Evening journal., 1907-02-18
CONFERENCE TO
ELECT BISHOP
DR.. Murray, Of This City, SpOk-
en- Of For High Place
in Church

The General Conference Of the NJ. T..
Church which vii lbe held
in Baltimore commencing May 1. 1908,
is composed of delegates elected by the
125 local conferences OF this coun-
try and SO foreign conferences. The
number OF delegates from each local
or foreign conference Is proportionod
TO the numerical size Of the confer
ence and the number OF lay and cler-
ical delegates from each conference Is
always equal in number. Wilmington
Conference win be represented by five
clergymen and hve laymen. These
delegates win not be selected at the
coming meeting at Smyrna, but at the
Annual Conference, to be held next
year just prior to the General Con-
ference meeting.
The General Conference is tho SUI
preme legislative body Of the Method
/ ist Episcopal Church. II represents
about S.25O,OOO communicates, OF whom
lnear'y 100000 are I'm the foreign field.
A number OF important questions
are TO come up for consideration at
the meeting in this city. Among them
are several matters considered at the
General Conference held four years
ago az Los Angeles Cal, which viii
become either null or effective by ac-
ton of the coming Conference. The
consolidation of the missionary and
benevolent societies Of the church by
action of the last Conference into three
/ general organizatlons-G the Foreign
Board. CD the Home Missionary and
/ Church Extension Board and CD the
Sunday School and Education Board
win require action at tn ecoming Com
ference, when officers for these thre,
ORGANIZATIONS, as newly constituted
win be elected.
Unifeation Of Methodism.
The last Conference appointed a
commission on the unincation Of Meth.
odism. which will make a report al
the coming Conference. SO far nc
special action has been taken by thii
commission. and It IS probable, there
fore, that it will have little to report
Mention, of course, will be made O
the issuance recently Of the new Meth,
odist Hymnal, 10 be used by both tn
Methodist Episcopal Church and tn
Methodist Episcopal Church South
which is calculated to create a mucl
stronger bond OF fellowship betweel
the two branches.
A report will be made at the com
ing Conference on the proposal to con
solidate the two large publishing
houses OF the Methodist Church, on
in New York and the other i'm Gin
cinnau, and If the consolidation is az
, fected agents win be elected to hav
charge Of the unified interests
Although there were an unusua
number Of bishops elected at the 10
Angeles General Conference. 10 is ex
pected there will be a number to b
selected at the coming meeting. Thre
p bishops have died in the past fou
n years-Bishops c. c. McCabe. J. "
Joyce and S. NJ. Merrill. These va
cancies will have to be filled. and It
!, probable also that one or more of tf
4 present active bishops will ask to /
+ retired TO the superannuated list bC
j. cause Of age or IN health. thereby ere
+; ating other vacancies. One Whining
i. tonian, DR.. w. L. s. Murray has bee
@ mentioned recently for the bishopric.
/. Besides electing bishops the Gen
+, eral Conference elects all general Off
GERS Of the church. such as secretarie
Of missionary boards. editors OF off
cia1 papers, book agents, etc. Tn
bishops and all other general officer
, are responsible to il for the admins
p tration OF the duties assigned then
u and while the bishops are elected fc
j. life, the General Conference has th
:. power at any time 1t believes pre-
u per to retire them.
h The coming Conference is the frs
= TO be held in Baltimore since 1876.