The Portland daily press., 1899-04-21

scoount for the fact that our sheaees are
scanty. There is need OF more consecra-
ton Of self and property by preachers
and iaity to the salvation of the world.
We are not exsrting the influence we
ought on society about us Three hun
dred and sixteen conversions have bean
reported TO me; 300 have Joined the
churches In full connection and $40 on
trial. Seventeen churches report net
increase in membership. All but four
report one or more.conversions, 81 being
the greatest number. Thorough work
has been done this year and most of the
churches seem ripe.for . glorious ingsth-
ering Of souls during the coming year."
Increased missionary collections are re-
ported BY the following churches: Chest
nut street, Pine street, Gorhsm. Old Orch
ard and Saco Ferry, South Berwick, Mary
land Ridge, Berwick. Newfield and South
Portland. Increase In other collections
is reported by these churches: 0orham,
Eliot. Sanford, West End, Old Orchard.
South Berwick, Goodwin's Mills, Hollis,
Maryland Ridge. Berwick, Pine street.
South Portland and Newfeld.
Improvements and repairs have been
made to church property at Berwick,
Biddeford, Sanford. Cape Porpoise, West
Scarboro. School street Gorham; West
End, Portland; woodfords, Elm street.
South Portland, and First church, Kit
terry. The Epworth leagu, is fiourishing
and only s of 46 Sunday schools have
failed to organize as missionary societies
under the rules. The report, speaking
of the young people, says: "The preju-
dice among our own people against the
conversion of children and the gathering
of them into the church is alarming and
demands instruction from the pulpit and
In the homes. We are gathering in a
hundred to two hundred sheep each year
and are l,aving thousands Of lambs out
side the fold to perish amid the wolves F"
For the Augusta district, Rev. A. ).
Ladd reported years work which COM
pared favorably with those Of the other
districts. Mr.. Ladd's statement that In
his district was found the largest Ter
cent of the small pox cases and still
greater per cent of the scare caused good
deal of am usemeut.
Mr.. Laid said that the interest in Sc
cret societies and the demands made BY
some of them for financial support might
be regarded as interfering with ID
work of some charges. There are in the
district 80 charges, 25 supplied by men,
bers of the conferences.
The presentation of the reports by the
pastors of tie collections taken during
the year followed. With few exceptions,
the collections were reported as oil taken.
This gratifying showing drew from the
Bishop a few words of commentator.
He said: II wasted good deal Of time
in nv talk of yesterday. With few ex-
ceptions all the collections have been
made and / may say that in this respect
this conference holds the palm OF all
which have handled.
The case OF A. c. Trafton, who asked
for a superannuate relation, was referred
to the appropriate committee The com
mittee recommended the change ana Mr..
Trafton's name was added to the super
anuuate list.
CONFERENCE MEMBERSHIP.
An Interesting chapter in the days pro-
ceedings was that composed of the letters
from the supernnnuated ministers ask
ing that their relations be continued
The Bishop told the conference that II
was a great thing for pastor TO nave the
inspirat ion of O superanDuated clergy
man in his charge, when the superannu-
ate was of the right kind. In t1is respect
Maine differed from Western conference
the Bishop mentioned where there were
ons or two superannuated olergymen
who were thorns in the flesh and In
whom the critical faculty was exceeding
ly we II developed
The students in the third year were adj
vanced to the fourth with the exception
of Sewall Il. Leach, who was continued
in the studies OF the third year.
James H. Bounds, William Ii. Varney,
John b. Howard, John A. Ford. Joseph
l.. Hoyle, ID. +. Faulkner, Herbert l..
Nichols, and Royal A. kich have com
pletsd the studies of the fourth year and
were recognized and elected to elders
orders The election of MIR. Faulkner
was constitution upon his completing
studies which i'll health prevented his
persuing. At the request of the conference
he will not be assigned TO a charge during
the coming year that he may pursue
these studies.
The question of the election of a new
trustee of Wesleyan university was re-
ferred to the grad yates of tdat Institution.
The conference unanimously adopted
resolution proposed by the Baltimore
conference in favor of making the lay
and provisional delegates to the general
convention equal in number to the min
isterial delegates.
FOR UNION.
Rev. MIR Cummings brought up the
question OF the union Of the Maine and
East Maine conferences. A proposition
looking TO this change has been the sub
ject of considerable correspondence be-
tween mem bers of the two conferences.
Mr.. Cummings stated that this propo.
sition was so broad and important that
membe could not now have definite
opinions on 1t. He thought however.
there would he no objection to the reso-
luton he proposed. 1t provided for
commission of three members to be APP
pointed by the elders to consider the
whole question in connection with u
similar commission from the East
Maine Conference and report at least n
mouth before the next conference.
Rev. Mr.. Hewitt of Wilton opposed the
passage OF the resolution Mr.. Hewitt
BASED his opposition on the statement
that the ST Ia of Maine is large and trav
cling so difficult that it would not be
practicable to combine the two confer
ha hnn oh