Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-04-11
CHURCH CONFERENCE
First Ecumenical Gathering Of South
ern Methodist Denomination.
CALLED TO MEET In new ORLEANS
Reports Expected to Show Large
Increase in Membership.
RESUME OF LEADING EVENTS

| RESI- ME OF LEADING EN ENIS
| When the ecumenical conference of the
Methodist Episcopal Church South-the
first ever held Of that observation-disclosures
sembles at New Orleans during the latter
part of this month there will be presented.
among many other reports, one, it is under
stood, that will show that the rate of in
crease of the NJ. E. Church South for sew
eral years has surpassed that of any other
Protestant body. It's leaders, lay and cler
ical. are arousing its constituency to the
necessity Of suitably endowing its numer-
Gus institutions. and the spirit of the COM
munion it is stated Is united and hopeful.
The report will also probably give
| resume of the leading events which have
| transpired in the affairs Of the church dur
ing the past thirty years. and say that the
first great impetus to the work. speaking
! from financial standpoint. was when the
| late Cornelius Vanderbilt of New York
| gave the general conference $500, 900 to
| build and endow a university under the
control of the Methodist Episcopal Church
| South, the cornerstone of which was land
, April "a, 1872.
| The conference of 1878. which met at At
| lanta. Ga, devoted much time to the dis
|
| of the denomination a subject which had
been agitated during previous general con-
| ferences for twelve years, and resolu-
| ton was finally adopted that the time for
| such change, If 1t ever existed, past,
| ami that there should be no further agi-
| tat1on of the matter, and an agreement
reached by the Cape May commission
when was composed of delegates from
| both bodies establishing formal fraternity,
| was approved. Rev DR. Foss and former
! Governor VIII Cumback of Indiana pre-
scented fraternal greetings from the Metho-
| dist Episcopal Church, and an incident Of
special significance was the response of
| Bishop Pierce, then in his ninety-fourth
year
Conference of 1882.
| The general conference of 1882 convened
| at Nashville. The force Of ministers had
| increased by 247 and the membership
amounted to 86O.6s7. Contributions to for
| eisn missions had Increased Sill 43S, and
the amount in the last showed handsome
| advance upon the received in the
preceding four years. The Indian mission
| hao steadily grown. there being in that
| conference over 5000 members. The Next
can border. the Central Mexican. the China
| and the Brazil missions presented favora-
! BILE Indications
| The Womans Foreign Missionary Society
| then four years old, had already justified
| the enthusiasm with which it's organization
| was heralded to the church The publish
| ing house, whose liabilities four years be-
| fore exceeded the assets by more than
| 100000, now reported surplus of $4,000
| The senior general superintendent Bishop
| Paine. In the sixty-fifth year of his min
| fstry, earnestly entreated the conference
! to retire him from future active service and
/ his request was granted with evident re-
greet. Rev DIR. Summers, the book editor
| who had been secretary of every general
conference except the first, when he was
| assistant died during the session of the
| conference. Five bishops We're elected
| Alpheus W. Wilson OF Baltimore. Linus
Parker of Louisiana. Atticus G. Haygood
| of Georgia, John C.. Ora of Tennessee
and Robert X. Hargrove of Alabama OF
| those mentioned Bishop Wilson is known
| personally to almost every member of the
NJ h. Church South in Washington, Bishop
Haygood on the day after election solemnly
| declined to accept the position on the
| ground that he could not lay down the i'm
| portant work which he then had in hand
| that of president of Emory College
Whereupon the conference resolved to elect
! no one in his place
Four bishops died during the next quad
| renniurn: Paine. October 49, 1889: Kava-
| naugh, March 10 1884; Pierce, September
), 1884. and Parker, March 5. 1885.
Centennial Celebrations
The episcopal address to the general
| conference of 1886 at Richmond Va, made
enthusiastic reference to the centennial
celebration. and said there would seem to
| be no room for doubt that fraternity is an
accomplished fact. One million three hun
bred and seventy-five thousand dollars had
! been given in the centennial conference
mostly for local objects. The conference
recognized with delight the largest quad
rennial accession since the organization of
| the church-130 277 Vanderbilt University
already had Jl9 students, and maintained
mathematical, biblical. law. dental. l.har-
maceuttcal and engineering departments
| The biblical department had received a be-
quest of $4,000 from Mrs Elizabeth Dick
inson of Memphis, Tenn William H. Van
derbilt had died and left so large a sum
| that his gifts now amount to 100000.
| The conference amended the chapter in
the discipline on the subject of temperance
| by requiring that persons who manufac-
| tured or sold Intoxicating liquors as a bev-
! erage should be dealt with as in the case of
| immortality, and not merely as in the case
| of imprudent or improper conduct It also
| declared that it would continue to agitate
| the subject of prohibition as great moral
| question.
Relating to Divorces.
! Upon the subject of divorce the following
| resolution was passed: mo minister of the
| Methodist Episcopal Church South know
| ingly, upon inquiry, shall sOlemniZe the
| marriage of any person who has divorced
wife or husband still living: provided this
| inhibition shall not apply to the innocent
| party to divorce granted for the scrip
tural cause. or to parties once divorced
seeking to be remarked" At this confer
| ence Revs. Drs. William w. Duncan of
Virginia. Charles B. Galloway of MISSISSIPPI
| Joseph s. Key of Georgia were elected
bishops.
| When the general conference assembled
| in Atlanta in 1880 the number of preachers
and members had reached LII, $50, a gain
of 1S6, 156; corresponding addition had been
made to the ministry.
Bishop McTyeire died February Is, 1850.
| So valuable had been his services In pro-
| noting the foundation and endowment of
| Vanderbilt University that the conference
| after commencing him in every capacitv
| declared that nothing would give him
more durable honor than the great service
| rendered In forming and directing Wander
| bilt University; that it is a grand monu-
ment to the memory of it's founder and
hardly less to the name of McTyeire"
The conference resolved that 1t would
| depiore organic union of all Protestant
| churches as evil which would Intensity
| the differences sought to be removed. and
clog for centuries the wheels OF progress