The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-11-16
Delegates to General Conference to
be Elected To-Day.
PRAYER FOR REV,A. COKE SMITH
The Bishop Goes to Norfolk to Call Upon
Him MUCH Progress Made ID Disposing
of Routine Business and Several
Memorials Presented for the
General Conference.-The
Classes Called.
Especial Dispatch tc rnc I1mcs) )

|
NEWPORT NEWS, VA, Nov. 15.-The
| Virginia Conference of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, South, found itself get
| ting into the heart of business to-day, Its
session, the third since the opening, being
by far the most interesting 70 date. Ow-
ing to the fact that General Conference
meets next May, and for other reasons.
there is an unusual amount Of work be-
fore the body, and the sessions will prob
/ ably extend far into next week.
AS it is, however. rapid progress is beiag
| made and much routine business has been
| disposed of. Reports from presiding eld-
ers and many of the ministers have been
| had and characters passed upon. Three
of the four classes have been called and
| disposed of, and the class of the third
| year will be called in the morning at 10
o'clock thus clearing away tedious and
lengthy business.
/ AT II o'clock tomorrow the special or
der will be the election Of delegates to
the General Conference. This Conference
| is entitled to twelve-six clerical and SIX
! lay. The election is expected to be in
teresting, and perhaps productive of in
| cident.
SEE THE SHIPS.
| This afternoon the Conference visited
! the shipyard at-the special invitation of
| the mana cement. Tomorrow afternoon
at 2:3O o'clock the members will take sps-
! cial electric cars for the Hampton Nor
/ NAL and Industrial Institute. in response
to a cordial invitation from the principal,
/ DR.. H 3. F'rizzell.
/ The most interesting and important
business this morning came at the ht.-
! ginning and end of the session. The mid
die was filed up with calling the classes
/ of the first second and fourth years.
A feature Of the day was the announce
-nent by Bishop Duncan that he was
! going to see Rev DR.. a. Coke Smith of
! Epworth Norfolk DR.. Smith has been
| unable to attend the Conference on aC-
! count of illness. The prayer offered by
Rev. DR.. W. G. Starr for his recovery was
one of the most beautiful ever heard here.
and before its conclusion there was hard
| ~ a dry eye in the church.
THE WAR CLAIM
That the Conference is going to have an
interesting time about that now famous
war claim" is sevident.Hfer5the business
session had hardly opened this morning
before this matter was brought before the
| body.
The morning pyrayer-meeting was con-
Quoted by Rev. J. E. DeShazo. and the
Conference devotional exercises by Rev.
Dr.: J. J. Lafferty. Immediately efter the
reading of the minutes the war claim
resolution. signed by James Cannon, Jr..
3. F. Lipscomb. and W. J. Young. was
introduced for reference and read. It fol-
lows:
Whereas, great reprOach has come
,1pon our beloved church by reason Of
the deceptive methods employed in the
collection of 1sesess Claim of the
church against the United States Gov
ernnlent, and whereas our conference
has on two occasions strongly condemned
the said methods by large majorities.
and
Whereas the General Conference
which alone has the power to rectify the
wrong. will soon convene at Dallas,
Texas therefore,
.Resolved That we hereby memori-
alize the General Conference to give pre-
cedence to this great moral question and
to take such action as will relieve the
church of all responsibility for the repre-
hensible conduct tsofsournofficia!s. and as
will fully vindicates=the@ honor Of the
church.
Reference was made without official
comment hut there good deal OF
sotto voce remarks as it was handed in
to the secretary to be turned over to the
committee.
TO CHANGE DISCIPLINE
Two other interesting resolutions were
Immediately introduced for reference
The first signed by j. W. Bledsoe and
John w Shacl1fcrd. reads thus:
Resolved. That the Virginia Confer
ence memorialize our general conference
in 1902 to charge our ritual for baptism
in paragraphs 46S aud i69 of the disipline,
substituting the word faithful for the
word lively. so that in the first it shall
read a faithful member Of. the, same
also TO amend the form of the matr!-
monial convenant in paragraphs Al of the
discipline by inserting the word be be-
tween to and thy so as to read 10
be thy welded wife and to be thy welded
husband.
The second is fathered by w. a. Chris
tian and J. c. Reed and is as follows:
"Resolved That the Virginia Confer
ence NJ f, Church. South, assembled at
Newport News, Nov. 1901. memaralize the
ensuing General Cor ference which is 10
convene at Dallas. Texas. MAY. 1902. to
change the discipline paragraph iH to
read. Provided that no district shall
contain more than so appointments. and
para graph III by adding after the words
.quarterl:- meetings the words especially
the first and the fourth.
CALLING THE CLASSES.
Nearly two hours was occupied in call
ing the classes. Passing this routine tor
the moment, It Will be interesting to nose
at this iuncture some Of the more inter
estins proceedings crowded into the last
hour of the session.
Among other things. an important res
olution signed by William 2 Wright. j.
". Shackford and w. H Atwill was in
troduced FOR reference. This resolution
reads:
z..Resoived. That we respectfully memo
rialize the next General Conference for
such legislation as is necessary to aa-
thorize that unordained preacllers. when
in charge Of circuit, station o. mission 4
shall in the absence nff Il ;lsbfshop elder
or deacon. have the right to administer