The daily sentinel., 1908-05-06
Especial to The sentinel.)


Baltimore, May Baltimore is
today city of Methodists. For the
moment all other interests have been
subordinated to the proper reception
and entertainment of the thousands
of members of the militant denomi-
nation, bishops, clergy and laity, who
are flocking from all over the land
into the metropolis on the Ches-
peake. People of all sects and of
none have Joined in welcoming the
Methodist hosts and the spirit of
Maryland hospitality is everywhere in
evidence. Nearly all of the 500 dele
gates are now here, and. as most of
them have brought their wives and
children, the task of providing ade-
quate accommodations has not been
a small one. In addition to the reg
ularly accredited delegates, thou
sands of other visitors are in the
city and more are constantly arriv-
ing. 1t is believed that 10000 will
be here during the month.
Baltimore will have to go deem
into its money bags today to pay for
the glory of entertaining the quad
rennial session of the general confer
ence. The delegates are expected to
pay nothing. AS they travel in good
style and stay at good hotels, the
cost of the entertainment will be no
small sum. There has been no great
competition among the Baltimore
hotels for the Methodist patronage,
owing to the fact that the delegates
are abstemious in their tastes, and
at the hostelries where the delegates
are stopping the bars are gloomy and
deserted.
This morning was largely occupied
with the registration of the dele
gates and the transaction of the pre-
liminary business of the conference.
1t will likely be several days before
the wheels of the conference, which
Is the supreme body of the Meth odist
Episcopal church, will be working
smoothly. All of the sessions will
be held at the Lyric, the largest of
Baltimore's theatres. The selection
of a playhouse as the place of meet
ing is looked upon as significant, in
view of the fight that will be made
in the conference to remove the ban
on theatre-going, as well as card
playing, dancing and other amuse-
ments now prohibited by the Metho-
dist discipline.
The present conference gains in
significance because it marks the
centennial anniversary of the organ
ization of the general conference.
Special services to commemorate this
event will be held. There will also
be a series of public lectures during
the conference, the first of which
will be held Friday night, when
Bishop Charles B. Galloway of the
Southern Methodist church will be
the speaker. His subject will be
81. Q. C. Lamar, the Great Pacifi-
Gator" and he will be introduced by
the Rev. DR.. James NJ Buckley of
New York. On May 10 William Jen-
nings Bryan will deliver his well
known lecture, 1.-The Prince of
Peace" He will be introduced by
Governor Frank Hanley of Indiana,
who is prominent in the councils of
the Methodist church and a leader
in the prohibition and local option
agitation. Other lecturers will in
clude the Rev. William Alfred
Quayle and the Rev. Dr. Robert Nc
Intyre of Los Angeles. The musical
feature of the conference will be the
rendition, on May %, of the oratorio
THE Messiah" by the Baltimore
Oratorio Society.
The questions that will come be-
fore the notable body will be the
most important 1t has ever had to
consider. Discussions at the annual
conferences, at special gatherings and
IN denominational papers have not
had the effect of bringing into crys-
tallized form the opinions of the lead
ers on these questions. Tons of
publications have been devoted to
them, and the opinions of the leading
men OF the denomination nave been
expressed, but there have been 9TH
ers who have been thinking hard and