Evening journal., 1914-04-03
Ministers PUT MERGER
DEBATE over TO MONDAY
Continued From First Page.

DEDHIE UVEh III lNUNDhl
Continued From First Page.
Of Mrs. William A. Clash, of Cam
bridge, presented the Conference
with $1,000, TO be used for the
Conference claimants endowment
fund, TO aid retired preachers and
widows and children Of deceased
members. Mrs. Clash was intro
duced to the Conference and was
rendered a rising vote Of thanks. Dis
trict Superintendent r. X. Stephen
son and Mr.. Pilchard were appointed
to prepare appropriate minutes Of
thanks to Mrs. Clash.
The Conference, upon motion of the
Rev. George Edward Reed, requested
the Conference Board of Stewards to
establish a memorial fund, which will
be known as the Mrs. William A.
Clash Memorial Endowment Fund. in
loving memory of Eben E. Payne, Ma
! ria c. Payne and William A. Clash,
the same to form a part of the gen.
eral endowment fund OF the Confer
ence.
Or. Hoffecker, prior TO the reading
OF his report, referred to 1t as the
Fourth chapter of the Acts of the
Apostles" causing a laugh.
] Secretary Wise brought up the sub
ject OF the printing of the superin-
tendents' reports in the minutes. He
mentioned that he had been criticized
for the manner in which he had
edited the reports last year, having
been compelled TO cut them down. He
explained the reason for this by
stating that the reports of the super
intendents as read last year would
have totaled 40 2-3 pages, and con-
tained 2O,634 words, and he declared
the secretary was responsible FOR the
cost Of printing the minutes. Last
year the Interest in them was not
strong enough TO warrant the pur-
chase of enough copies 10 pay for
the printing. be said. and he had been
compelled to solicit advertising TO
make up the difference. lie asked
that this time the district superin-
! tendents be requested to edit their
own reports. as lie did not care to
face the criticism again.
( Rev. V. S. Collins made a motion
that the superintendents be requested
! to edit their own reports, that they
be given 25 pages in the minutes. and
that all space in excess to this they
j pay for themselves.
A heated discussion then arose In
which q number Of the members par
ticipated. A number of amendments
were offered to Dr. Collins motion,
one limiting the number of pages 10
| 20, another to "a, and another reluir-
/ ing the conferences 10 pay for the
pages in excess of % instead OF the
elders, as DR.. Collins suggested.
After a long discussion participated
In by Dr. George Il. Reed, Revs. G. W.
Dawson, the district superintendents
and a number of others. the matter
was finally held over until the meet
ing this afternoon upon motion of Dr.
1 Heed.
A committee o. laymen comprising
Walter o. Hoffecker, Henry d. Can
non, Thomas B. Ridgeway and r. c.
Peters brought greetings from the
Laymen's Association TO the members
of the Conference, MIR. Hoffecker
acting as spokesman Of the delega-
ton.
Bishop Cranston responded TO the
greeting, after which the meeting ad-
iourned TO meet In executive session
at 3 o'clock this afternoon.
! Laymen's Association.
The Laymen's Association OF the Viii
. Imington Conference met al $50 O'Clock
I this morning IN the lecture room ol
lStcvenson NJ. E. Church. The meeting
was opened with devotional exercises
, led by the Rev James ". Wise OF New
! Castle, after which Thomas y. Rawlm:
, lof Seaford, president of the association
, delivered an address touching upon th'
work done by the association in past
years.
In speaking Of the proposed mergel
between the Wilmington and Philadel
? lphia Conferences, Mr.. Rawins said:
p Il have 80 far been unable to discover
any reason why laymen should fayo
the merger. On the contrary there ap
pears to me to be many reasons VIII,
we should not only favor It but shoul'
vigorously oppose It. To show you tha
such union would practically mean tn
abandonment of our organization as
means OF bringing the laymen OF thi
peninsula close together, let me remin
YOU that there is no town south q
: Wilmington that would dare TO open il
doors TO such body as the united con
lfcrcnces would make, with its approx
lmately six hundred ministers. and a
many laymen, should each charge l
represented in the Laymea's Associ'
tion by a single representative. Wher
on our peninsula could twelve hundre
{, people expect to find entertainment o
n any basis? With the meetings of tf
a annual conference removed entirely frol
II our territory, what would be the eife'
n on our local churches and our branch {
!; Methodism hercf
again let me call your attentio
n TO the fact that this peninsula
Q peculiarly historic ground for MethC
dism. II was here that Asbury foun
p. safe retreat during the stirrin
1, days of the Revolution, when h
3, loyalty to the American cause va
l. suspected because of his Englis
J. birth. It was here Garretson W;
o imprisoned for daring TO preach u
,e gospel in its simplicity. It was hei
n at historic old Barratts Chapel thi
b, Coke and Asbury met, and the plal
W we're made for the calling OF Il
- famous Christmas Conference whit
resulted in the organization OF Il
= Methodist Episcopal Church. And
~ might go to on many sacred memoril
cluster here. This territory Is q
y birthplace of two Of Cur bishops ar
y holds the scared dust CT a third,
: say nothing OF the many 9th
worthless we have given to the churc
q, "I would not be understood as
>. any way rejecting on the Philade
}; phia Conference. II is great Co
- eorarca apd a too had itg soar