Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-09-14
Having Finished All Business
Before it the Body Adjourns.
DIsPENsARIES DISCUSSED.
Tho Conference. Alter Careful Dclibera-
.ion. Decided That it Cannot Commend
tho Establishment of Dispcnsaries as a
Means of Promoting sobriety Among
the People Other Proceedings of Inter-
est to nIethodists OF tho Portsmouth Dis
trict and Throughout the State.

The third days session of the Meth
odist District Conference was called to
order by the presiding elder, the Rev.
w. G. Walden. and religious exercises
were conducted by the Rev. DIR. New
ton.
a vote resulted in the selection of
a. E. Kelam. w. H. Vincent George
l.. Neville. DIR. G.. n. Halstead as del
egateS, and j. j. King. w. l.. Berkeley,
w. N. Sebrell. J. 4. Miller. altcrnatcs.
On motion of the Rev. j. Il. Mastin,
the following was adopted:
Resolved. That the thanks of the
conference is hereby extended to our
presiding elder for the ability and
courtesy with which he has presided:
TO the secretaries for the efficient and
faithful performance of their duties;
to the press of the city and Norfolk
for their excellent reports of our meet
lngs; to the various railroads for
courtesies extended: to the people of
Portsmouth for their bountiful hospi-
tally in entertaining us, and to the
Rev. e. II. Rawlings, pastor of this
church. for many acts of kindness.
The resolution was signed by the
Rev. ]. L. Mastin and Mr.. A. l.. Eel-
lam.
The report OF the committee on Bible
Calls was read by the secretary of the
conference in the absence of the mem
adopted.
The minutes were then read and the
conference at 4;1O o'clock adjourned,
singing the hymn. Shall We Gather
AT the River?'
AFTERNOON SESSION.
The conference on re-assembling.
was led In prayer by the Rev r. F.
Beadles. of Central Church. The or
der of the day, the election of lav
delegates to the annual conference was
taken up, and DR.. G.. N. Halstead and
Mr.. j. j. King were appointed tellers
The COMMITTEE on Temperance sub
mitted its report. The report recited
the efforts of the country people to stop
the sale of liquor, and commended to
the consideration of the conference tho
dispcnsary plan in force at Franklin.
The resolutions appended ask minis
tiers to enforce the discipline regarding
intoXicants, to preach against liquor
selling at least once n year, and urging
the people to take a firm stand against
intemperance
Speaking to the report, the Rev. Geo.
T.. Booker declared that the Methodists
as prohibition church, could not en-,
dorse any form of liquor selling.
The Rev. MIR. Barsamin. chairman of
the Temperance Committee, held that
the report did not endorse the dispen-
sary plan, but recommended 1t to the
consideration of the body as n means
of getting rid of the barroom evil. Mr.
w. d. Wilder moved to strike the dis.
penSary clause out of the report, and
this was done. The report as amended
was adopted after being discussed at
length.
Mr.. Paul Bradley read n report on
missions, being secretary of the com.
mittee on that branch of the church
work. The report stated that the Wo-
mans Foreign missionary Society OF
the district raised over $500 during the
m nrl hn nrt
the Portsmouth district is the banner
district of the Virginia Conference.
An appended resolution urges the
Virginia Conference to set apart n
small portion of the twentieth century
thank offering for the foreign mission
school.
In this connection the Rev. Mr.. Mas
tin said that most of the thank offering
had been already appropriated, bui
suggested that the people be asked tn
set aside n portion of their offerings
for the mission schools.
The report was adopted and ordered
printed in the Richmond Christian Adj
vocate.
MIR. ~. e. Kelam, the Rev. Dr. New
ton and the Rev. J. r. Mastin spoke
on the subject of missions with spe-
cial reference to home missions. Mr..
Mastin said there were many fruitful
mission fields in Virginia, and the only
way to reach the non church, going
mass is to so to them. Good women.
he declared, were needed for the work
everywhere.
Rev. Mr.. Watts advisd a consolida-
ton of all the societies in many
churches in order to get the work sys-
tematiZed.
The order of the day. the report of
the Committee on Sunday Schools, was
then read by the Rev. e. II. Rawlings
The report declared that the Sunday
school is the feature of church work,
than which none is more important.
The Importance of early impressions
upon the child'S mind considered how
great the work that proposes to train
and save our boys and girls for God.
improvements in methods may be de-
Sirable. but more than the method is
needed the man. The Sunday school
pastor and proper superintendent are
the men most needed. Adequate teach
ing by competent. Cody teachers is.
therefore. most important. Conversion
and edification are the essential ideals
of Sunday school work. Let the evan
gelistic phase of the work. the Bible.
the personal appeal to the Individual
advises. 1.-The teacher who sees his
opportunity will become leader of his
class, following his lambs as well as
feeding them, and doing what he can
without as well as within the school
to make men and women of his boys
and girls" Many practical details OF
Sunday school work were touched upon
in helpful style throughout the report
Interesting addresses were made on
the subject by the Rev. Mr.. Jones, Rev
Mr.. Beadles, Rev. Mr.. Latham, Rev.
Mr.. Baker and Rev. Mr.. Newton.
The Rev. Mr.. Beadles criticised the
loose method of Sunday school teach
ing, and the Rev. a. Coke Smith. of
Epworth Church. said he feared the
average standard OF Sunday school
teaching did not even reach the dig
nifty of commonplace.
The reading OF the report on the
Spiritual State of the Church was pre-
faced by prayer. offered by the Rev.