The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-03-27

laymen to talk first, for If the min
listers speak first, a shrewd laymen
is liable to pick out a weak point and
dwell on it.
The Methodist church is rich in
laymen," the bishop went on.
doubt if there is any other church in
which the laymen have advanced
further in the support of the pastors
as in our own church Think of in
creasing the pastors yearly salary
$1,700,000 in four years, and you
have some idea of the worth OF Meth
odist laymen and the fidelity of the
laity to our pastors.
SeIf-WilIed Laymen.
The ministers have their place
and the laity have their place" the
bishop continued. THE minister
throne is in the pulpit, and the lay
mems place is in supporting the
throne. The day of the pulpit bull
dozer has gone by and l hope the
| day of the self-willed, obstinate lay
men is passing. There is prepon-
| derance of advantage. If anybody
has the advantage it is the laymen.
In the first place the laity must
recommend us as local preachers and
command us to the confidence of the
| conference. There is not day that
we are not dependable upon them for
our support, for all of us require
| livelihood, except those of the
preachers who marry money or in
herit it, Those of us who do get
money, soon acquire sore throat
and quit the ministry"
After the laugh which followed this
remark subsidized the bishop said that
it wasn't a question of rights or equi-
ties, as very discriminatory devised.
1t is what is best for the church
that should guide the laymen and
ministers, the bishop went on, what
is best for the cause to which all are
bound by VOWS too holy to be brok-
en-.
Il am not so sure that the pres
ence of laymen in the annual con-
ference will be an evil" said the
bishop. 81 am sure that it would be
good for the laymen. l am thor
oughly convinced that laymen in the
cabinet would be bad"
Laymen Favor Return to the Five
Year Limit.
BY a vote which was practically
unanimous the Wyoming lay electoral
conference Friday afternoon voted
to return to the five-year term limit
for pastorates, and a memorial to the
general conference asking that that
step be taken. The following res
olution introduced by Captain w.
A. May, chairman of the resolution
committee was adopted:
Believing that a return to the
time limit, whereby a minister of the
Methodist Episcopal church could
only be returned to a charge not 10
exceed a certain number of years,
would be of a greater advantage to
the majority of the appointments
than the present system, the Wyo-
ming Lay Electoral conference IN
session assembled, on March ~
1912, direct that those elected It's
delegates to the general conference 10
be held at Minneapolis during May
ll912, support and work for the es-
tablishment of such limit, the length
of the term not to exceed five years.
There was practically no serious
opposition beyond the emphatic
"No" of Cyrus w. Straw, OF Wilkes
Barre. The resolution now goes 10
the ministers conference for action.
The following were elected lay
delegates to the general conferences
George l.. GeCh, VI olihPSOh
Scranton; G. w. Laycock, OF Kings
ton; Harry C. Perkins, of Bingham
ton; e. G. Nowlan, of Newark val
lev, n. Y, and Perry Rood, OF BAN
bridge Springs, n. Y.
Announcement was made that the
following veterans had requested
that they be relieved from active duty
and placed on superannuated rela-
= tion; Rev. E. l.. Santee, OF Court
dale; Rev. G. c. Lyman, OF Trlpp
park church, Scranton; Rev. Asa )
Van Cleft, of Great Bend; Rev; M
d. Fuller, of Norwich, N. Y; rev
Austin Griffin, of Oneonta, N r.
and Rev. Charles A. Frear, OF PORT
,, landville, n. Y.
DR.. Fuller and DIT. Griffin spoke
feelingly of their service in the min.
istry. The usual interesting scene OF
the retiring ministers before the par
OF conference was saddened some
| what by the illness and absence OF
Rev. DR.. Van Cleft and Rev. DR.. Ly-
: man. Conference sent sympathy ana
, greetings to the disabled ministers;
| The conference was in executive
: session for an hour Friday when the
| candidates for ordination were exam
t ined. The disappearance OF REV.
, Watson B. Signor, on July 10 last
, was the subject of consideration.
Rev. L. G. Murdock. d. D.. distrlet
? superintendent reported the history
) of the case. II was finally decided
> to prefer a charge against the miss