506 



METHODISTS. 



In the third paragraph, the maintenance of 

 the episcopacy in the Methodist Episcopal 

 Church, the incompleteness of the lay move- 

 ment, and the absence of the spirit of conces- 

 sion in the utterances of that body, and of its 

 representatives, are given as causes why " we 

 fail to see at present any reason why we should 

 disband our Church and unite with theirs." 

 Nevertheless, they determine to consider plans 

 of union with the whole Methodist family, 

 whenever it can be done without a sacrifice 

 of principles, and " we hereby declare," the 

 report continues, "our hearty willingness to 

 confer in an official capacity with persons 

 properly appointed by the Methodist Episco- 

 pal Church at a suitable time and place, to 

 consider plans for Christian cooperation," etc. 



The question of the ordination of women 

 came up, and was settled by the adoption of 

 the following resolution : 



fiesolved, That we deem it inadmissible to author- 

 ize or sanction so radical a chancre in our ecclesiasti- 

 cal organism as proposed by the advocates of the 

 ordination of females a change so essentially at 

 war with the entire structure of our Book of Disci- 

 pline as would render many other changes absolutely 

 necessary, thereby requiring much additional legis- 

 lation to harmonize various portions of our discipline 

 with such a measure. 



The General Conference directed the removal 

 of the book-room, publishing establishment, 

 and newspaper offices, from Springfield, Ohio, 

 to Pittsburg, Pa. This removal was accom- 

 plished about the close of the year. 



IY. WESLEYAN METHODIST CONNECTION. 

 Tbe General Conference of the Wesleyan 

 Methodist connection of America met in Syra- 

 cuse, N. Y., October 18th. Fifteen confer- 

 ences were represented by delega tes. Another 

 Conference, the Kansas, was recognized, of 

 which the South Iowa Conference considered 

 as virtually disbanded forms a part. The 

 proceedings of a convention for the organiza- 

 tion of a conference in Tennessee were pre- 

 sented, with a request that the conference be 

 recognized. The declaration of the Connec- 

 tion against secret societies connection 

 with which is forbidden to members of this 

 body was reiterated. The subject of reunion 

 with the Methodist Episcopal Church having 

 been informally spoken of, a strong protest 

 was made in the address to the churches, 

 against giving consideration to any proposi- 

 tions looking to this end. Objections were 

 urged against the polity of the Methodist 

 Episcopal Church, against the fact that many 

 pf its ministers and members are connected 

 with secret societies, and against its "chronic 

 conservatism." 



The assets of the Book Committee and Pub- 

 lishing Association are estimated to amount 

 together to $27,932.42 in value, from which 

 discounts and deductions should be made re- 

 ducing the actual cash value of the property 

 to $19,250. In the absence of statistical re- 

 ports, the belief was expressed that the num- 

 ber of conversions and accessions to the 



Church during the preceding four years was 

 larger than during any similar period in the 

 past. The condition of the Connection is 

 prosperous, attended with zeal and success in 

 church-building, and other improvements. 



V. METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHTJECH IN CAN- 

 ADA. The following are the statistics of this 

 body: preachers, travelling and local, 411; 

 members, 20,959 ; increase the past year, 712 ; 

 scholars in the Sunday-schools, 17,508; in- 

 crease, 4,627. Value of church property, 

 $588,550 ; increase during the year, $93,960. 

 The church property, with the exception of a 

 few thousand dollars still due on the colleges, 

 book-room, and printing establishment, is 

 nearly free from debt. 



VI. WESLEYAN METHODIST CHURCH. The 

 following is the report of this body for 1871 : 



The one hundred and twenty-eighth session 

 of the British Wesleyan Conference com- 

 menced at Manchester, July 26th. The meet- 

 ings of the preparatory committees were held 

 during the four business days preceding. The 

 educational committees made favorable re- 

 ports of the condition of the schools. Eight 

 hundred and eighty-seven day-schools were 

 reported, 141 more than the previous year, 

 with 150,705 scholars. These schools had re- 

 ceived Government grants to the amount of 

 40,209 17*. 4d. One hundred and forty-six 

 new schools were commenced. The number 

 of Sunday-schools was 5,541, 98 more than in 

 the previous year. These had 106,509 teach- 

 ers and officers, with 638,606 scholars. 



The case of the Eev. Thomas Hughes, in- 

 volving a question of adherence to usages, oc- 

 cupied much of the attention of the confer- 

 ence. Mr. Hughes had been suspended from 

 active labor at the preceding conference, for 

 publishing a book in which objection was 

 made to class attendance as a condition of 

 membership. When questioned, he was found 

 still to adhere to his views, and declined to 

 pledge himself not to advance them in the fu- 

 ture. His suspension was continued until ho 

 should give the required assurances. A plan 

 was adopted for the formation and employment 

 of a metropolitan building-fund for the erection 

 of chapels in London. In aid of this move- 

 ment Sir Francis Lycett has given $250,000 



* Exclusive of missionaries in Ireland. 



t These numbers are those of 1870, no Conference hav 

 ing been held in 1871. 



$ These numbers are those of 1870, (he minutes of the 

 Eastern British-American Conference of 1871 not having 

 been received. 



