymen's side of the issue.
In the vote upon the amendment to the
second restrictive rule relative to women
conference delegates. the women won by
the handsome majority Of 100 to 80 The
amendment adopted provides for adding
the words, And said delegates may be
men or women after the words 1.-Two lay
delegates" &c.
H. H. Collins was admitted into full
membership and deaeons order j. p.
Holt, having completed the conference
course of study, was admitted OH trial
The Wilmington Conference Permanent
Fund Association was organized, with the
following officers: President, W. l.. S.
Murray; vice president, r. X, Stephenson;
secretary, A. P. Prettyman; treasurer, A.
S. Mowbray; finance committee, Il. g.
MacNichol, d. H. Corkran and S. NJ. Nor
gan; membership committee, G. W.
Burke, G, A. Grise, Warren Burr, c. II.
Swain and II. S. Thompson. The organ
ization consists of about forty members
The object of this association is to aid
| in creating permanent fund of not less
| than Sc, 030 the income of which is to be
distributed among the claimants upon the
! conference fund in such mann er as may
| be determined by the conference. Ministers
| may become members OF the association
| aud laymen may become associate mem
| bers. The annual membership fee is to
| be So.
One,fourth Of the total income is to be
| retained in tho treasury as surplus to
| provide for current expenses and meet the
payments of members who may lapse dur
| ing the year is to be distributed among
| the members of the association who have
| become superanGuated, the distribution to
be upon Il basis of So a year for each year
they were contributing members. Aux
! arjN IF hn pinti In n m ~ IA
| lied in the churches.
| w. Il. Strickland was elected to local
elders orders. The Bishop in his instruc-
| tons to the new elder took occasion to AS
| sal! what has become not unusual Gus
tom affecting ministerial privilege. He
said that sometimes after ministers have
| left charge they are called back to some
marriage or funeral. This is an inlcrCer-
| ence with the work of the pastor, and
be added: Il do not approve Of such
| dOing5"
Willard E. West, Theodore F. Beaclamp,
| +, H Mcklnsey H. &. Budd and j. p.
Outten passed the third.year studies aud
werp admitted to the fourth year
The relation of the superannuates was
continued with John b, Quigg, b. f.
| BriCe, e. A. PhOebus, james Esgate, Hen
ry Sanderson, c. j. Hamuit, W. W. Red
man, w. b, Walton, j. A. Caldwell and
| a. D. Davis 7. b Hunter was changed
| from superuumerary to effective by re-
| quest W +. England was changed to
supernumerary by request,
| The supernumtrary relation was contin-
| Merritt, j. W, Pool, J. W. Hamersley, G.
W. Wilcox, J. d. Rigg W, l.. p, Bowen,
Il. H. Haynes, w. NJ. Warner Newton
| McQuuy, +. 0. B. Walln and w. NJ.
Green. w Il. Tompkiuson was given q
| suporDumerary relation.
Rev. :. n. Pitchard, who was appointed
by President Cleveland chaplain of the
| United states Army was dcsig mated by
the Bishop to that position.
The subject of ministerial transfers was
introduced by the following resolution
W. h. Murray and f. II. Dcricksnn.
| Whereas our conference ranks are be-
| ing crowded to the detrlnent of our own
members with transfers from other con-
ferences, and whereas when members of
this body are invited to the pastorate Of
churches in other conferences, they find
the doors of those conferences closed
against them unless an exchange can be
effected n Therefore
"Ru'%ed, That we respectfully, but
most earnestly, request our Bishop to
make no transfer into our conference with.
out fair and equitable exchange"
The Bishop said; No; if you mean this
resolution for myself l shall say that
shall make all appointments as provided
for in the Discipline. Of course, you can
offer and pass all the resolutions you wish
but will be guarded by the discipline. |
am not responsible for past things. l am
only responsible for the things l have
upon me, ] never appoint preacher over
the heads Of the official board"
Mr. Hanna: ave ask for justice. Our
men get Invitations from other confer
ences, but cannot get out We have us
loyal Mothodsts as any other conference
and we want the same justice that other
conferences hsyc"
The Bishop: That is all very beautiful
in theory, but will not work in practice, "
Robert Watt offered the following reso-
lution appealing to the presiding elders in
| the matter;
Whereas our conference Is crowded by
transfers of men in the interim of the an
nunl conference, and whereas, these trans