The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1908-05-05

Confer ence Will
Open, 7 o. moro ow :,

5-ffs gs.- f as
BALTIMORE. May 5,-From all
parts Of America and from foreign
lands, clergymen and iaymen OF ths
Methodist Episcopal Church ara
thronging into Baltimore to-day. and
during the remainder OF the month
Methodist eyes in ali sections OF THE
world will be turned toward this city.
The quadrennial general conference.
which will be opened tomorrow, Is
one OF the most important religious.
institutions in existence.$It holds the
keys to all the Important Offices OF the
church. including the bishoprics. the
editorships and the secretaryships, and
Is. the supreme and only law:making
body of the denomination.
One of the most important subjects
to come before the conference will be
that OF restoring time limit to pas
torates. Several Of the largest con.
ferences. including New York and Bal
timore. have declared In favor or the.
restoration Of a time limit. and there
Is strong sentiment in ether parts Of
the country In favor of such action.
The present plan has not Injured to the
permanence Of the pastoral relation.
or to the stability OF the ministry; In.
deed in some cases congregations have.
been more restive than they were I'M
der the three>year or the hye.year
limit Then. II there were dissatIsfac-
ton with the minister. they had only
to walt a definite time before change
would come automatically Now they
have to give concrete expression to
their desire for a change at: the quar-
terly conference. when the. question OF
continuing the various pastoral &rela-
tions comes up. Moreover. the very
agitation Of the possibility OF change
as a part of the routine programme Of
the quarterly conferences sometimes
helps to beget dissatisfaction and SO
the local minister. in some cases comes
to dread the meeting at which he
knows the question Is to be raised. ~ ;t
The practical outcome often Is that
men stay less than five years and often
less thnn three years. and SO the gen.
eral restlessness OF the churches and
the uncertainty OF the ministry are
not to any extent allayed by the alb.
sence OF all time limitation. OF course
where relations between pastor AMI
people are mutually satisfying-and
there are many such instances In
Methodist as we'll as in other church
es-any. time Limitation whatever I'M
posed by the general conference Is
resented and heretofore the strong
city churches. thus situated. usually
found way Of retaining their minis
ters from period to period.
Another important question is the
proposed repeal OF the discipline stat
ute which forbtds dancing. card-play.
ing and theater-golng. on penalty uf
accommodation. Such action has
been demanded BY the New, York con.
ference. A
Doubtless the sentiment In the East
generally would favor such action:
while in the West and even in nvrural
districts OF New England. It would be
viewed with considerable alarm. as
being concession to worldhneas quite
foreign to the spirit OF the Methodist
church. IN the large cities tho rule
is already practically disresarded and
The New York conference delegates
simply want to make the rules tally
with accepted usage. thinking that in
this day OF ethical awakening. the
Church ought to square It's proses.
slons to its actual behavior. II It Is
not able to regulate its behavior by its
profession. z.
It Is a cheering showing which the
Official statistics for the last four years
make. The increase in members is
374 1888. or an average OF nearly nine.
ty thousand year. while 432 new
churches have ben added to the list
this last year. This quite suatains the
reputation OF the church acquired
through that famous remark OF the
late Chaplain McCabe to the effect
that the Methodist church built a new
editlce every day In the year. 4
Stamp Sale