Evening star., 1899-11-21
Committee Appointed on Death Of
Vice President Hobart.
FURTHER CONSIDERATION OF MISSIONS
Debate Over Work Among the
gIish-Speaking People.
A PIP PRIATIONS MADE

The sixth days session of the general
missionary committee of the Methodist
Episcopal Church was begun this morning
at O'Clock, in Foundry Church, 18th and
G streets northwest. At that hour but few
members of the committee were present.
Bishop Bowman, the presiding officer of
the session, in the temporary absence Of
Bishop Walden, promptly opened the exer-
cises. Before the devotions had been con-
cluded the audience had increased in size,
but the attendance was not as large as
that of the previous day
1t was expected that today would be the
last of the present meeting. Yesterday
three sessions were held, and the result
was that marked progress was made in
dispatching the business. which has been
somewhat delayed as compared with the
record made at former meetings. There
have, however, been years when the ses-
sion rounded out a full week, SO that If
the committee gets through today the ses-
sion Will not be the longest one in its his
tory. Some of the members are of the
opinion that the progress has been rather
slow at this session. but it appears that the
record does not sustain this view.
gard to the late Bishop Newman, whose
death occurred July 5, 1899 at Saratoga.
N Y. was submitted A warm tribute
was paid to the life and character of the
dered. by rising vote, to be spread on the
records.
Limit to Speeches.
A motion intended to facilitate business
was adopted which limited speeches to
three minutes, except to those presenting
the cases of the various conferences, and
an additional two minutes was allowed to
them.
A question arose in regard to giving aid
to what was termed mission work among
English-speaking people in the cities in the
eastern part of the country, and it was
pointed out that this policy was a new one
as the committee had heretofore left the
support of such work to the various con-
ferenCeS. Attention was called to the fact
that the committee had, earlier in the ses
sion, appropriated One-half of the increase
in the funds. some S11 600 to this work.
motion was made to reconsider this ac-
ton. Opposition was expressed to the pro-
posed course. and the situation in some of
the cities was described, where old churches
had removed from what had become bus-
ness or tenement house sections, and a
large population had been left without
church facilities. A plea was made for
these unchurched masses, and it was
serted that if the committee refused to aid
this work missionary societies would be
esta blshed in the various conferences and
the contributions to the funds of the COM
mittee would suffer.
1t was further stated that the committee
had come face TO face with question that
had been agitating it for the past decade.
One of the speakers said one explanation
of the fact that the Methodist Church was
not going ahead in the large cities was that
this class OF work had been neglected The
increase in the population of cities was
pointed out, and yet, 1T was maintained,
the Methodist Church Is making no pro-
vision for the religious of this popula
ton. Reference was made to the meeting
of representatives of city missionary So
fiar 1al Il
effect that the proposed backward step in
this direction would have. Strong opposition
was expressed to the proposed change in
he policy fixed by the action of the
committee in setting aside some S11, 900 for
work in the cities
The business of the committee, 1t was
said, had been transacted with the view
that this action would not be changed.
Reference was also made to the number
of members that had gone home and were
not present, and a protest was entered
against the proposed action. 1t was fur
ther asserted that 1t would not be acting
III good faith to play fast and loose with
no i.ln & hn