Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1908-04-29
GENERAL CONFERENCE
OF the Methodist Episcopal
Church Will be Held at
Baltimore Next Month
RI nnMlIIr nrhINnhhnrlCnhTC
FL CONv|s OF ALMA A DELEGATE
Delegates From Foreign Countries
And Our Own Insuldr Possessions
Tobe Present.

On Monday, May Mr. and Mrs. +.
L. Convis start for Baltimore where
Mr.. Convis goes as a representative of
the Lansing district of the Michigan
conference of the NJ. K. church to the
General Conference which convenes
in that city next month. The Con-
ference sessions will be held in Lyric
Hall commencing Wednesday, May
a Baltimore dispatch says This
quadrennial conference is one of the
largest deliberative bodies in the
world. In way. the approaching
session will celebrate centennial,
for it was in 1908 that the Methodist
church decided upon the present met
he'd of delegated conference. That
conference was held in Baltimore
which is one of the reasons that the city
was selected for the 1908 event and
moreover the convention of 1908 be-
gan its deliberations on the same
day of May the 9Th.
The provisions for general confer
ence decided upon had not heen
materially changed except in the i'm
portant particular of admitting lay
delegates the first of which participated
in the conference of 1872 while still
later in 1900 tier representation of
lay delegates became equal with that
of pastors
Compared with the assemblage that
will be seen there next month that was
SMALL company which attended the
r general conference in Baltimore in
> 1908. AT that session there were just
1913 delegates, the representation then
being one delegate for every FIVE active
r ministers. This year there will be
$ 394 ministerial delegates, although
S now the representation is only one
( delegate for every forty-hve active
I Methodist ministers. The lay delega-
I ton being equal in number to the
y ministerial, the official number of
Q delegates participating In the ap-
(: preaching conference Will approx
S mate 500.
4 These delegates will come from
: nearly every part of the globe-India.
II China Korea and the Malay peninsula
n in Asia Liberia and southern Africa
o Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden,
II Norway. Finland, Denmark and Bui.
n garis in Europe; Hawaii. the Philip.
r pines, South America. and Mexico
q will contribute to the religious army.
t Lyric hall is centrally located, fa'
% cling the handsome station and parA
o grounds of the Baltimore & Ohio rail
II road, while the Pennsylvania mair
J. station is only two blocks away. In
h front OF Lyric hall Is Mount Roya
le avenue one Of the truly royal boule
le wards Of this half southern. half mort
1t hern city, which is noted for its at
re tractive residence streets
l. The hallis new and seats 2, 700 people.
II This will not accommodate all VIII
y want to participate in the congress
~ and listen to it's debates Seats are n
q premium, and on April the boxes
d were auctione6 off, the successful
bidders paying. in addition to thu
z auction price, the original schedul,
!, charge for seats. There is, however
ii a section of free seats for visitors
l. 1t is estimated the convention will
attract to Baltimore at least 20. 00t
If visitors, that being the number drawn
v to Los Angeles during the last genera
d conference four years ago The great
'f majority of these, of coure, remain
70 but few days. but the local com.
'f mittee liz charge of arrangement
u counts on large crowds daily at the
:. hall.
l. The convention meets daily on weel
10 days from $3.50 a. m. uni1 1880 noon,
10 the remainder of the day being oc
3 cupied with committee meetings, and
70 other services, and entertainments.
Five special public entertainments
will Re given during the month.
iS There will be lectures by William,
ID jennings Bryan, DIR. William A.
Is Quayle, Bishop Gsllowsy(of the
,r Methodist church, south) and DIR.
,f Robert Mcintyre, while concert will
J. he given by the Baltimore UratoriC
society. Mr.. Bryan and the otheI
l. lecturers refuse tn accept any remuner'
'e alton for their services.
q The most important bit of legis
ts lation to be considered by the church
I'd men. this year relates to the proposed
It restoration of the time limit of pastors
rt Eight years ago the itinerant system
n which had been a distinctive featur,
) of Methcdism from the time of the
& churcn's organization, was abandoned
4 and ministers now may remain at th'
'r same church indefinitely, as in othe
m denominations But dissatisfaction