Omaha daily bee., 1899-09-17
METHODISTS ARE AROUSED
Great Interest Manifested In Selection Of
General Conference Delegates.
WILL Be CHOSEN At ANNUAL MEETING
Election IL Considered High Honor In
EccIesiasticaI CircIes-omnhn VIII
Probably Get One ministerial
and One Lny Delegate.

and one Lny Delegate.
In ecclesiastical circles few honors car
be conferred upon any churchman create
than selection as a delegate to the quad
rennial session OF the general conference
of the Methodist Episcopal church. I'M
IL especially true OF the denomination 1ol
which this general conference is the repre-
sentative lawmaklng body, although 1t IL
conceded by all the adherents Of Protestant
churches to be a most worthy and dis
tinguished recognition. Because OF the fac'
that two ministerial and two lay deregates
to the general conference, which meets next
May. are to be selected at the eighteenth
annual session Of the North Nebraska con-
ference of the Methodist Episcopal church.
which convenes in Omaha, beginning Sep
tember q and ending October 2, particular
interest centers upon that meeting, and 1t lie
not disparaging the sanctity Of the occasion
to say that there is and has been for some
time no small amount of political engineer
ing and wirepulling among the several
candidates and their supporting friends.
Omaha people are somewhat familiar with
the Importance of a Methodist general con-
ference. for the reason hat its session was
held in this city in 1892, for which great
honor the city was not in the least lack
ing in appreciation. At that time, as IN
all general conferences, the brightest and
most influential men-both ministers and
laymen-associated with the church were
gathered together in a months session,
carefully considering and debating legis-
lation of important moment to the general
church body. In 1896 the general conference
met at Cleveland, o., and the next meet
ing, in 1900. will be held in Chicago, which
was selected from among a score or more
of the leading cities which were active
candidates for the great meeting. Thousands
OF delegates will come together and the
coming session will be marked with a num-
Der Of significant questions which will arise
for consideration.
Among those will be the investigation Of
the mammoth publishing houses which are
conducted in several of the important cities
under the general direction of the confer
ence. There Will also be a number Of
bishops to be appointed and the influence
and importance of such an election can best
be appreciated when it Is understood that
the average Methodist looks upon the bish-
opry as hardly secondary to the presidency
of the nation. Every quadrennium new
bishops must needs be selected to fill the
positions made vacant by the retirement
or death of former incumbents, and 1t Is
needless to say that only those members
of the Methodist clergy who have attained
positions of special Importance ever dare
dream Of themselves in relation to the
bishopry.
Laity Wants Equal Representation.
Another momentous question will be that
concerning the equal representation of lay
and ministerial delegates in the general
conference. Heretofore, the delegates rep
resenting the laity have been far outnum-
bered by those who wear the cloth of the
clergy. A provision of the church rules
no more than two lay delegates
from any conference, while the clerical
representation is on the basis OF the mem
bership Of the various conferences. For in
stance, the Rock River conference, in which
Chicago is located, has seven or eight minis
terial delegates, while only two representa-
tives are permitted the parishioners. At
the Cleveland session the matter was taken
and discussed and has since been sub
to a vote of the church body. 1t
has been decided by a very large majority
in favor of equal lay and clerical repre-
sentation, so that one of the first things for
eho ShiSo6o SouliNai Idhc up VIII Ut lQ1S
question. This will be made necessary for
the reason that the conferences entitled by
membership to more than two lay delegates
will eject additional provisional delegates,
and in case the general conference decides
In favor of the equal representation as in
dictated to be the preference of Methodism
by the votes OF dts members, these pro-
v~isional delegates will be seated. So far
as the North Nebraska conference is con-
cerned this matter will not be of concern at
the present time, as the number Of members
in the conference only entitled it to two
delegates, and the law of the
church provides for that number of Law
delegates. One of the strongest arguments
presented in favor of equal representation
Is that the ministerial delegates, by reason
OF their majority vote In the general con-
ference, have defeated many measures which
to the laity have been considered essential
to pass. The ministers, 1T can we'll he
are somewhat warped in their
Judgment OF certain things which appeal
TO the laity In a more unprecedented light.
Desires to Change Discipline.
For instance, there is the clause in the
discipline which forbids anv
OF that church to engage in dane
Ing, card-playing and other amusements
considered by many broad minded ministers
and iaymen to be entirely harmless IL rightly
1t is an undisputed fact that
n member OF the Methodist church, in
order to follow to the letter
the rules OF Its discipline, Is forbidden all
amusements, except those which are con-
by many of its leading members
to be absolutely childish in character.
This matter OF amusements will be brought
up before the next general conference and
IL is confidently believed that in case the
delegates are seated, thus Civ
Ing an equal representation of the ministry
and laity, the clause of the Methodist dis
cipline relating to amusements will be en-
tirery wiped out. Many of the leading
of the church were warm adyo-
Gates of Its adjustment at the Cleveland
conference. and the clergymen from the
metropolitan churches are almost without
In favor of taking it off from the
discipline. They argue that these amtise-
ments as now tabooed will not appeal to
The Methodist man or woman, boy or girl.
In the form which makes them harmful In
the general acceptation; they say that in
The cities and In many Of the smaller
the leading members of the church
In dancing, card-praying and the
and this being the case thew
assert that the church must conform itsel,
TO its members. especially since the belief
regarding these things has greatly changed
the days when John Wesley and his