The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-04-30
TO MEET THURSDAY l
QUADRENNrAL CONFERENCE (
 SOUTHERN METHODIsTs.
Representatives wfn G6 to Birming- ham from Japan, China, Bra- xil and Mexico, as We'll as
 from Unfted states.

Ou1SI ED1SGOQaf SuuIGHf oouth WHICH | convenes in this city next Thursday morning, promises to be one of the most important in the history of the church.
 The general conference is the only law ma king body of the church and its action is supreme on all questions of church government It Is made up ferences which embrace the Southern church's sphere of action. There will be 242 accredited delegates to the gen eral conference, half of whom are lay and half clerical delegates. They will come from not only every State in the South, but there will also be repre- senatives from Japan. China. Brazil and Mexico. ! Texas alone will have thirty three delegates.
 In addition to the accredited dele gates 1t is expected that there will be a daily attendance of visitors from other cities of between 800 and 1000 since special rates have been given on all railroads.
 One of the most notable foreign del- egates will be Dr. Young J. Allen. who has spent the past forty years in China. He is the editor of paper in China. has published many books. is in close touch with the government and the great men of China and his opinions on the missionary work in that field are of great value.
 Among the fraternal messengers from other churches will be vice-President Fairbanks. who comes from the North ern Methodist Episcopal Church. It is expected that he will speak either on the evening of May 8 or May 10.
 Dinsdale T. Young comes from Lon don as the representative of the Wes- Ieyan Church of England.
 The general conference will be in session about three weeks and the ses- sions will convene each day at o'clock and adjourn at 1. All committee meet ings will be held in the afternoons. and each night meetings will be ad- dressed by the prominent members present. Among the more important matters to be taken up by the ap- preaching conference are these:
 The establishment of university for women in the South. to be sup ported by the church. It is the inten- tion to make this institution rank with anything of the kind in the United States, and it is proposed to raise at least a million dollars as beginning.
 A change in the present presiding el- dershlp ssytem. Presiding elders are at present limited to thirty charges and they are supposed to visit each charge at least four times each year.
 It is probable that two more bish- ops will be elected because of the in-
  churchmen most prominently spoken of in this connection are Dr. Collins Denney, Nashville. Tenn; Dr. J. J. Ti- gert. Nashville. Tenn, editor of the Quarterly Review. and the Rev. W. B. McMurray of St. Louis, Mo.
 Another matter that will be brought up is that of institutional churches. It IS pointed out that the growth of cities in the South and the increase of what are known as "down-town" churches makes necessary the exten- sion of the present four year tenure of pastors which is iron-clad under the present laws of the church. It is, maintained by those in favor of the proposed change that the successful club work that should be done in the down town" churches is handicapped by the pastors feeling that he must leave and turn over the work to some one else at the end of four years. The general conference will probably be called to order Thursday morning by Bishop A. W. Wilson of Baltimore, Md, who is the senior bishop, and the bishops will preside in rotation over the various sessions. The eleven blsh- ops of the church at present are: Bish- op A. W. Wilson Baltimore; Bishop John G. Granbery. Ashland, Va; Bishop W. w. Duncan, Spartanburg, s. C.; Bishop Charles B. Galloway, Jackson, Miss; Bishop E. R. Hendrix, Kansas City, Mo-; Bishop J. S. Key. Sherman, Tex; Bishop O. P. Fitzgerald Nash vile, Tenn; Bishop W. A. Candler, At lanta, Ga; Bishop E. F. Hoss, Dallas, Tex; Bishop A. Coke Smith, Asheville, N C.. and Bishop H. c. Morrison. New Orleans. All of these are on the active list except Bishop Granbery and Bish- op Fitzgerald.
 Senior Bishop Wilson has had one of the most eminent careers of any man in the church. He was born in Balti- more in February, 1884, was made sec retary of the board of missions in 1878 and was made bishop in 1882. He was delegate to the Ecumenical conference in London in 1881, and has made four Episcopal tours around the world.
 The work of the general conference. will be conducted in much the same manner as legislation is conducted in the national congress. There are four teen standing committees to which all subjects are referred. The most inn portant of these committees are those on "Episcopacy" and "Revisals." The conference while in session will publish a journal of the proceedings known as the Daily Advocate" This will contain the gist of the work ac- complished each day and will be sent all over the South to those wishing it who are unable to attend the confer ence in person. of the guests have all been made and provision for thousand visitors each