The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1907-09-27
LAYMEN ARE DOING WORK
Desire to Be Delegates to
General Assembly.
CLERGY WOULD BE REPRESENTED
Bishop Daniel e. Good Sc II Is Presld.
ing Over Bic Methodist Gather
ing Now at Marshall,

Marshall, Sept. 25.-The fifty-third
annual conference OF the Methodist
Episcopal church of Minnesota began
its session yesterday at Marshall, and
will continue until next Monday. The
original Minnesota conference embraced
the entire state of Minnesota and the
different languages, but now its ter
ritory is southern Minnesota, the north
boundary line of Ramsey county being
the dividing line extending to the
western limits of the state, and en-
bracing only English-speaking churches,
north of this line is the northern
Minnesota conference, which will hold
its session next week.
The Norwegian, Danish and Swedish
conferences have already been held,
and the German conference will be
held in this city in two weeks.
Bishop Daniel E. Goodsell will pre-
side at all these conferences. In spite
of the fact that the work of the
Methodist church in the state is divid-
ed up into five conferences, it will try
the town of Marshall to its limits to
entertain the conference, for in addi-
ton to the care of the ministers this
year an equal number of laymen must
be provided for. They are assembled
for the lay electoral conference. There
are $50 charges, each one elects lay
man to attend the conference, and
these with 200 ministers and the visi-
tors who represent the different benev-
olent societies and other interests of
the church, will make over 400 Wis
itors.
Great interest is manifested in this
conference because eight delegates are
to be elected to represent the church
at the geenraI conference, which as
sembles in Baltimore May next. Here
there is great contest between lay
men and ministers who are candidates
for election.
Some Wire Pulling.
The laymen openly proclaim them
selves candidates and send circulars all
over the conference soliciting votes.
They adopt all the methods of the
politician and their conference resem-
bles political convention. The min
listers are supposed to be in the hands
of their friends, and a very quiet
canvass is carried on, and the candi-
dates are supposed to be disinterested,
yet little of the political methods
are sometimes seen.
Four years ago the conference was
represented by DR.. N. c. Jennings, DR..
G. H. Bridgman, DR.. j. F. Stout and
DR.. F. B. Cowgirl. This year no
doubt DIR. Jennings will be elected, as
he is at the head of the book concern,
but the others are in some doubt. DR..
Bridgman and DIR. Stout have large
following. DIR. Cowgirl has host of
friends, and DR.. F. NJ. Rule of Winona,
is also advocated.
A number of ministers think that
some pastors ought to be sent, as
more directly representing them, SO
several names are mentioned, among
them R. n. Avison, d. D., of the Ham
line church, and Frank Doran, d. d.,
of Central church, Winona. As each
minister secures his appointment at
the hands of the bishop, much inter-
est is taken in the work of the cabi-
net; the cabinet is composed of the
presiding elders and the bishop. The
presiding elders are supposed to be the
bishops advisers, but they generally
make most of the appointments.
Changes In St. Paul Pulpits.
There will be a few changes in the
St. Paul churches. DR.. Benjamin Long
ley has closed his tenth year as pas
tor of Central Park church. He has
had remarkable pastofate. Finding
the church nearly bankrupted with a
large debt, he has succeeded in clear
ing it all, and has added repairs and
a pipe organ, all amounting to about
$4,000. He feels that, however, he
had better resign and give way to
younger man.
The official board have asked for
Rev. Mr.. Satterlee, of the north Min
nesota conference, to be transferred to
this conference and appointed to this
church.
Rev. J. w. Fryckberg of st. Ans
thony Park, has gone to Texas, and
the church has asked that DR.. F. s.
Cone of Mortified, become its pastor.
Rev. Joseph Hardness has been elected
city missionary of the City Gospel
mission, so the King street Methodist
church will have new pastor.
There may be some other changes,
Hamline, Merriam Park, First church.
Clinton Avenue and Holman Memorial
will no doubt have their pastors re-
turned for another year. Quite q num-
Der of churches in the conference will
have different pastors, but it is too
early in the week to yet know much