Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-10-31
THE METHODIST CONFERENCE
Thirty-fourth Annual Session
to be Held Next March.
MEETING PLACE NOT SELECTED
Presiding Elders Are to Decide
the Question.


The 34th annual session Of the Will
mington Methodist Episcopal Confer
ence will be held in March next but
the meeting place has not yet been
selected. Where it will be held is
question that is puzzling the presiding
eldeEs, who will make the selection,
and agitatiug the pastors and laymen
within the conference bounds. PreGious
to the last session, which was held in
this city, the conference did not ad-
journ until after it had decided where
ii next would meet, but last March,
owing to the fact that no invitation was
extended, the selection of the next con-
ference seat was referred to tine pre-
eidIng elders.
The last session was to have been
held at Seaford, but, in consequence
of the preyaence Of smallpox there, the
conference thought it would be dan
gerous 10 convene in that town, and
met in Wilmington. 1t was then sup
posed that Seaford might request the
privilege of entertaining the conference
in 1902. but it did not, and will not.
Seaford made elaburate preparations
last March. and was keenly disappointed
by the conference not assembling there.
and during the last seven months the
disappointment has turned to disgust
1t was also imagined that an invita-
tion would be received from Snow Hill.
In fact, it was limited that member
of the conference had in his pocket an
invitation from thst place, but fer
some reason, presumably as an act of
courtesy to Seaford, he did not present
it 10 the conference then, and it has
not been submitted to the presiding
elders since.
st. Michaels desired to entertain the
conference last March, hut was dis
appointed, and ii was thought it might
extend an invitation for the session OF
1902, but st. Michael's is silent
Easton wished the last session to be
held there, but when the question was
put to vote Seaford won. 1t was
then suggested that Easton issue an
invitation for 1902, but the reply was
that the Maryland Conference of tine
Methodist Protestant Church would
meet there last spring, and tine town
could not stand the expense of enter
tanning conferences two years in suo-
cession. Since then there has been
considerable talk of an invitation
coming from Esston, but as yet 1t has
not materialized.
Crisfed and ID enton have been men.
toned as possible conference seats
The former could pleasantly entertain
the conference, but the latter would be
taxed to the utmost. II the conference
we're to go to Denton, four to six
ministers would have to be entertained
by one family.
The official board of Wesley Church,
Dover, has discussed the question OF
inviting the conference to meet in that
church, but as yet formal invitation
has not been issued. 1t is understood
that Dover prefers to entertain the con.
ference IN 1904, when the laymen, as
well az the ministers, will convene, but
Wilmington will insist on entertaining
the conference then. Faston and Dover
are decidedly the best places mentioned
for the conference session of 1902
Dover would be benefited by the session
being held there. The Wilmington
Conference Academy, which is located
indebtedness next March, and the
presence of the conference would aid
the effort. Wesley Church has invited
the Rev. Louis E. Barrett, D. D., who
is finishing his first year at Middle.
town, to become its pastor next confer
enoe year, and he has accepted the
invitation provided the presiding bishop
acquiesees. Ii the conference meets at
Dover, DR.. Barrett will undoubtedly be
assigned TO the pastorRte of Wesley
Church, because the bishops, through
courtesy, always grant the requests Of
churches which are conference seats.
They also are especially kind to the
retiring pastors of such churches, and
the Rev. Alfred Smith, ID. D., who is
finishing his fifth year at Wesley
Church, would receive fine appoint
menr.
Despite the rumors to the contrary,
the conference has not been invited to |
meet anywhere next March. 1t will |
convene then, however, and the pre-
siding elders will select good place, |
even though no invitation is forth |
coming and the ministers have to pay |
the cost of their entertainment, which |
most Of them prefer to do. Two thirds |
OF the ministers receive larger salaries |
than the aymen who entertain them at |
ths conference sessions. and many lay |
men spend for the entertainment OF the |
ministers more than they contribute to
church beneVolenoes in a whole year.
As yet only one pastoral invitation
has been extended, that Of Wesley
Church, Dover, to DIR. Barrett. In
choosing DIR. Barrett's SUCCESSOR, the
Middletown church has under con-
sideration the Rev. Il. Z. Terry of
Asbury Church, near Criafield, and the
Rev. h. O. Macnichol, d. D., of Cam
bridge.
hMAIv mr. MII "