Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1908-07-01
FL Ccnvis Recently Returned
From Baltimore Addressed
Congregation at N E Church
LAST SUNDAY EVENING
The General Conference Of the Meth
pdist. Church Had Over Eight
Hundred Delegates.
CONTINUED from last week.

CONTINUED from last week.
There were s94 ministers; 1893 lavmen;
i25 ministers that had never been
present at a general conference before
and 55 laymen and 25 ladies as dele
| gates.
1 Bishop Thoburn was allowed to
\ retire That was very touching
\ SCENE. He would no longer work In
the land of his adoption but the lano
of his birth. He said Il say, when
Christ said L will be with you always
be meant what he said because he
has been with me and l know him
sid he knows me. One OF our dele
Yates. A Chinaman from North China
Chen Wei Chung. who occupied
front seat. has given much for the
cause of Christianity in China. his
father. his mother, his sister, and his
ibrother were caught outside OF the
walls of Pekin, China, by the Boxers
and. refusing TO give mp their falth'
were murdered. He was inside the
CITY and escaped The brother who
was preaching in North China also
escaped. After the outbreak when
4 asked what indemnity he wanted he
4 replied: Liberty to preach the Cos
pei in North China. 1t was granted
and he is now preaching there.
II Jospeh Hingley was elected secretary
/. lind he did his work most faithfully
.I ,d we'll He came near being elected
hishop but stree he was not he was
llected secretary of the Conference
laimants Board As there are "a
Handing committees it took some time
get organized in the different com
ktees. You no doubt know what they
but l will give them to you;
N fopacy. Judiciary. ltineracy'
ll Raries. Revision. Temporal Econ
NAstate of the Church Temperance
prohibition. Book Concern, For
IN Missions, Church Extension,
Home Missions. Freedman's Aid and
Sunday-school Deacons Work, Evangel-
4 ism and Epworth League. All memoir
ials had to be worked through some
4 one of these committees and there
4 we're from 100 TO 200 members in each
4 of these committees. That will give
q Won something of an idea of what the
d general conference consists of. After
Y they were thoroughly organized
Rsiness began al d 1T hardly stopped
until the benediction was pronounced
on the first of June The first few
days were given up to the reading of
the Episcopal Address. and Fraternal
Greetings. Bishop Goodsel read the
main address and it took nearly two
bours and was one of the finest ad-
/ dresses ever given to any people. He
said that death had so depleted their
ranks that they could hardy speak of
their dead except in tears. Five of
Z these noble bishops have finished mp
their careers in the last quadrennium.
i These were great men for the church.
Great large, brainy men. Warm
hearts. tirm of friendships. almost
Iexcessisely diligent. imbued with
1xEopderful power and great success In
fsrsuadin1 men to decide for Christ
II They had gained great place in the
a esteem and affection of the church and
A with their great benevolent hearts and
u kindly given sdvices always so warm
and thoughtful of others. and with
|loyalty to the church. never unload
ling their responsibility onto others
n but always and ever reaiv to give to
h the church their very best Judgment
\ and the wisest administrations. The
church can but feel the loss of such
\ noble men, Bishop Fitzgerald. Bishop
4 Andrews. Bishop Joyce McCabe said
n that on March 10 the sketches of these
! bishops were read to Bishop Fowler
As he was nearing death door, and
he wept as though he was standing by
his brothers open graves and then in
four days he too passed over into the
great beyond. Here l must tell you
labouf the reception given to delegates
land visitors lest l forget We met
lin Lyric Hall. great crowd.
mi We had addresses from Gov Cor
"a uthers from MARYLAND. He said in
mart: "you are assembled amid scenes
a near and dear to the Methodist heart.
for IL was in Baltimore in the Lovely
Lane Meeting House that the first
Methodist Conference was organized
inst 1874 wears ago. IL was at that
conference that the first two Bishops
we're elected to direct IN America the
Affairs of the devout sect which John
Wesley had founded in England and
IL was part of their bono and sinew,
sown 20 deep and lasting by Asbury,
strawbridge. Coke. King. whstcoat
and Wesley that Maryland was Meth
edist state and Baltimore a Methodist
fContinued on page twol