The San Francisco call., 1898-06-14
MINISTERS SOON MAY TRY HIM Edwards Davis Courts an Investigation. READY TO ANSWER CHARGES THE SIGNATURE OF ONE MAN NEEDED TO BEGIN. Some Interesting Papers Read at the Various Denominational
 Ministers Meetings
 Yesterday.
READY TO ANSWER CHARGES
THE SIGNATURE OF ONE MAN
 NEEDED TO BEGIN.

Edwards Davis. the notorious preacher who has astonished the church-going world by his sensational actions, will soon appear before a jury of brother ministers and give explanation for his cratic con duct while nastor Of the First Christian Church of Oakland and since severing his connection with that institution.
 At a meeting of the Christian ministers yesterday a committee composed of Rev. w. A. Gardner, w. s. Berry and A. R. Hathaway was appointed to consult with the erring man, with view to giving him an opportunity to appear before an inves- tigating tribunal and show why he should not be expelled from the ministry After the session had adjourned the committee repaired to a lower hall in the Y. M. c. A. building, where it met the much talked of individual. He showed his willingness to appear before the body by signing a paper prepared by the committee. The sigma ture of J. .. Wishart is needed to the document and just as soon as it is ob- tained the trial will begin. The latter has proved an obstacle to the carrying on of the investigation, as he has strenuously refused to attach his name to the paper. It is said that the main reason why Wish art refuses to sign as representative of the Athenian church is that the charges they maKe against the much-abused preacher are general, whereas Davis is trying to hold him down to specific ones. Pastor Sawyer, who succeeded to the pulpit of the deposed pastor and who it Is said has resigned, also signed the agreement.
 At the Presbyterian ministers meeting E. Woodward Brown read a paper on "To Serve God Is to Serve Man" He said that to serve God well was to serve man, jus tice and brotherhood well, and that men are most good when they are appreciative of IIod'S goodness.
 6a1 q hn O1 Jewish work be dismissed, not because they were lacking in interest, but that their labor was subject to be taken up by the presbytery.
 Rev. s. R. Yarrow of Sausalito read a strong essay on '"The Phenomenon of Christian Conversion and Its Relation to the Progress of the Kingdom before the Congrega tional ministers. He pleaded for a historical study of the results of the use of conversion in the church. The aim of the reader was to bring out the i'm portanee of the idea of conversion be- cause he thought it would make clearer the different methods whereby the church gets it's adherents
 The Methodists held their usual inter- esting meeting in another hall. Rev. J. L. Whftton introduced a discussion on the methods of ministers to draw listen CTS to their churches. He alluded to the desire of the present day preachers to ness of Americas conflict with Spain and completely ignoring the gospel. He touched on church institutions, which brought up a debate at the conclusion of the paper.
 pr. i3ovard said he did not approve of ministers chasing after the institutional church fad, while pr: Locke believed that everything making for peace and right eousness bears the influence of Christi anity. He did not consider that man ought to be discarded because the crowds follow him or because the masses were interested in him. He thought the church ought to be the liveliest thing in San Francisco. It ought to be a Chris tian church. That multitudes living in narrow alleys were without places to amuse them and that the work should be wide enough to entertain all. It should be as broad as the wants of the people. The Christian church should be able to fill all the wants 1t meets. If a man wants a little money he ought to be able to leave his watch to procure it. and 1t should be an employment office, and every effort should be made to serve God.
 A committee, composed of pr. Ham mond, Chaplain Macomber of Angel Island and Dr. Locke, was appointed to draw up suitable resolutions expressive of interest in the four Methodist chap lains who are serving in the United States volunteer army.