The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-03-20

event OF general public interest. The
great constituency represented ana the
Large monetary interests involved, to-
gether with the personnel Of the body,
give 1t an. unusual importance. The
somewhat BewnderIng statistics can be
put In "a nutshell. IN round numbers
there are three million commandments,
and on moderate estimate twelve mill
lion adherents, Three million are en-
rolled in the Sunday Schools, and two
million more in the Epworth League.
There are seventeen thousand ordain-
ed and fourteen thousand local minis
tiers. The value of'church and parson-.
age property is one hundred and thirty
four million dollars. The publishing
house, quantity called the Book Con-
cern.' has had a unique history. Start
ing with borrowed capital Of six
hundred dollars, 1t now has assets of
three million 1--WE hundred thousand
dollars, nndhas paid out Of It's earnings
to account Of salaries of bishops and
the support of superannuated preach
ers the aggregate Of four million dol
lars. Since 1s4S, when. under a decIs.
ion Of the supreme court, the assets
were divided between the Church
North and the Church South. the gross
Gales have been sixty million dollars.
In its various educational plants the
church has thirty million dollars invest
ed. In the last quadrennlum I'VE mill
lion dollars were raised for mIsslons9
besides large sums for other benevo-
lances. Medltatlng on figures like these,
Thomas X. Beecher once exclaimed in
his Characteristic style: II feel the
earth tremble as the charlots and
horsemeri Of this great Christian army
go laundering by I know where they
came from; and the camps they have
left and the victories they have won"
The general conference having pIen-
ary power over these great interests is
n most uncommon affair. 1t is fellow
ISIS among ecclesiastical bodies, It is
an evolution. The germ-cell was the
Informal meeting of the pioneer timer
ants in the days Of colony and revolu-
ton, to confer" about their work. Out
Of this slowly, and by almost impercep-
tib!e degrees. has grown this most
unique body. It is supreme court. cleo
toral college. and legislature all in one.
For many years It was the last tribu-
nal to which a convicted preacher could
appeal. But as the conference met only
once in four years. delay Of hearing
was felt to bea grievance, and when
cases finally came to trial they were
found to consume time needed for other
interests. To obviate this, system of
appellate courts was provided for,
which has proved altogether satisfac-
tory. The right OF trial on appeal, how
ever. really inheres in the general con-
ference. which could abolish the appel
late courts at its own discretion,
The general conference is the only
legislative body of the church. It has
practically carte blanche to make
rules and regulations, except in mat
tiers of faith. 1t Is inhibited from alter
ing the articles of religion and intro
ducing new standards of doctrine. The
other restrictive rules" limiting the
power of general conference can be set
aside by three-fourths vote Of the an
nual conferences and a two-thirds vote
of the general conference. These rules
relate to the ratio of representation,
eplscopacy. general rules, rights Of
trial and appeal and disposition of the
proceeds of the publishlng-housc.
This great ecclesiastical parliament
has been the scene of some famous de-
bates, continued through days and
even weeks of Its sessions. Before the
war It We'd with the national Congress
as an arena for the forensic eloquence
of anti and pro-slavery advocates. The
attempted division OF the state was
foreshadowed by a real disruption Of
the church. which occurred in 1874. An
other but much smaller bone Of con-
tention was the presiding elderghip.
The effort was to make the office an
elective one, and thus limit the power
Of the episcopacy in the interest Of
democracy. Though introduced in sue
cesslve general conferences and advo-
Gated with ability, the measure failed,
and its failure caused the first secess-
ion from the church, which, however,
was comparatively insignificant. This
failure is more than offset by the sue
cess Of lay delegation. Though repeat
edly affirmed inexpedlent by the gener-
al conference, it was finally adopted in
1872, after prOtracted agitation. The
coming conference will witness for the
first time the seating of lay delegates
in equal number with the clerlcals.
The legislative. however, suffers in
public interest in comparison with the
elective function Of this body. The
general conference has in its gift the
life office and emOluments of the epls-
copacy The Methodist world awaits
the vote with almost as much interest
as the Catholic world awaits the decis-
Ion Of the college OF cardinals. In adj
dItIon to choosing the bishops, the CON.
ference elects for a term OF four years
four book agents and twenty editors of
religious periodicals. The aggregate Of
salaries paid to bishops, agents. and ed
itors Is not far from $4,000 per annum.
That this elective function of the
general conference Is hostile to en-
cheney in the discharge of It's legislative
duties Is a palpable fact, All effort,
however, to take the elections out have
signally failed. The only exception is in
the case Of the secretnrint of tho En-