The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-04-22

she Is not, It VIII boil again, for al. adj
maj ma, 1aat women viii get into the general
body IN time. It must be settled at the
very opening of the session.
hetnodist leaders. those who are in the
midst of affairs, declare there IS not the
slightest prcoabt lily of anything wI1nseytrs
being done this year toward union betWeea
4Aieta.ouists. North and south. Ntiti,rr
side wants union. the South because many
OF the old leaders are still In control
and have the old prejudice; and the North
because they say that as a body the Gene
raj Conference is too big now working
basis of ministerial exchange and Of
church comfy IN respective fields was ar
rived at four years ago. It may be further
perfected this year But it will not mean.
SO leaders say. anything in the direction
of organic union. That is likely never to
come. it is said. The South is afraid of
the overwhelming power of numbers of the
North and Northern N1ethodists are unable
to get up any interest In the matter.
FOUR NEW BISHOPS.
Politica! combinations in the canvass for
the new Methodist bishops are in the air
They are declared to be neither political
nor combine, but they are states just the
same. For example. during the past six
or seven days certain men whose friends
are pushing them for the honor have
held conferences. The general consensus
of opinion just now arrived at is that the
interests of the denomination demand the
election of four new bishops. What In
real politics would be called a slate has
appeared and it bears the names of the
Rev. Drs. Joseph b. Berry, of Chicago;
A. j. Palmer, of New York; and j. w.
Hamilton and d. III. Moore, of Cincinnati.
Immediately has gone up the cry of slate
and an attempt has been started duly to
smash the same. Weaker men are saying
that the stronger the combine, the more
likely is it to be broken and eventually
to give the field a chance. Methodist
wires that lead to Episcopal honors are
getting no light religious pulls these days.
Method sts set out to raise $4,000 0t0 " tn
in tl1irty-six months, all to strengthen
present work. Sixteen months have passed
and they have raised not quite $1,000, 600.
OF this sum 81, GOO,000 has gone to the en-
dowmept of education, the Ohio Wesleyan
University raising the greatest single
amount and the American University the
next greatest. About So. 500, 600 more goes
to pay debts Of churches, more than thirty
cities being at this time thoroughly organ
lied for the freeing from debt of every
Methodist church within their respective
limits The balance has been raised for
various ptilanthropies. MethodiSts argue
that during these sixteen months the task
of organization has had to be performed
and that with that perfected the other s1s,-
coo ought to come. Improved business
times will help them, they say.
BAPTIST CONVENTIONS.
Northern Baptsts at Detroit and South
ern Bapt;sts at Hot Springs, Ark, will
make prominent at their anniversaries next
month their work in Cuba and Porto Rico.
At Detroit. are to be heard both general
missionaries to the islands named and
enough is now known of their reports to
say that they will claim the most re-
markable progress ever made under SINH
lar circumstances by any religious body.
Baptists in Eastern Cuba have grown in
numbers in a most remarkable fashion and
now have strong churches in five principal
towns. At Hot Springs the close of a
century Of Baptist mission effort is to be
celebrated.
Just as far as possible every Baptist
church that has not heretofore contributed
to foreign missions is to be visited by stu
dents from Baptist seminares ;Sld col
leges this summer, and an effort made to
rouse them to put forth mission energies.
Attention is to be paid to smaller church.
es those having memberships of $50 to 500,
and located in large cities as well as in
inland cities. Students so out ny twos,
make addresses, establish missionary So
cieties and sell missionary Libraries. The
success of this scheme in other religious
bodies prompts Baptists TO take it UP in
the interests of the Missionary Union.
The Rev. Samuel "A. Eliot stoutly de-
MES that he will leave the American Uni
tartan Association to become pastor of
the South Congregational Church, Boston,
GTnitarian) IN succession to the Rev DR..
Edward Everett Hale, and declares that
his recent declinatfon was final. 1t Is said
that the Rev. c. E. st. John, of Pitts.
burg will become secretary, but the expla-
nation of that statement is that he will
be assistant only. The association is the
publication society of the denomination. as
the National Conference is the missionary
organization. The Rev. Mr.. Eliot has been
secretary of the Association but a short
time. He is a son of President Eliot. of
Harvard University.