The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1907-11-28
CONFERENCE THIS WEEK.
rIethodist Ministers of the State
Gather at Gaffney.

rlethodist Ministers of the State
Gather at Gaffney.
The annual South Carolina confer
ence of the Methodist Episcopal
church, South, will convene in Gaf-
ney to-day wednesday,
Bishop R. w. Morrison, of Ala
bama, will preside. This will be the
first time he has been president OF
the South Carolina conference. He
is a great preacher and the confer
ence will give him warm welcome.
There will be nothing out of the or
binary business to transact.
Last year the Creighton trial served
to keep interest in the conference,
which was held in Columbia, at a
high tension throughout the session
prolonged by this trial. This case,
trial of which was held behind closed
doors. Mr.. Creighton himself not
being allowed a copy Of the testl-
mony in the case until the trial is re-
viewed at the general conference,
will not be touched upon by the COM
ing conference. So far as the South
Carolina conference is concerned,
Rev. Creighton having been un-
frocked and expelled from member
ship, is now no more connected with
the conference.
Not only that, but in the judgment
of we'll informed laymen Creighton
ism will never be a live issue either
in this State or at the general confer
ence, Members of the conference
and laymen who have served on re-
viewing boards at the general con-
ference say that Mr., Creighton has
already forfeited his rights in the
general conference by violating the
church law in preaching while his ap-
peal was pending. .
Expression in another form of
Creightonism- complaint that the
South Carolina conference is run by
a ring" of presiding elders in the
bishops cabinet-was heard at the
recent gathering in Columbia, fair
week of a number of Methodist lay
men. But that those who were In
strumental in bringing this meeting
about did not represent the great
body of Methodist laymen through;
out the State, is shown, it is claimed
by the fact that the opposite SEN
timent prevailed among majority
of those who attended the meeting the
radical element in the gathering be-
ing defeated by the adoption of q res
elution which nullified the object
they were seeking.
According to the remarks made at
the gathering those who called the
meeting think the most urgent need
of the church not only in this
State but throughout the South is
Law representation in the bishops
cabinet, but they admit that accord
ing to the church law this can only
be scured from the general confer
ence. It was suggested by the more
conservative at this gathering of lay
men that this question Of lay repre-
sentation in the cabinet should be
agitated in the church conferences,
which choose the delegates to the
twelve district conferences, which in
turn choose delegates to the State
conference. If there is real demand
felt by the representative laymen OF
the State for this representation, 1t
is argued, sentiment will crystalize
in this way in such force as to be felt
at the general conference.
But many laymen oppose having
any lay representation in the cabinet.
The cabinet consists Of the presiding
elders and the only object of lay rep
resentation would be to have the
laymen take part in advising the bish-
op as to the assignment of preach
ers. The average" laymen, it is said,
wants to leave this to the presiding
elders, whose business it is to study
the needs of the various charges:
Whether anything will be heard at
the conference from this laymen's
meeting remains to be seen. A res
olution was adopted calling upon
the chairman, Col. R. W. Simpson, to
appoint one or three men from each
district in the State for the purpose
of organizing the laymen Of the State
and Col. Simpson said he would make
the appointments, but itseems doubt
full whether these appointees will get
together soon enough to make a
showing before the conference at
Gafney.
Anti-Race Suicide Club.
NEW YORK. Nov. 22.-Mrs. Clar-