St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1904-03-02
Methodist Conference at Montpelier

|
Of Unusual Interest This Year.
The members of the Methodist church
| in this vicinity and all over the state are
| interested in the annual conference, which
will convene at Montpelier in its Goth
session, on March 3Oth, and will contin-
ne until the following Monday. At this
| session ministerial and lay delegates will
| be elected to the auadrennial session of
| the general conference. which will con-
vene May 1 at Los Angeles. CAL, and
| which will be in session for a month. The
| conference last met at Montpelier twelve
! years ago, in 1892. Rt. Rev. Cyrus D.
Foss of Philadelphia, presided at that
time. Rt. Rev. Charles b. Fowler of
Buffalo, N Y, will preside at the coming
session. This is the second time Bishop
Fowler has visited the Vermont confer
ence in an official capacity. He presided
at the session held at Barre in April,
1896.
The oldest member of the Vermont
conference is Rev. Peter Merrill of Enos
burg Falls Mr.. Merrill joined the con-
ference in 1S43 and has been on the
superannuated list since 1888. The old
est clergyman in the conference who is
yet active and doing occasional work IS
Rev. ]. A. Sherburne. of Barre. His sill
very hair, erect form, and firm step, give
little indication that he was for 81 years
in the active itineracy. MIR. Sherburne
celebrated his SD birthday anniversary
November % last by preaching at He'd
ding Methodist church in Barre during
the absence of the pastor. Although he
has not taken an appointment for the
past ten years he has been during that
time, and is yet, much in demand as
supply and as an officiating clergyman
at weddings and funerals. The only
member of the conference in active SER
vice, who has died during the past year,
is Rev. Jedediah Durkee Beeman, of Union
Village. Rev. w. E. Allen of Chelsea,
enjoys the distinction of having held the
longest continuous pastorate of any
Methodist clergyman in Vermont. He is
now closing a service of eight consecu-
tive years as pastor of the Methodist
church at Chelsea, and it is said his peo
pie desire no change at the coming con-
| ference. Rev. A. II. Webb of Bradford, is
a close second as he has been at Bradford
| for the past seven years. It is under
stood that MIR. Webb may be transferred
to another charge when conference meets.
It is also rumored that Rev. w. S.
| Smithers Of St. Adams, and Rev. F. 6.
Rainey of Randolph, may take new APP
| pointments. There is a prospect of very
| few changes this year, as there were an
| unusually large number at the session OF
| the conference held at Mortified year
| ago. Rev. L. K. Whitman of Montpelier,
| has been urged by the official board OF
| Trinity church to reconsider his determi.
nation to sever his connection with that
church at the close of the present confer
ence year. Should Mr.. Whitman leave it
is probable Rev. w. B. Dukeshire, for the
| past five years pastor of the Methodist
ohx -, Nfo
as the stewards of Trinity church have
| requested Presiding Elder w. M. Newton
| to extend a call to Mr.. DukeShire If the
pulpit of that church is to be vacant.
The Vermont conference is entitled to
two ministerial and two lay delegates to
the general conference. The clergymen
| who are most prominently mentioned
| for this honor are Presiding Elder ]. O.
| Sherburn of St. Johnsbury, Rev. DIR. E. 0.
| Thayer OF Springfield. Presiding Elder w.
| Nd. Newton of South Royalton, and Rev.
Ralph Lowe of Barre. Among those
mentioned as probable lay delegates are
| Judge CLANCY Temple of St. Adams, T.
B. Hall of Groton, Frank Plumley of
| Mortified and George w. Parmenter
of Montpelier.
Among the official visitors who have
already signifed their intention to be
present at the conference are Rev. DIR. E.
| M. aylOr OF boston, Held agent OF lhe
Foreign Missionary Society, who will.
| deliver an address Saturday evening,
| April 2, and Rev. DIR. c. FL. Parkhurst of
| Boston, editor of lions Herald. The
Sunday morning love feast, which
will be Easter day will be in charge
of Rev w. S. Smithers of ST.
Adams. Bishop Fowler will preach
| Sunday morning, his sermon to be fol-
| lowed by ordination services. It is ex-
| pected the business of the conference will
be completed and the appointments read
| Monday morning, April 4.
Iowa pays women school teachers less
than any other state, the average salary