The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-04-10
M. {. conference
Newark Body Opens It's
Forty-ninth Annual Meet
ing in First Church,
Hoboken.
BISHOP CYRUS D. FOSS PRESIDES
Great Concourse of Clergy
and Laity- Old Friends
Exchange Greetings.
BISHOP CYRUS D. FOSS PRESIDES

Bishop Cyrus D. Foss, DID, LID,
opened the forty-fourth session of the
Newark Annual Conference of the Meth
odist Episcopal Church in First Church,
Hoboken, this morning. There was an
unusually large attendance of pastors at
the opening communion service and no
one could explain it. Generally the
brethren are in the ante-rooms, wire-pull-
ing and gossiping, and the practice has
been for the presiding Bishop TO send
committees of one to bring the brethren
in and attend to the religious services.
1t was all changed soday, even the Bish-
ops cabinet ministers were in their eeats.
and every one knows how busy these gen
tlemen are during conference week
When the pastors began to assemble
in the church this morning it was easy
to see that something was in the wind.
They gathered into groups of three and
blocks of five, laid their heads together,
nodded, and one and all asked the mys-
terious question, who will it beg To
understand this, a little conference his
tory is needed here. The Presiding Elder
of the Paterson district is the Rev. John
krantz, formerly pastor of Trinity
Church, Jersey City. Mr.. Krantz has the
reputation of being the most active mem
ber of the conference. He is energy in
carnate, and is what might be termed a
sort of sacro-political boss. While every
body was straining after the Presiding
Eldership he jumped in the race and car
ried off the prize. Now, by some, at
present occult means, a new fat post has
been created in the Methodist Book Con-
Germ in New York City, and the con-
ference some time this week will appoint
the Rev. Mr.. Krantz to that position,
thus creating a vacancy in the Bishops 3
cabinet This then. means the unexpect-
ed appointment of a Presiding Elder for
the Paterson, district, and every brother
in the conference is on the ragged edge
of curiosity and wonders, will l be ii,
or, if not, who?''
Transcending even this in Importance
is the general curiosity as to the Bishops
appointments to be read on the last day
OF the conference week, and the reason
for this is that owing to the removal of
the time limit there will be greater
number of pastoral changes than has ever
happened The wiping out by the General
Conference of the five years limitation
Law means that congregations may keep
l24Sf4t l&NOEleC Pe1SAO1S VI 81 liz " NAASA-A
just as they please. and the pastors them
selves have now larger orbit in which
to travel. So there is every reason to be-
heve that en- each of the four districts
Jersey City, Newark, Elizabeth and
Paterson-there win be wholesale shift
ings and many surprises in store for both
pastors and congregations.
The big clock in the ante-room had just
struck ten when Bishop Foss took his seat
behind the communion rail with Professor
II. A. Buttz of Drew Theological Semi
nary. The pastors came in like a lot of
schoolboys, jostling and pushing each
other and scrambling for the best places
that is, near the presiding elders. Con-
trary to the usual custom the galleries
weren't filled with women at the opening
service. There were half a dozen only,
and they, finding themselves in a hopeless
minority, left the galleries and mingled
with the pastors in the body of the
church After the singing of a hymn, the
music of which was begun by a venerable
brother with rather shaky tenor voice,
DIR. Buttz offered a prayer. This was fol-
lowed by the communion service, and be-
fore plunging into secular business the
Bishop addressed the pastors in an in
formal sort of chat ON men, things and
Methodism. He began with a little per-
sonal history, reciting his experience on
a burning ship last year and a long sick
ness which followed. Turning to the
church work he said impressively:-
Brothers, I'm not croaker (smiles
on some Of the pastors faces, and the
Bishop moved his hand deprecatingly),
but l think that when some of you are
talking and preaching about the worward
movement of the church my belief is
that you must look backward when you
go forward. 1 hear many say that Meth
odism is dead, and that reminds me of a
story A young man was suddenly knock
ed down. His father rushed up and
asked him: My son, answer me, are you
dead?' and he replied, No, father, 1
amt, Now" resumed the Bishop, i'm
agine the feelings of that fatheri
naughter.) Brethren, are you dead?"
(Renewed laughter.)
At the close of his remarks Bishop
Foss advised the ministers to study the
fathers of the American Republic, to be
good citizens, and study the works Of
John Wesley to be good pastors.
At a sign from the Bishop the Rev.
John r. Dodd, who has been conference
secretary for great many years, began
calling the roll. and in the meantime
the engrossing secretary, statistical sec
retary and his assistants lugged in boxes,
spread on the tables in front of them
piles Of books and papers, and thus the
conference was fairly underway for BUSH
ness.
Election of secretaries was the next
thing to be done, and these were honored
with e-elsction:-Rev. John F. Dodd, sec
retary editor and publisher of the min
utes; Rev Frank Mcdaniel, assistant
secretary; Rev. Frederick Bloom, engross-
ing secretary: Rev. J. A. Gutteridge, sta
4istieal secretary; Revs. e. n. Crusto, s.
X. DoolittIe w. C. TimbreH and Frank
Chadwick, assistants; Rev. ]. a. Cole,
treasurer These standing committees
were then announced
Missionary Causes. L. Bowman, Fred
Bloom, N. Brooks, H. AZ. Simpson, G. z.
scudder
Church Extension-W. B. Wigg, /.
An old and Well Tried Remedy