The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1902-04-02
N. {. MECCA.
Wesleyans Gather in St.
James's Church Eliza
beth to Open the
Newark Con-
ference.
BISHOP ]. W. JOYCE PREsIDES
Pastors Greet One Another
and Indulge in a Little
Clerical Lobbying.
OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES
Business Opens With Passing
of Pastors Characters
1onight's Programme

Especial to The Jersey City News-"l
ELIZABETH. April ?, 1s0e.-This sinful
little town. as Some call It; the Oldest
town in the state. as all eall it, and our
Fair city" as the aborigines call IL; this
home Of Governors and chanceliors
promises 10 be good little town for the
next six dayp Positively II will be
bathed In the Odor OF sanctliy during that
tine. because the brethren OF the New
ark Methodist Episcopal Conference VIII
hold daily sessions here 10 wind up the
business OF the year past and make plans
for the Methodist year just begun. All
this goodness VIII radiate from ST.
Janess Church on South Broad street.
to whica ediAce many people from all
parts Of the State plodded their way early
this morning FOR the opening OF the forty
fifth session Of the conference.
Elizabeth Methodixfs are proud OF their
town. A venerable brother with shaven
upper lip and luxuriant crop OF whls-
kers surrounding the region Of his chin,
pointed out this morning the BEAUTIES Of
st. James's Church TO the country folk
visitors He said with awe that Bishop
Asbury passed through the town In ffSS
and preached in a church not far away,
and in the minutes and list OF appoint
fnents in 1851, ,Elizabethtown" first ap-
pesred and the Methodism OF Newark
and Jersey City and Hoboken was an
o1tgrowth OF Elizabeth. He had barely
finished mis- interesting discourse when
Bishop Lxaac ". Joyce, d D.. LID,
who Will preside over the session. ar
rived. and at his heels a crowd of par
sons. .heir wives and friends.
Adjoining the handsome brick church
CT st. James is the chapel and to this
place the brethren fiocked. 1t had been
divided and sub-divided into cloak rooms
committee rooms, rooms for writing, III
thinking and reading; rooms for general
gossip and SO forth, and by nine o'clock
the place looked like Taylor's Opera
House before a State convention, for in
the ways which Sometimes are dark
and in tricks that often are vain, tnefe
is a striking similarity between ecclesi>
astical and political methods.
AS the pastors tunbled in like school
boys when the bell rings the noise they
kicked up greeting each other would have
made a Woman's Club turn green with
envy Finally the groups broke up and
the brethren entered the church for the
sacramental service and memorial SER
vice, both of which consumed the time
until eleven o'clock.
Many of the pastors on a transparent
pretence of business" remained behind
IN the anterooms, but it was lobbying,
laying pipes pure and simple. The fact
is that one of the absorbing things o1
interest in the coming week is the appoint
ment of a presiding elder for the A.liza-
beth district to succeed DIR. George Will
lam Smith, whose term of five years Is
up. There are several candidates. Jer-
sey City presents one in the person OF
Rev. Charles f. Little of West Side Ave
nue. Church. Bayonne wants Rev. Chas.
g. Woodruff appointed. Rev. Daniel Hal
leron formerly of Simpson Church, Jer-
sey City, but now of Paterson, also as
pires to the post, and the others areRev.
c. w Mccormick, formerly President o.
Hackettstown Institute; Rev. Louis L.
Muller Of Pasasic and Rev. DR.. George W.
Wilding. formerly of Hedding Church,
Jersey City II a sporting phrase be not
considered irrevclent here, the odds at
present are In favor of DR.. Wilding.
The next topic now and to be freely
discussed is whether the removal of the
time limit for pastor viii affect the num-
ber of pastoral appointments. The ma
jority of the ante-room qudnuncs settled
that there will be more changes than an
ticipated, and that opinion was expressed
by a very leading member who, strange
as It may appear. dislikes to see his name
in print
1T has been known" he said to a
ssNews" representative this morning, 'for
some time that provision would fave to
be made for a few clergymen, not men
who are filling important pastorates but
for men who are just entering on the
work This number has increased, why,
don't profess TO know. They are men
whom IT would be unfair to relegates tc
a back country charge and to find suit
able places for them it Is expected viii
necessitate a great amount of shifting "
When the Sacrament of the Lords Sup
per had been observed in the church
Rev. Dr. G. w Smith, at the request Of
Bishop Joyce presided over the memoria
service In former conferences 1t ihad
been the practice to read the memorials
of brethren who had died during the pas
year during the last days Of the confer
ence. but this was changed at last year:
session to the first hour Of the opening
session which began today.
DR.. C. S Ryrnan Of Paterson read ths
tributes to the late Rev. Salmon D. Jone.
of Ocean Grove; Rev. J. 3. J. Rhodes o.
Rloomsburg, Mrs Mary Alice Illman
wife Of Rev. @. IIlman Of Asbury, ant
Mrs. Daniel Franfbes OF stanhope
This closed the memorial service and IN,
An oi d and Well Triod Re1ndsy.
49, x.v..-..1..tz ro<,& tty,f cvr,,r, far nhss