The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-05-14
THE JERSEY CITY NEWS. SATURDAY.. NAY IA, 1888.

pressed their determination 10 attempt at
the ensuing General Conference ~ have
one or both of these counties added ~
to make use OF this fact. ia order 70 show
the necessity of dividing the Conference,
evidently %supposing that II Che. Confer.
f fn9 make Wer E alnlaSa 81 aRfnp W any part ma of
its little field At the ensuing session a,a
Of tho Conference, which was neia
in Broad Street tnow 81. paul.s9,
presiding, the committee presented q
report regreting the possibility OF o.
vision, but recommending that sucn 81
vision, IL accomplished, should be on THIS
line; commencing at the bay Of the Rari,
tan River, thence TO the forks OF sald
river, thence on the southwest brancn OF
ton. in Hunterdon County. thence IN a
direct line TO the Delaware River near
Milford, N. y; leaving Milford ana Ieaem-
asked that the Conference southwest OF
this line be called New Jersey Confer
enee'' and the Conference northeast OF
1t EAST New Jersey Conference.
The report gave rise to a prolonged ae-
bate. The question CT division was carried
BY a majority OF eight Having thus de-
more resolutions were adopted regulating
the internal arrangements Of the new
Conference, the northern division o.
which was to be- called the coz
The next month these resolutions were
presented to the General Gonferenee.
referred TO the Committee on Boundaries,
and in due time received favorable ac-
ton.
Meanwhile, some Of the laymen in New
Brunswick became very DESTROYS OF belng
included in the Newark Conference, ana
sent a petition to the General Conference
asking to have boundaries arranged ac-
cordingly. Unfortunately for them their
petition did not reach the seat of the Com
Ference until near the close OF the session,
when the Committee. on Boundaries NAG
finished its labors and was ready to make
a final report. On the 31sf OF May, wnen
the question of the boundaries OF New
Jersey Conference came up, j. s Porter
moved to strike out the words, The city
of New Brunswick and" This was
adopted, and New Brunswick was lett OUT
boundaries of the Newark Conference
were then considered. ]. s.. Porter moved
to amend to report SO as to inelude 5he
lively debate. Some of the delegates
whose lot was cast within the bounds OF
the New Jersey Conference. must nave
been inatteEtive 70 what a been pass.
ing, or they would not have allowed the
passage of The former motion, which took
New Brunswick from the Conference.
walked up. Various motions and courier
motions were offered. Among these was
one presented by j. P. Durbin, Of the
Philadelphia Conference. who kindly came
to the help of the Newark Conferences,
which was about to be. He proposed a
resolution that the ~bounGaries or the
Newark Conference should include New
Brunswick, MiGdletcwn, South River, and
South Amboy. In this, however, he did
not succeed. Finally, in view of the
strength of the opposition, ]. S. Porter
moved to reconsider his former motion.
by which New Brunswick was stricken
from the g Jersey Conference, and to
report of the Committee concerning the
boundaries of the Newark Conference
was adopted. Thus ended the battle.
The Committee further presented the
following resolution. which was adopted.
Resolved, That this General Conference
consent that the New Jersey and ewark
Conferences shall hold their next session
together according to their request"
The old Conference held Its last session
April s, 1851. in the Green Street Church.
Trenton, Bishop Scott presiding. In view
in the resolution just quoted, the question
might naturally be asked. Was this q
session Of the New Jersey sa y c 9onrs. OF
Much might be said OH both sides of this
question. but happily the historian is not
left to decide. In the early part OF the
session the question was asked of Bishop
Scott, and he decided that as the Genera
Conference had, at the request Of the
New Jersey Conference, ALLOWED the Two
Conferences TO meet once more together.
they had by that act suspended their
previous action whereby the New Jersey
Conference was divided. The Conference,
4 VII Hid H 4NC" V&4
Conference until the close of the session
Thus its meeting is on record as the
twenty-irst session of that Conference.
The session was unusually protracted.
lasting until half past one o'clock on the
morning of Friday, April IL 1t was IN
this midnight session that the Newark
Conference was started on its career of
usefulness. Hope for the future was
mingled with sadness at the necessary
rupture of Conference relations. which
had been often marked by tokens of
divine favor. Old friends who had labored
side by side for many years pressed each
others hands in a farewell grasp; yet all
went to their appointed fields of labor
trusting in Gods good providence for
success, whether in the old Conference or
in the new.
OF the 243 preachers connected with the
New Jersey Conference at the time of the
division more than two thirds have
finished their work and nave gone to their
reward. OF tie 126 who were set off in the
Newark Conference ~Qncluding 4 who sgere
Immediately .ransferred), SO have died,
and only 10 of these echarter members
now remain in our ranks. A new genera
t1on has grown up among us. 1t is a
suggestive fact that of the entire nJlnher
of preachers now connected with the
Newark Conference GO nave been born
since the Conference began its existence.
The facts herein stated are put upon re-
cord, that the future historian of the
Conference may find material to aid him
in his work. Let God be praised for what
has been accomplished in the past, and
let him be trusted for what shall be done
in the days to come.