Hattiesburg daily news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1907-1908, 1908-05-07
MORE THAN 10000 PEOPLE
WILL ATTEND The MEETING
Maryland Metropolis Is Taxed to Its
Utmost to Provide Homes for the
Delegates, Their Families and
Friends.


day a city of Methodists. For the
moment all other interests have been
subordinated to the proper reception
of members of the militant denomi.
nation, bishops, clergy and laity, who
are fiocking from all over the land
into the metropolis on the Chesa
peake. People of all sects and OF
none have joined in the welcoming oil
the Methodist hosts and the spirit Of
Maryland hospitality is everywhere in
evidence. Nearly all of the 800 dele
gates are now here, and as most Of
them have brought their wives ami
children, the task of providing ade
quate Accommodations has not been
a small one. In addition to the regn
larly accredited delegates, thousands
of other visitors are in the city AM
more are constantly arriving. 1t is
believed that 10000 will be here dur.
ing the month.
Baltimore will have to go deep into
its money bags today to pay for the
glory of entertaining the quadrennial
session of the general conference.
The delegates are expected to pay moth
ing. AS they travel in good style and
stay at good hotels, the cost of enter
tainment will be no small sum. There
has been no great competition among
the Baltimore hotels for the Metho-
dist 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 delegates
and the transaction of the pre'ilu-
irary business of taa conference. I'll
will likely be several days befor, TIE
wheels of the conference which is
SUI RENE body % lie Methodist EIls
'pal church, will oe working smooth
!" All of the sessions will be held
p; til. Lyric, the ia"45,c Of Baltimore
theatres. The selection of a play
house as the place of meeting is look |
ed upon as significant. in view of the |
fight that will be made in the confer |
eGce to remove the ban on theatre |
going, as well as card playing, dane
ing and other amusements now pro-
hibited by the Methodist discipline.
i, The present conference gains in
significance because it marks the cen
tennial anniversary of the organiza-
ton of the general conference. Spe-
cial servicess to commemorate this
event. VIII be held. There will also
be 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 Pacificator." and he will be
introduced by the Rev. DIR. James NJ
Buckley, of New ork. On May 19
Williams Jennings Bryan will deliver
his well known lecture, "The Prince
of Peace He will be introduced b,
Governor Frank Hanley, of Indiana
who is prominent in the councils o
the Methodist church and leader Il
the prohibition and local option ag
tation. Other lectures will includ
the Rev. William Alfred Quayle an,
the Rev. DIR. Robert Mcintyre of 10
Angeles. The musical feature of tn
conference will be the rendition, o.
May %, of the oratoria THE Mes
siah,r by the Baltimore Oratorio Soc
ety..
The questions that will come befor
the notable body will be the most In
portant 1t has ever had to conside
Discussions at the annual conferences
at special gatherings and in demon
national papers have not had the e.
feet of bringing into crystallized forr
the opinions Of the leaders on thes
questions Tons of publications hav
been devoted to them, and the opir
ions Of the leadiig men of the demon
ination have been expressed, but Their
have been others who have bee
thinking hard and gaping little. VIII
win have their say here. Great de
bates are promised
There are fourteen standing com
mittees, in whose hands most of tn,
great problems have been place.
comprisine . member from each o