St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1902-04-16
CONFERENCE AT ST. ALBANS.
Features of this Yearly Gathering of
MethOdisGs.


at St. Adams. The roll call showed
large majority of members present. The
presiding elders reported that no deaths
had occurred among the ministers OF the
district during the past year. The an
niversarv exerc SEES of the Epworth
League were held Tuesday evening. The
session of Conference held Wednesday
evening was addressed by Bishop Daniel
A. GoodseIl OF Chattanooga, Tenn, and
was Of the most general interest OF any
feature OF the week proceedings.
On Thursday morning the statistical
secretary made brief report and Rev,
7. O. Sherburne, of ST. Iohnsbury, read
an interesting report Of the work done
in his district during the year Just closed,
Rev. c. Parkhust D. d, OF Boston,
editor OF lions Herald, was the speaker
OF the morning. He presented check
for 500 to the conference a portion Of
the royalty gwen The author, Bishop W.
F. Malleau, OF Boston, on the 'Why,
When, and How OF REVEALS.
The suueraunuated preachers passed in
character and continued in the same
relation were as fellows; A. NJ. Wheeler,
Peter Merrill, W. II. Wright G. L. Wells,
". D. Malcolm, H, A. Bushnell [. W..
Morse, Joseph Thurston n. W. Wilder,
W. H Dean, Z. S. Morse, Isaac McAnn,
S. B. Cuiricr, and J. A, Sherbune. The
last named arose after the calling OF
his name and gave an interesting talk
dealing with hs long connection with
the conference, having attended success
sly,ly Tor fifty five years and been pres
ent at every roll call. There are but two
members of the conference who have
mad a longer membership therein and
only one Older in years, the Rev Peter
Merrill and the Rev. A. l.. Cooper.
On Friday, Rev. George W. Morrow
addressed the meeting extending greet
ing from the Vermont Christian con.
ference of which he is president.
Friday afternoon the anniversary OF
the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society
was celebrated Rev. 5. L. Baldwin OF
New York, making an address.
Presiding Elder sherburue's Report.
The report OF the Rev. J. .. Sherburne,
presiding elder OF the st. Johnsbury dis
trict, in part was as follows;
THE ministerial force on the district
has this year consisted Of twenty eight
regular conference members and seven
localWorkers, one member OF a nelghbor-
ing conference and one supernumerary,
Several local preachers resident among
us have done service on different helds.
Our territory comprises a section OF
the state in the northeast portion made
up of sixty one townships. In forty
seven OF these we have some regular ser.
vices: Others are well furnished with
church privileges by sister dcnomina-
tions, and in few the only opportunity
for religious facilities must be sought II
nelghborlng towns.
Eight OF our appointments are in what
Western parlance would term booming
villages or towns, fourteen a1en more OF
less thriving country villages, while sew
eral are in communities that are actually
on the decline; the agricultural and lum
beriug interests having weakened uni
little remains to support population
our only actual withdrawal has been
where numbering has gone out and only
vacant habtatious lett
"Our forty pastors minister, either
every Sunday, or in few cases, on alter
nate weeks, to seventy congregations
ranging from forty to four hundred hear
ers. In about siXtysiX OF these, The
presiding elder has minstered from on
TO six times during the year. aud IN three
other communities has held Sunday scr
vices; the usual Sunday work beng tire
sermons and Sunday school, with tn
sacrament twice administered, and iron
six tothirty.hve miles driving AS ruI
the work on all the charges has bee
prosecuted with vigor and success iron
the outset. At four points the suppl
work has been hardly regular, dltteren
men having conducted services tor a par
of the time. On one charge Newbury
the pastor appointed secured release a
the middle OF the year and Brother D. I
Thatcher, Sy., took his place.
Our pastors, with rare exception
have put in a tull year OF earnest, d,
gent. heroic work, and this work has n'
failed in its return-such workneyer doe
There was a wise disposition to put
special energetic effort, early in the ' ca
and results have shown that this w
sagacious planning. OF the one hundr
and fifty probatiOners added, as report
to the presiding elder, a large per Gel
more than fifty, came from ten charg
where early special evangeistic tttJi
were made. While there has been mu
to heWall in the way of meagre reSu