Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-05-15
[ HE MET HODISTS.
Review Of the First Weeks Pro-
ceedings Of the Conference.
ECCLESIASTICAL CRAFTSMANSHIP,
Interesting and Comprehensive Letter
From the Courier's Special Core.
respondent In the Confer-
ence as to tho Work,

Chicago, May 11.-(special Corre-
spondence of the Courier 1.-The signt
of the great ecclesiastical parliament
seated in one of the noblest assembly
rooms of America, the Auditorium of
Chicago, is enough to challenge the
respectful attention if not the enthu-1
siasm of the visitor. The college Of
bishops upon the platform, venerable
Christian statesmen. and the delegates,
clerical and lay, filling tier upon tier,
sprinkled with representatives from
every land, make a body that would
compare well with any legislative as
sembly in the world.
1t gave confidence to all to see
Bishop Merrill, the. senior effective
bishop and the acknowledged parlia-
mentarian, with his hand on the helm
at the opening session. An action was
I to be taken that could not be surpassed
\ in Importance by anything which
would be done subsequently. three
fourths of the annual conference had
voted to give equal representation to
dIu f0CiSSeitCS fSISStSaE HIS-
visionally to the conference were pres
ent awaiting such concurrence of this
general conference. Without dissent
ing voice this change in the organic
4 Law. of the church was made. The roll
of the provisional delegates was call
ed and they were seated side by side
with their fellows in the various dele
cations. Thus was consummated 4
change, the first step in which was
taken in 1872 after protracted agita-
ton and bitter opposition. Analogy
would now seem to demand the intro
duction of lay delegates in the annual
conferences, and such-a proposition is
now before his body. The best argus
ments against it are that laymen COM
pose the quarterly conferences and
that the annual conferences at all
events are not legislative, but eNecu-
tive bodies in which laymen would
have no functions.
The successful seating of the pro-
yisional delegates was in jeopardy BY
the fact that one woman was in their
number, and the eligibility of women
had not been submitted to a vote of
the conference. The attempt to seat
the PROFESSIONALS, including the woman,
would certainly have failed of the re-
& quired two-thirds vote. The situation
was happily relieved by an admirably
worded letter from the woman dele
gate, in which without waving any. OF
the rights involved in the eligibility
of women, yet for the sake of remov-
I ing the hindrance to the admission of
the PROFESSIONALS, she announced that
she: would not present her creden-
tials.
Perhaps; the next most important
matter was the presentation of the
bishops address, supposed to have
been written by Bishop Andrews and
read by him in an. effective manner.
I # reviews the episcopal administra-
{ ton Tor the qnadrennium, both at
home and abroad. 1t contains $4,000
words and consumed two hours in the
reading. OF it, Dir. James Robertson,
frafernal delegate from the Irish CON
ference, said; Il regard it as the
greatest utterance of ecclesiastical
statesmanship ever made" Some of
\ the salient points are: That the time
limit for the pastorate be either re-
duced to three years or removed al
together; that the transfer of mem
beers from conference to conference be
more frequent and easy of accomplish
ment; that opportunities be better
/ provided for; that the report of the
commission on organic law of the
church be adopted; that changes OF
discipline be made only on concurrent
vote of both orders; that a cogent
statement be inserted in the discipline
showing the perils Of many forms. OF
amusement. Upon the latter point the
bishops say: Experience has shown
that it is impossible to impose upon
youthful and immature Christians a
+ law which many a sanity soul Of
Il thoughtful choice imposes upon it.
Z SELF
very practical measure was
adopted when it was ordered that She
church registers should hereafter be
\ Il supplied with a place for the separate
enrolment Of baptized children and
that certificates for such baptized chill
dren be furnished parents on removal
80 that their names may be transferred
to the records of the church Their
parents may join. BY this plan, it is
hoped that baptized children NAV be
s held in the church and pastorate SUI
pervision be maintained over them
$ Some might discover an additional
trend to ritualism by the order IL
have the entire ritual bound in the
hymnal.
Methodism has claimed its share in
Dwight L. Moody, by reyerently adopt.
ing an appropriate tribute to his men.
ory.
The usual propositions in the in
terests of economy, for the consolida
s ton OF the benevolent societies and
81 the periodicals have been presented ,ani