METHODISTS. 



629 



vocate," at Cincinnati; the "Ladies' Reposi- 

 tory " (monthly) ; " Western Christian Advo- 

 cate;" and two German papers, "Apologist" 

 and " Sonntagsglocke ; " besides weekly papers 

 at Auburn, Pittsburg, Chicago, St. Louis, San 

 Francisco, and Salem (Oregon). There are, 

 besides, independent denominational papers 

 published, at New York (2), Auburn, Buffalo, 

 Boston (2), Montpelier (Vt)., Rockford, 111., (in 

 Swedish). The Missionary Society supported 

 237 missionaries in the foreign, and 1,082 in 

 the domestic missions. 



Nearly all the annual conferences again 

 passed strong resolutions expressive of loyalty 

 to the Government of .the United States, as well 

 as of their wish for the speedy abolition of 

 slavery. In most instances these resolutions 

 were passed with entire unanimity. Of the 

 conferences lying in, or partly extending into 

 the slave States, those of West Virginia, Mis- 

 souri, East Baltimore and Philadelphia were 

 very emphatic in the expression of their loyalty. 

 In the Baltimore Conference only a strong op- 

 position manifested itself to the passage of any 

 resolutions of this kind, and all the majority of 

 the conference was willing to grant consisted 

 in the adoption of the following resolution : 



Resolved, That the President of the United States of 

 America be respectfully requested to appoint a day of 

 national fasting and prayer to Almighty God, that it 

 may please Him to bring our civil war to an end, and 

 restore to us unity, peace, and prosperity. 



The question of lay delegation continued to 

 be discussed throughout the Church with great 

 animation. On May 13th, a convention of lay 

 members to consider "the question of lay dele- 

 gation in the general conference " was opened 

 in New York city. The convention was largely 

 attended from all parts of the Union, and or- 

 ganized by electing Governor Cannon, of Dela- 

 ware, temporary president. After the organi- 

 zation of the convention ex-Governor Wright, 

 of Indiana, was elected to preside. There was 

 a large attendance of Methodist laymen from 

 all parts of the Union. A series of resolutions 

 were adopted, of which the following are the 

 most important : 



Resolved, 1. That in the judgment of this convention, 

 the time has fully come when the laymen of the Meth- 

 odist E. Church should be more intimately united with 

 the ministry in the management of its general interests, 

 and that the proper mode of securing this would be by 

 providing for an equal representation of the laity in 

 the general conference. 



Resolved, 6. That a convention of lay delegates be 

 held in the city of Philadelphia on the 17th day of May, 

 1864, to take such action on the subject of lay delega- 

 tion as may then be proper; such delegates to be 

 chosen in accordance with a plan to be devised by a 

 committee of seven, to be appointed with power by 

 this convention. 



Resolved, 7. That another committee of fifteen be ap- 

 pointed, with power to add to their number, to present 

 these resolutions and the entire subject of lay repre- 

 sentation to the consideration of the ensuing general 

 conference; and the said committee are hereby in- 

 structed to confer with any committee upon lay rep- 

 resentation that may be appointed by the general 

 conference, and to report to the delegate convention 

 provided for by the preceding resolution. 



Subsequently the committee of fifteen was 

 increased to twenty -five, in order that all por- 

 tions of the Church might be represented. 

 Among the members of this committee are ex- 

 Gov. Wright, of Indiana; Professor Strong, 

 Hon. Moses Odell, a member of Congress for 

 Brooklyn ; Gen. Fisk, of Missouri; 1J. S. Senator 

 Willey, of West Virginia ; U. S. Senator Harlan, 

 of Iowa ; Gov. Evans, of Colorado Territory ; 

 W. H. Allen, formerly President of Girard Col- 

 lege. Among those who addressed the con- 

 vention were Bishop Simpson, Gov. Cannon, 

 Gov. Wright, Judge Bond, of Baltimore ; Rev. 

 Dr. Eddy, Rev. R. M. Hatfield, Rev. Dr. Nadal. 

 In Missouri, the Church continued to re- 

 ceive accessions from the Methodist Episcopal 

 Church, south. The most notable instance of 

 this kind was the coming over of eighty-five 

 members of the Southern Church in Louisiana, 

 who thus explained the step taken by them : 



We hereby declare our relations as members of the 

 Methodist Episcopal Church, south, forever severed 

 severed by the treasonable acts and conduct of that 

 official body that should have been the guardian of our 

 rights and of the purity of our church and that by 

 this conduct on their part they have absolved us from 

 all obligation or allegiance to them as a body, and that 

 every member of the church has full right to attach 

 himself or herself to such other church organization 

 as may receive him or her, and whose doctrines and 

 practices may be consonant with his or her views, 

 without any ground of censure therefor. Therefore, 



Resolved, That we hereby recommend to the mem- 

 bers of this church as a body to apply to the proper 

 authorities of the Methodist Episcopal Church for con- 

 nection with that ecclesiastical organization. 



From many places of the State, the Union 

 men applied to the authorities of the Metho- 

 dist Episcopal Church to send them Methodist 

 preachers. In order to facilitate the extension 

 of the Church, and, in particular, to supply 

 every village and every town in the State 

 with a minister, and organize churches in 

 them, the Missionary Board appropriated for 

 the State $7,000, and in St. Louis an organiza- 

 tion was formed, for inviting and encouraging 

 the emigration of Methodists to the State. In 

 Kentucky, many leading men of the Southern 

 Methodist Church expressed the opinion that 

 after the restoration of the Union, and the pros- 

 pective cessation of slavery, the reunion of the 

 Kentucky conferences of the Southern Meth- 

 odist Church with the Methodist Episcopal 

 Church would not present great difficulties. 



On November 30th, the following important 

 order was given by the Secretary of War, per- 

 mitting the occupation of Southern Methodist 

 churches, and placing them temporarily at the 

 disposal of the bishops of the Methodist Epis- 

 copal Church. 



WAB DEPARTMENT, ADJ'T-GEXERAL'S OFFICE, ) 

 WASHINGTON, November 30th, 1863. > 

 To the Generals commanding the, Departments ofthe Mis- 

 souri, the Tennessee and the Gulf, and all Generals and 

 Officers Commanding Armies, Detachments and Posts, 

 and all Officers in the service ofthe United States in the 

 above mentioned Departments : 

 You are hereby directed to place at the disposal of 

 the Rev. Bishop" Ames, all houses of worship belong- 

 ing to the Methodist Episcopal Church south, in which 



