The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1908-05-07
General Conference Of Methodist
Church TO Meetin Baltimore
EARLY Next Month
REV. STEVENS A DELEGATE
Kenosha Minister to be one of the Rep
rssentatives of Wisconsin in Most
Tnpcrtant General Conference
Ever Held by Church

The Rev. J. S. Lean of Milwaukee, pre-
siding elder of the Methodist Episcopal
church, viii leave Friday for Baltimore,
TO attend the international quadrennial
conference Of the conference of the
Methodist Episcopal church, which will
be held ia that city next week. Elder
Lean will be there a few days before
the convention opens, in order to at
tend preliminary committee meetings at
which his presence lis necessary.
One thing, which it is expected will
be effected at the conference, is absorb
ing much of 5he interest of Methodist
ministers of Wisconsin just now, said
Elder Lean cit is the consolidation of
all the deaconesses' societies into Jne
body which shall be under the direct
supervision Of the conference.
just now there are three distinct
deaconess bodies one in charge of the
Woman Is Home Missionary society, one
in charge of the German Methodists
and another independent body. These
aggregate over 900 ministers of mercy
who go about visiting the poor and the
sick, and providing necessities for them
When the work of all the deacon
esses is unified, So much more can be
accomplished The idea is to have a
central board of control, consisting of
five bishops, four ministers, four lay
men, and six women, three of whom
shall be consecrated deaconesses.
The bishops body will nominate the
members and they will be elected by the
general conference. If the deaconesses
were now under the control of the CON
ference we would not have had such
difficult experience in Milwaukee We
have been without a superintendent for
the past six months, since Miss Smith
resigned on account of i'll health. No
adequate woman seems to have been
available. Of course the other deacon
esses are doing the work as best they
can, but it over-taxes them.
Throughout the country we have
sveral hospitals, baby folds, old people IS
homes, orphanages and other institu-
tions. With consolidation accomplished,
as it undoubtedly will be, the deaconesses
viii be prepared to do a much more
efficient work wherever they are be-
cause their resources win be larger.
Other Wisconsin delegates who viii
attend the conference in Baltimore are:
Samuel Plantz of Appleton, the Rev. W.
wv. Stevens of Kenosha, the Rev. j Ell.
Tibbit of GAINESVILLE, the Rev. Perry Mil
Ter of Appleton, L. M. Alexander of
Milwaukee, Or. Stevens of Evansville,
and III. A. Lawson of Waupaca.
F'It is impossible to predict just what
will be done in the way of revising the
Book of Discipline, said Mr.. Lean.
have been a member of the inter
national body long enough to know that
I do not know what is likely to happen.
The convention body viii be SO large,
and SO many opinions viii be aired that
it is impossible to predict What the
conference win do. Of course there is
likely to be some revision ia the discip-
line. There always is. But whether it
Will lift the ban off dancing and theatre
going is impossible to tell. The body
represents a membership Of 100000
people in this country and con-
stituency of 100000 people, including
the children in the Sunday schools and
others affiliated with, but not members
of, the church, SO that whatever we do
win be of Importance to a large fraction
of the population of the country
On the temperance questions the
conference is ever on the firing line,
but whether the body will pass mem
orial to petition congress to legislate
against the sale of intoxicants in Unit
ed States possessions it is impossible
to say