Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-06-05
CONFERENCE WORK.
Review Of General Conference by
Leading Methodists.
ALL ITS ACTS EXALT THE LAYMEN.
Creates an Epoch IN the History of
MethodIsm Governor Shaw
Thinks Work Will
Help Church.

Chicago, May 3O-The Tribune prints
interviews with leading Methodists on
the work of the late general confer
ence, as follows:
A proper .stimate of the spirit and
work of y general conference is sub
ject to Is embarrassments-it near
ness q " the personal equation enter
ing Is the judgment. At present it
is Iult to see the conference as a
VI sand so to see how its parts are re-
lated and how this session is related
to what has gone before. Moreover, it
is extremely difficult for an observer
who has a personal interest in the
work of the conference to take any
point of view except his own. Things
are usually judged to be good or bad
according to ones own taste.
And yet there are some facts so gen.
eral, and so generally admitted to be
vital to the subject, as to constitute
material for deduction about which
there can be little question. / shall
aim in this review of the conference to
deal only with such facts, using them
as illustrative of the spirit of the body
and as evidences of it's work.
The following seem to me to repre-
sent the most important matters and
really vital legislation of the confer
ence:
The admission of laymen in equal
numbers with ministers as delegates;
the removal of the pastoral time limit;
the adoption of a constitution; the re-
moyal of the ambiguous language in
the proposed constitution which was
Interpreted to mean the exclusion of
women from the lay electoral and the
general conferences, and the substitu-
tion of words which, if adopted by
the annual conferences, will permit
women to exercise all the rights of
laymen; the episcopal address; the re-
buke of officialism; the settlement of
the deaconess controversy and that
concerning the place of missionary
bishops; and, finally, the rigid review
of the business interests of the church.
1t is but the expression of a common
feeling to say that large part of the
ministry and membership of the Meth
todist Episcopal church, previous to the
meeting of this general conference,was
greatly concerned about an alleged ten
dency toward officialism and ecclesias-
ticisn. The bishops We're said to be
magnifying their Office beyond all the
traditions of the church. The various
underofficials We're declared to be lord
ing it over their less conspicuous bre-
thren and using their offices for per-
sssonal advantage.
Much of this, doubtless, was due to
misunderstanding, but there was
enough truth in the charges to produce
uneasiness, if not fear. But no one
who attended the conference will doubt
where the church stands.
The episcopal address demonstrates
how kelly alive the bishops themselves
are to the needs of the times, and their
hearty Endorsement of the more spirit
ual phases of Methodism. The confer
ence never failed to assert its supreme
power over the bishops, sometimes in
rather cavalier fashion.
The action of the conference has put
the ministry on al vastly higher plane
as respects other church workers thar
ever before. The removal of the time
limit not only dignifies the pastoral of
fee but puts into the pastors hands
opportunities he has never before en-
joyed. On the other hand, the remov
al of several general conference Offices
from competition with the pastoral,
and the refusal to re-elect several off
GERS to their former positions will
make the regular ministry seem more
worthy of the highest aims and work
Everything done seemed to eXalt tn,
layman. He is no longer some one
merely to count in making up the
church statistics. He is a force in thu
church. The pastor will not have tn
same power as formerly to exclude
him from his rightful place in the 10
cal church government, while he is Civ
en- commanding place in the suprem
law-making body to legislate for tn
whole church.
The spirit of the conference was sc
rious, democratic, progressive, and con
servatiye. In such a large body thers
was sure to be the wise and unwise
+ the conservative and radical, the dem
ocrat and ariStocrat, the experienced
and unframed. There was stron.
tendency to reform the world by reso
luton rather than by the hidde1
forces of the kingdom. But on tn
whole the conference was splendid
gathering of men.
1t should be added that the review
of the financial interests of the churcl
was extremely deliberate and careful
This will not only save much in thu
coming quadrennium, but will reassur
the membership and cause those VIII
care for the church's funds to be NOR
economical and precise in their mar
agement. 1T is worthy of remark tina
+ no suspicion of dishonesty attaches t
single official thru four trying year
in which millions of dollars wer
handled. William e. McLennan,
Pastor Trinity Methodist Church, Chi
cago.
I fear I could not express my opin
ion without qualifying the action o
the conference, and therefore it is hes
to say nothing. However, just the cas-
against Bishop Walden-it was take
up in a spirit that is to be regretted
WW No won