Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-03-27
METHODIST CONFERENCE.
Meeting in Baltimore Of the Southern
Church

SuuICu.
Special Dispatch to The Evening Star
BALTIMORE, Md, March 27.-The Balti-
more conference. Methodist Episcopal
Church South. which convened in Trinity
Church. this city, yesterday, has already
transacted considerable routine work and
will be ready by tomorrow to begin ballot
Ing for delegates to the general conference
which will meet at Dallas Texas. during
May. Much interest centers around the
election Of delegates to the supreme law
making body of the church. and 1t is always
regarded as high honor to be chosen as
delegate. The Baltimore conference is en-
titled to five ministerial and five lay dele
gates. Among the ministers likely to be
elected is Rev. ]. W. Duffy, the presiding
elder of the Washington district. The
names of Mr.. George r. Hill of Alexandria,
Va, and Mr.. P. V. D. Conway of Fred
ericksburg, Va. are also mentioned as
probable lay delegates.
All of the presiding elders got in their
reports during yesterdays session These
indicated progress. but nearly all spoke Oh
the severe and long winter as a cause ol
shOrtness in benevolent collections. AS
these collections are taken at the close oil
the conference year, a time When the
weather especially in the rural districts, Is
not favorable there is talk of changing the
time of meeting of the annual conference
from the spring to the fall. This Is the
only conference in the connection which
meets in the spring. and there are quite
number who will vote to change 1t to the
fall.
Presiding Elder Duffy of the Washington
district reported $50 conversions during the
year. and said that 5000 had been ex-
pended for church improvements Three
new churches were organized. one at West
Washington, which was bought from the
Presbyterians; one at OccOquan and one at
Bealton, Presiding Elder Ball of the Moore
field district referred to the large extent of
his district. He said request had been
made by the charges in Highland county
Va, to be transferred to the Rockingham
district.
A delegation from the Baltimore preach
ers' meeting of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, of which Rev DIR. ]. B. Stitt was
chairman. called upon the conference to ex-
tend fraternal greetings.
There was quite an array of bishops of
the church present during the day. Besides
Bishop c. B. Galloway. who is presiding, there
were Bishop J. c. Granbery. Ashland, Va:
Bishop a. W. Wilson of this city, and
Bishop Warren A. Gambler of Georgia.
Bishop Galloway is one of the beSt-knOWn
men in his church. and has quite reputa-
ton as a pulpit orator. He is tall in stat
Ure. with a fine presence and courteous
manners.
Rev DR. E E Hoss editor of the Chris
tian Advocate, Nashville, Tenn. the official
organ of the church. was introduced and
made an address.
the Southern Methodist Church overheard
He would have done so thirty years ego.
when We were 100000 bruised and scattered
people, and when all was dark before
But God has been good to us all these
years, and now we are 1,516,516. There is
only one thing necessary: Retain the SIM
plicity of our faith and the genuineness of
our religious experience. In spite of the
great progress made along all lines for the
past $50 years. our Methodist version of the
Gospel bears preaching now as them
Rev. DR.. James E. Armstrong. who has
served as assistant secretary and secretary
fer the past forty-four years, was re-
elected secretary. He selected as his
sistants the following: Revs. Eldridge V
Register. George T. Tyler. Asbury r. Mar
tin, James P. Stump, Henry 8. COe and
William NJ. Waters.
Mr.. R. o. Shipey lay delegate from
Anne Arundel county, Maryland. gave the
conference a surprise late yesterday after
noon by getting married. No one knew that
Mr. Shipiey had any matrimonial inten-
tions. He has served a delegate for
several years. Yesterday afternoon he
went to his pastor. Rev. ]. H. Sanders, and
told him that he would like to have him
perform marriage ceremony. Even Mr..
Sanders was taken by surprise. With the
bride. who was Miss Annie V. Woodward
OF Annapolis, the party went to the home of
Presiding Elder j. A. Anderson of the Bal
timore district. 1902 Harlem avenue where
the ceremony took place.
In addressing the candidates for admis-
sion into full connection OF the Baltimore
i tOlIiSiSI1Cc lIllS BISHOP Can0ler
inyeighed strongly against sensational
preaching and higher criticism There are
he said, some ministers who tell us that
they will preach on Ruskin or Emerson;
that Is lecturing and not preaching. 1t
does not spring from culture. but from
backsliding of the heart. 1t Is a violation
: OF the Sabbath, and Is securing a congre-
cation under false pretenses. This thing
can't stand. If you don't go further you
lose your crowd, and If you do go further
You lose your religion. If you don't hold
TO the Gospel you will have to 60 to Ro-
manism or you will go to sea.
An unusual and rather dramatic scene
took place just before the close of the ses-
sion today. when 8. Grady. a deacon. who
served at Cave Spring, Va. was up for
election to elders orders. One of the min
listers objected to the passing of Mr.. Grady
as he had published in a newspaper the
statement that he could not conform to the
ritual OF the church in the administration
OF the Lords supper. A spirited discus
sion followed, during which young Grady
stood as the central figure near the pulpit
1t was finally decided that committee
should question Mr.. Grady and report to
conference.