Arizona republican., 1908-05-13
GENERAL CONFERENCE
 OF Tilt M. E. CHURCH
The Great Gathering of Christian
 Democracy at Baltimore Last Week.

Last Wednesday morning the Gener- al Conference of the Methodist Epis- copal church met in Baltimore, Md, It is the law making body of the Methodist church and meets every four years, and is composed of over 700 members, preachers and laymen being equally represented in the body. This body has met 25 times.
 One hundred and twenty-fOur years ago Methodism entered Baltimore in an unheralded manner; this May the delegates were welcomed by bands playing the national airs and by ad- dresses by Governor Austin l.. Croth- CTS and the mayor of Baltimore, J. Barry Mayhood.
 In the present body are such distin- guished citizens as Sec Shaw, Sena- tors Dolliver and Beveridge and Cows. Hanly, of Indiana, Hoch of Kansas, and Parker of Delaware.
 At the opening session. after prayer by Bishop Vincent, founder of Chau- tauqua, Rev. Frank Bristol. pastor of Pres. Mckinley. while the latter was in Washington, offered the following res olution; which was adopted amidst great enthusiasm by a standing vote:
 Methodist General Conference, rep resenting three millions of members urges continued exclusion of intoxicat- ing liquors from branches of National Soldiers Home"
 In the evening at a public function Bishop Warren announced that he had just received a telegram from Wash ington in answer to the telegram sent by the conference, saving that the at tempt to restore the saloons to the Homes of the old Soldiers had been defeated by vote of 167 to 46.
 The Baltimore Sun says editorially of the conference and Methodism in general:
 The history of the Methodist church is inspiring. It is essentially a repre- sentative of Christian democracy. The founder of Methodism was one of the greatest among the sons of men and has left his impress upon the hearts and minds of people as few oth- CT men have since the world began. On the second day of March 1791, John Wesley died, at the age of SS
 
 breath, ''The best of all is, God is with us" At that time the total number of MethOdists was 76.96S. The present number, given in Whitaker's Almanac, is 1S,000,000. Others have estimat- ed the number as far greater, and as far back as the centennial of Wes- ley's death. in 1891 the estimate at Washington was 30,000, 900. Probably no other man who ever lived had so great a number of avOwed disciples within a little more than a century after his death.
 The explanation of this phenomenon is to be found in the fact that the Methodist church is church militant fighting always against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places;" fighting always with burning zeal. with intense enthusiasm and never ceasing; appealing to the hearts and consciences of men; always more in- tent upon saving souls and making men better than in discussing the re- finements of theology or discrediting the Word of God with higher criti- cism," and with a creed broad enough for all mankind.
 John Wesley was consumed with zeal. He began as a reformer when religion in England was suffering with the dry rot and infidelity, with Vol taire as a teacher, ruled intellectual France. Wesley came of refined and cultivated people, of high social po- sitiOn. He dated the birth of Metho- dism on the 24th day of May. 173s. In the language of Miss Wedgewood. the biographer of Wesley, the birthday of Christian was shifted from his bap- tism to his conversion. The doors of the churches were closed to the great preacher and he was driven to the fields. There he had such audiences as no man ever had before and pos sibly. with the exception of Whitefield, no man has had since. He was not sensational in his preaching nor dra- matic in his manner. He was of di- minutive size, neat in his dress and methodical in his habits. He preached always in gown and cassock. His speech was unadOrned, his language simple and easily understood by the people. his English plain. pure and
 
 sciences of his hearers and dwelt upon the dreadfulnesS of sin and the illim- itable love of God. His voice was clear and penetrating and could be heard 140 yards. Sometimes as many as 30,000 persons would gather to hear him, and occasionally they would stand for three hours listening intently to his words. His preaching was al- most exclusively among the manufact- uring and mining people in thickly populated districts. His converts were mainly colliers. miners. foundrymen, Artisans and day laborers in towns. Early in his career he suffered brutal persecution, but by his courage and godliness he triumphed over frenzied mobs. and in his later life his journeys through England were like triumphal processions. During the 50 years of his ministra tions he travelled 250,000 miles. mostly on horseback, and preached 10000 sermons, besides writ ing many books and doing other liter ary work
 Representatives of this great church. this great moral and religious agency and force, have gathered in Baltimore this week, for their General Confer ence. They have come here, to the State yhich is tba cradle of Ap,arica n