The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-05-27
Most Important Conference in
 Years Comes to Close
BIRMINGHAM AFTER NEXT ONE
pr. Anson West of Alabama Makes a Vigorous Protest Against Estab- fishing Order of Deaconesses.
 Says 1t Violates Doctrine.

Dallas. Texas, May 26.-The fourteenth quadrennial general conference of the Methodist Episcopal church, south, after being in session since May T. adjourned sine die at 10:50 o'clock today. Delegates began leaving for their homes yesterday and at one point in today's session there was a scurry to gather up a quorum The most important matter disposed of. was the resembling of part of the report of the committee on missions, adopted last Saturday. the tendency of which was to bring the northern and southern church es missionary societies. into partner ship in joint publishing house at Shanghai China Another unusually im- portant matter was the adoption of a report from the committee on church extension, creating a church insurance board.
 The date of the next quadrennial gen. eral conference was fixed for the first Thursday in May 1906. The entertainment committee will name the place one year from now. Candidates are Louisville, Bir- mingham, Nashville and New Orleans.
 The proceedings of the last day of the conference were begun with devotion al exercises by pr. J. w. Tarbox. Bishop Duncan resigned the chair to Bishop E. E. Hoss, the senior of the new bishops, who was greeted with applause.
 Moved a Reconsideration.
 Dr. Collins Denny moved a reconsider ation of part of the report of the com mittee on missions that gave at least partial control of the publishing house to the board of missions A motion to put Dr. Dennys motion on the table was carried by a vote of 60 to 53 Dr. Denny earnestly warned the conference against leaving the matter as it had been adopted on the ground that the church was liable to forfeit the charter of It's publishing house at Nashville and lose perhaps $1,- 900 000 in money through litigation.
 Later in the session on an appeal from pr. Denny and others, the conference took the motion from the table and re- considered the portion of the mission re- port which, 1t was argued, would be dangerous for the church to permit to be- come effective. The mission work in China, therefore, will remain. so far as publishing interests are concerned in the hands of the book committee as hereto fore.
 pr. Anson West of the North Alabama conference entered a protest against the action of the general conference in insti- tuting the order of deaconesses. This pro- test most vigorously attacked the order of deaconesses as being at war with the history of Professionalism generally, and nowhere In the Bible could Justification for the creation of the order be found. One Of the sentences in Dr. Vests pro- test said: Departure from Divine order leads to infidelity, anarchy and ruin"
 Opposed to the Protest.
 Many of the delegates were opposed to perm itting the protest to become a part of the record of the proceedings of the general conference but finally 1t was de- cided to include 1t in the record on the ground "of the long and honorable ser vice. of Dr. West in the church.
 Dr. Butterick presented the conference with a gavel made from a beam in the old Epworth church in England, where Methodsm was born. Bishop floss ac- cepted the gavel with thanks.
 Standing and special committees were discharged with a vote of thanks.
 
 islation passed by the general conference shall take effect earlier than September l. next, was adopted.
 Report number six of the finance com mittee making changes in the manner of assessments, provoked much discussion and was adopted
 Threats to raise the point of mo quorum" were made but the point was not insisted upon until Dr. Anson West forced the issue. There was a hurrying to and fro at once and by dtnt of the work of all the messengers. 142 delegates, three more than a quorum, wehe gotten together.
 Refused to Reduce Salary.
 The conference refused to reduce the salary of the corresponding secretary of the board of education from 5000 to s2500.
 Resolutions thanking the secular press and the press representatives present, were offered by Dr. J. s. Hutchinson of the Baltimore conference and adopted unanimously The conference took up the matter of a fire insurance board. A board of fire managers was nominated by the church extension board as follows: J. M. Kirkland, J. B. Kilgo, s. M Hosner, w. S. Baker, P. H. Wisner, P. McGuire, R. R. Gilbert, C. M. Phillips, Samuel Our packer, P. H. Tapps and T. B. Wharton.
 The whole matter was adopted and the headquarters or the Doaru VIII De III Louisville, Ky.
 The board will have the management of the insurance of all church property and the proposition met with some vigorous opposition. particularly from Dr. Anson West. who dec]ared that 1t was the or ganization of a church insurance com pany.
 The ten bishops present signed an ap- peal to the church throughout the south to extend aid to the Methodist sufferers from the Golad hurricane. Contributions were ordered sent to P. H. Wsner, cor responding secretary of the church ex- tension board, Louisville, Ky.
 The minutes of the session were read and approved and formal adjournment came after the singing of hymn 232 And Let Our Bodies Part" and prayer by Reverend William Mahon, Bishop Wilson pronounced the benediction and the con- ference was over.