METHODISTS. 



369 



theological tutor. Important amendments were 

 made to the system of connectional finance. The 

 missionary report showed an increase in member- 

 ship, while the money receipts, 5.110, were 

 nearly 200 less than in the previous year. The 

 debt had increased, and now stood at 1,827. 

 The book steward's report showed a reduced profit. 



XVI. Independent Methodist Churches. 

 The statistics of these churches in England give 

 them 146 chapels, 7 missions, 8,377 members, 372 

 ministers, 144 Sunday-schools with 26,194 pupils 

 and 2,905 teachers and officers, and church proper- 

 ty valued at 118,177, subject to debts of 36,768. 

 The Conference met at Leigh in June, Mr. J. 

 Crumbleholme presiding. It was resolved that as 

 one of the fundamental principles of the consti- 

 tution was that there should be no distinction be- 

 tween clergy and laity, the title Reverend should 

 be kept out of the record. The churches were 

 advised to recognize as members young people of 

 approved character and sixteen years of age who 

 are active members of the Christian Endeavor 

 Society. The affairs of the Ministers' Assistance 

 fund were considered. Toward the New Century 

 fund of 5,000, 3,200 had been promised and 

 2,500 had been paid. The office of vice-president 

 was abolished. 



XVII. Australasian Wesleyan Methodist 

 Church. The statistical returns of this Church, 

 reported to the General Conference in May, gave 

 the following numbers: Of ministers, 719 in full 

 connection and 83 on probation; of local preach- 

 ers, 6,661; of class-leaders, 7,807; of church-mem- 

 bers, 108,136, with 10,626 on trial and 18,953 junior 

 members of society; of teachers in Sunday- 

 schools, 21,476; of pupils in the same, 211,082; 

 of churches, 3,389, with 2,150 other preaching 

 places and 485 schoolrooms; of persons ministered 

 to by class-leaders, 556,337. 



The General Conference met in Brisbane, May 

 17. The retiring president, the Rev. H. T. Burgess, 

 D. D., opened the proceedings with an address in 

 which he referred to the important events which 

 had happened to Australia and the British Em- 

 pire since the preceding General Conference, and 

 considered the opportunities which were opening 

 before the Methodist Church and its duties in view 

 of them. He declared that the question of the 

 union of all the Australasian branches of the 

 Methodist Church, started in the General Confer- 

 ence in Adelaide seven years before, was settled. 

 In four of the six conferences union was actually 

 effected; in the others it was decided upon; in 

 the next year it would be complete, and the 

 Methodist Church of Australia would be one in 

 fact, in spirit, and in name. The Rev. George 

 Lane was chosen president of the present General 

 Conference. Much attention was devoted to the 

 concerns of the missions. The taking over of the 

 mission of the former Bible Christian Church of 

 South Australia in China was approved of, and 

 the reopening of the mission, which had been 

 closed on account of the disturbances, was di- 

 rected. The new constitution proposed by the 

 Board of Missions for the Fijian synods was 

 considered and adopted. The Mission Board was 

 authorized to approach the Fijian Government on 

 the subject of making more adequate provision 

 for the higher education of the people and of se- 

 curing the attachment of just conditions to any 

 aid offered. It was directed to make suitable pro- 

 visions for the prosecution of the coolie mission 

 in Fiji, and it was advised to open a mission in 

 the Solomon Islands as soon as practicable. A 

 proposition was approved for tho appointment of 

 medical or other specially qualified missionaries 

 ordained for foreign work only, with the proviso 

 VOL. XLI. 24 A 



that they should have no claim for ircuils on 

 their return to home work, and in* ia<ms on the 

 connectional funds. The further working out of 

 this plan was left with a special commit. I. I n- 

 authorized special appeals for maU ; . ot lon-i^u 

 mission work were discouraged. Th.- trustees oi 

 the Children's fund reported that l^> rmni-tci - 

 and widows were claimants upon them )O; l.^ir, 

 children. An allowance of 8 lO.s. was made lor 

 each child, except in West Australia, when: th-: 

 amount was 9. A thankful acknowledgment 

 was made for the establishment, under the Crown 

 of Great Britain, of the Commonwealth of Aus- 

 tralia ; and satisfaction was expressed " that at 

 the formal inauguration of the commonwealth 

 and the opening of the Federal Parliament, the 

 Divine blessing upon these national events was 

 reverently invoked," with the hope that the two 

 houses would enact that their daily sessions shall 

 be opened with prayer. The question of the rights 

 of the several churches in the matter of prece- 

 dence on occasions of public ceremonial having 

 been raised in connection with the proceedings at 

 the inauguration of the commonwealth, a dec- 

 laration was adopted, that, " whereas under the 

 Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia 

 the principles of religious freedom are asserted 

 or implied, and whereas under that Constitution 

 all the churches of the commonwealth necessa- 

 rily possess equality of rights and privileges, the 

 General Conference therefore claims that in all 

 matters in which official recognition is extended 

 to the churches in their representatives, the prin- 

 ciple of religious equality shall be observed, and 

 precedence be accorded only on the ground of the 

 numerical position of the churches, apart alto- 

 gether from any titles or designations by which 

 the heads thereof may be known. The Confer- 

 ence also claims that in relation to the appoint- 

 ment of chaplains in the defense forces or to 

 public institutions of the commonwealth, the 

 same principle shall be recognized and acted 

 upon." The Conference insisted that no altera- 

 tion in the form of the coronation oath would 

 be acceptable which should relax in any degree 

 the safeguards which insure the Protestant suc- 

 cession to the throne. The Premier was requested 

 to take steps to secure the safeguarding of mis- 

 sionary and British interests generally in the 

 New Hebrides group. Committees w r ere instituted 

 to look after the interests of the Church in the 

 military and naval administration of the com- 

 monwealth. The Conference approved of the 

 preparation of a new hymn-book to be undertaken 

 by the British Conference, of such character as to 

 be suitable for all types of Methodism throughout 

 the world. The 1st day of February, 1902, was 

 appointed as the date when Australasian Method- 

 ist union shall be declared to be general, on 

 which day the name of the Church will become 

 legally the Australasian Methodist Church. 



Methodist Ecumenical Conference. The 

 third Methodist Ecumenical Conference met in the 

 City Road Chapel, London, Sept. 4. The Confer- 

 ence was composed of 479 delegates, of whom 200 

 were representatives of the Eastern, or British 

 section, and 279 of the Western, or American sec- 

 tion. The opening sermon was preached by 

 Bishop Charles B. Galloway, of the Methodist 

 Episcopal Church, South, on the subject of Chris- 

 tian Experience: Its Supreme Value and Crown- 

 ing Evidence. A message of good-will invoking 

 blessing on the deliberations of the Conference 

 was received from the Archbishop of Canterbury. 

 A message of greeting was received from the 

 Bishop of London, and was referred to the Rev. 

 Dr. T. Bowman Stephenson, president of the Wes- 



