Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1900-04-19
All Bellows Falls Churches Oc-
cupied by Members of Yer
mont Conference.
MONTPELIER SEMINARY,
It's Affairs Fully Discussed at Satur-
days Session-Will Try to Increase
it's Students-Great Gathering
Sunday Afternoon to Hear
the Bishop.

Bellows Falls, VT, April 15.-This has
been a busy day for the Vermont Meth
odist conference. The 18th annual love
feast was held in the First Methodist
church at Q a.. IN. led by Rev. A. l.. Cooper.
An hour and a half was filled with sing
ing, prayer and testimony. At 1890 a. m.
an ordination OF deacons and elders was
held and d sermon preached by Bishop
Merrill. w. S. Dunn ". NJ. Fowler, G.. H..
Aiken, @. w. Manning, A. c. Fuller were
ordained as deacons. The elders ordained
were j.. NJ. Moody, II. j. Gale, e. o. Jud-
kins and ID. l.. Cross. At 1870 a. m. SER
vices were held in the Baptist, Congrcg1-
tional n Univcrsalist churches, mem
bels of the conference officiating. An ella
borate Easter programme OF music WAS
endcred at each church.
In the afternoon at the opera house,
Bishop Merrill delivered a sermon and in
the evening was observed the anniversary
Of the Missionary society. The principal
address was by Rev. a. j. Palmer, ID. ID,
of New York. The local churches gave
up their evening services and the audi
Cncc was the largest religious gathering
ever held here.
Rev. A.. Il. Blake OF Barton has been
placed on the supernumorary list and Rev.
Jonn Thurston OF East Charleston placed
on the s"uperannuatcd list.The transfers
are Rev. w. h Mathews from the Ohio to
the Vermont conference and Rev. j. II.
Bennett from the east Maine to the Ner-
mont conference.
The conference will close tomorrow
morning with the business session. An
immense amount of work has been done
and some important changes made n
church work. The temperance question
has aroused much discussion and at times
t 1900. IL - MI 1~,- 1A1 "a n
came out fat footed for extreme prohibit
ton, but the ministerial conference pass
ed resolutions that were more conservative
and were characterized by one minister
as being puerile, weak and unworthy the
conference.
The statistical report shows decided
gains in all branches of the church work
throughout the State. The members in
full standing are 11.Si2, practitioners 1867,
deaths POS, churches AS valued at $500 co,
with iO2 parsonages valued at Sl4l,SS1.
At Saturdays sessions l.. y. Moody. T..
J. Gale. c. O. Judkins and y. V. Evans
wee elected to the order of elders to be
ordained to-day by the bishop.
Rev. f.. y. Parker. ID. D.. of Moradabad,
India. spoke briefly Of the mission work
IN which he had been engaged for the past
40 years.
The location of the next conference was
discussed and 1t was finally moved andste-
Ondcd to leave the question with the pre-
siding elders.
The sharp contest over the election Of
tho two ministers TO act as delegates from
the Vermont conference to the general
conference at Chicago which was opened
Yesterday was continued. Three ballots
yesterday resulted in Il tie and the first
ballot this morning showed no choice. on
the second ballot Rev. W. :. Smithers of
ST. Adams was declared elected. The con-
ference now balloted for the second dele
gate. While the vote was being counted
Prof. T.. A Stark OF Wesleyan University,
Middletown, Conn. was introduced, Prof.
Stark brought greetings from the Univer-
sitv and proceeded to speak of the work
done by the college. The announcement
of the result of the ballot showed no cleo
ton and 1t was not until after the 9TH
ballot that Rev. l.. O. Sherbutne was de-
Clared elected. Rev. C.. ). Nuttter and
kov. w. II. Davenport were chosen as
,alternat"S.
The interest of the morning was CEN
tired in Montpelier Methodist seminary ard
Principal W. NJ. Newton was introduced,
In his course of his remarks he EN-
ph1Sized the mission character of the
school, To illustrate this he told how a
hoy came to The school with just s6.25 and
no hope of help from his friends. The boy
was kept and is still there working his
way and will have the advantages of the
course. Another came with $2l and the de
termination to push on through college
which he seems likely to do. Prof. New
ton reported assistance to the amount Of
$500 from the Vermont Conference. The
professor thinks that while we should 10
what We can for our savage brothers that
the poor Vermont boy has stronger claims
on our generosity.
At the close of Principal Newton's re-
marks the conference requested Bishop
Merrill to roappoint Rev. w. NJ. Newton
rs pTinoipg1 for thannGuipr year
The usual assessment of pastors of ! per
cent on salaries of $500 and less, 2 per cent
on salaries of $500 and less and 3 per cent
on salaries above $500 was made.
Ex-Ciov. Dillingham;. the speaker of the
morning. was presented and said in part:
1t was Il recognized fact that the Mont
pelier seminary was planted by Provi-
denCe and had been maintained In spite
of stupendous difficulties in an almost pro
vidcntial manner. He spoke of dark DAYS
in 1898 when It seemed inevitable that the
school must go under, and paid a glowing
tribute TO the late Francis +. Ball of this
place who alone at a meeting of the trus-
tees would not give up hope and who
pledged $1,000 toward helping the school on
TO its feet. others followed his lead and
"A debt of $500 NJ was paid by great sacri-
fees. Gov. Dillingham; gave statistics
showing how small a per cent OF the chill
dren in the State go beyond the public
- ANF"' '''A' va lfi 'f'N ~ ElN y
their children the advantage of the semin-
airy course, even when a college education
was out of the question, as a sort of fin
ish, and CLOSED by exhorting the confer
ence as a body to financially uphold their
own seminary to the extent of their
ability so that the work Of the school
might not be hampered by lack of funds.
Rev. G, o. Judkins came Onward say
ing that while the conference was con-
templating a generous response to the
100000 demand of it by the twentieth cen
tury thank offering movement 1t might not
he amiss to plan some smaller means of
helping the seminary ana suggested that
the number Of pupils be increased by per-
devote one week of their vacation going
about through the different parishes of
the State to solicit students. That each
pastor furnish the solicitors with a list
of possible candidates and by lectures on
education and juite talks, get the possible
candidates interested and into touch with
school life.
Rev. A.. l.. Cooper was elected bioeraph-
ical secretary also conference evangelist.
The anniversary of the Woman's Home
Missionary society was the attraction
which filed the Methodist church in the
afternoon. Mrs. A. II. Webb was in the
chair and introduced Mrs. Mary Leonard
Woodruff OF Dover, n. j., as the speaker
OF the afternoon.
After the women's meeting G.. H.. Ellis,
w. IL. Lang, J. q. Angel and w. +. Hill
were elected TO local deacons' orders and