El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-01-29
EVANGELISTS AND BISHOPS.
Sam Jones Discusses Both With the
Emphasis of an Expert.

Emphasis of an Expert.
Sam Jones the famous evangelist
says: "Probably one of the most i'm
pOrtant questions which will come up
before the general confer ence OF the
Methodist church south at Baltimore
in May will be that concerning evan
gelists. The confere nee viii be asked
to define the status of the evangelist
You know the evangelist in this
church is in a rather ambiguous posi-
ton at present. Sometimes he is in
favor and sometimes be is not. On one
or two occasions evaugelists have been
put out of the church by the local con-
ferences, but this action has always
been rescined by the general con
ference when it has been called to it's
attention.
TT will be asked to decide tho ques-
ton whether evapgelists are hurtful
or helpful to the Methodist church ;
will be called upon to get all of the
evangellsts out of the way as de-
triment to.the church; or to clearly de-
fine their position, so that local
preachers and presid ing elders may
aid the N when evangelists come into
their community. AS an evangelist
who has raised over $500, 1000 for the
it's mem bership than any other one
man In the church, I will ask as m at
ter OF right that this question he set
tied. The opposition can not beg the
question this time by saying that some
evaneelists are useful and some are
not, and urge this as reason for non
action. They can't do this, because
the same thing can be- said OF the
preachers as the evangslists. If only
tanned in the pulpit there would be
mighty few by the end of the year who
would no: be blowing for q living.
"a presiding elder said to me not
long ago that he would give me $50
apiece for all Of the really useful evan
gelists 1 could find. to d him could
do better than that. would give him
600 for all of the really good preach
ers he could bring in. He refused the
offer, because, he said. the 800
wouldn't pay for the powder and lead
it would take bagging the poor ones
before he reached the good ones.
Next will be the election of four
new bishops, and a, I see most of the
prominent ones lined up, with an eye
on the entire field, it looks to me as if
it Is, first, H. G. Morrison, OF Kentucky,
now missionary secretary, whose her
culean efforts and indomitable energy
have raised $3.50. 900 in the last twelve
months, and who has paid the mission
MY oOPoA uIhOhU OuU VI oOOG. uh1 d
he should be rewarded. Next is DR..
Warren Gambler, president OF Emory
college, of Georgia. Third comes DR..
J. J. TagRsrt, of Nashville, book editor
and editor of the church's Quarterly
Review. Fourth, DR.. Coke Smith, OF
Lynchburg, Va, and DR.. Hoss. editor
of the Southern Christian Advocate.
The church needs at least ten strong,
vigorous bishops, as there is mem ber-
| al h n nj I KIM nm vonn1o fn hn 1nnGnd
otter.
1.-THE time limit for pastors is also
An issue, and has been one since 1860.
The limit now is four years. The rule,
I think. should be made more pliable.
The congregation of DR.. Msthews, of
the St. Louis Centenary church, got
around the limit law in his case, not
by breaking the law, but by bending 1t
double. Not enc congregation in a
hundred wants to run over their limit.
"Another question of interest is
pointed by bishops or by annual con-
ferences- The tendency of everything
in these days is toward Capitalization
of power. It is so with the money
power and with government. If 1t
hadn't been for the big combinations
of wealth there wouldn't have been
any labor organizations. 1t 10 the
clustering of boys on the other end of
tho see-saw, and this is partly the case
in the instance of thu bishops power
In the M. E. church south. The bishop
appoints the preachers and also ap-
points the presi1ing elder, who is to
rule over them. This gives the bishop
moro power than the president of the
United States. 1t doesn't make any
difference how good q man is, we are
all OF US human, and after tasting pow
or of this kind for awhile we are apt to
spoil bishop with q capital B, aud it is
not long before the capital I follows,
and pretty soon the whole thing in big
letters"