540 



METHODISTS. 



a boarding-school. Thirty-two of them were 

 recorded as "female" colleges or institutes. 

 The corner-stone of the Vanderhilt University 

 was laid at Nashville, Tenn., April 29th, by 

 Bishop Paine. On the occasion a letter was 

 read from Mr. Cornelius Vanderbilt, offering 

 $100,000 in addition to his former gifts to the 

 institution. With this amount, an endowment 

 fund was secured of $300,000, exclusive of the 

 value of the grounds and buildings. 



The Board of Missions submitted to the Gen- 

 eral Conference a statement of their opera- 

 tions during the preceding four years, from 

 which it appeared that their receipts had been : 

 from general contributions, $346,411.37; for 

 the extinguishment of the old debt, $34,563.68; 

 by donations and bequests, $13,492.42; making 

 a total of $394,476.77; and that their home 

 and ofSce expenses had amounted to $14,339.92. 

 During the same period 14,985 conversions had 

 taken place, and 8,733 adult persons and 4,258 

 infants had been baptized. 



The seventh General Conference of the Meth- 

 odist Episcopal Church South met at Louis- 

 ville, Ky., May 1st. The bishops presided daily 

 in turn. An address was presented by the 

 bishops, in which the condition and progress 

 of the Church during the preceding four years 

 were reviewed, and suggestions were offered 

 for the consideration of the Conference. The 

 results of the missionary organization, espe- 

 cially in reference to the foreign fields, had not 

 been satisfactory. Some provision was recom- 

 mended by which the interests of the domestic 

 and foreign fields could be so adjusted as to 

 avoid a conflict in the public mind with refer- 

 ence to their respective claims. Great prog- 

 ress had been made in church-building, not 

 only as to the number of houses, but also as to 

 the style of architecture, accommodation, and 

 provisions for comfort at all seasons. A slow 

 but steady improvement had also taken place 

 in financial plans. The district conferences 

 were represented as working well and doing 

 good, but the Church conferences were re- 

 garded as having failed to accomplish the ob- 

 jects for which they were instituted. The 

 publishing-house had been destroyed by fire 

 since the preceding General Conference, but 

 had been rebuilt and improved, and was pros- 

 pering, notwithstanding the panic, with largely- 

 increasing sales of its standard publications. 

 The subject of education, in all its branches, 

 was especially commended to consideration. 

 The right training of children, the literature 

 of the Sunday-school system, and denomina- 

 tional education, were presented as subjects of 

 increasing importance. The adjustment of a 

 complete system of education, from the district 

 school to the university, under the care of the 

 Church, was mentioned as one of the objects 

 which should be held in view. 



The bishops also submitted a report of the 

 organization of the Colored Methodist Episco- 

 pal Church which had been effected under 

 their superintendency, and in accordance with 



the acts of the General Conferences of 1866 and 

 1870. The newly-organized Church had now 

 4 bishops, 15 annual conferences, 607 traveling 

 preachers, 518 local preachers, 74,799 mem- 

 bers, 535 Sunday-schools, and a monthly paper 

 which was self-sustaining. An address from 

 the bishops of the Colored Methodist Episcopal 

 Church accompanied the report. It expressed 

 thankfulness to the Church South for the pro- 

 vision it had made for its colored members, 

 and the belief that " it is best for both white 

 and colored to have separate schools." The 

 Church was suffering more from the want of 

 " a better-informed ministry than from any 

 other cause, and was engaged in efforts to raise 

 means to erect an institution for the training 

 of ministers. It was pledged to do all in its 

 power to educate and Christianize the colored 

 race; and hopes were expressed that before 

 many years it would be able to send educated 

 missionaries to Africa. 



The Conference approved the organization 

 of this Church, commended it to the confidence 

 and Christian affection of its members, " and to 

 all Christians of every name," and also com- 

 mended its efforts to establish an institution 

 of learning "to the friends of the colored peo- 

 ple everywhere." 



A fraternal address was received from the 

 British Wesleyan Conference. It was the first 

 act of official recognition which that body bad 

 given to the Methodist Episcopal Church South. 

 This fact was mentioned and explained in the 

 opening paragraphs of the address. 



The address then gave an account of the con- 

 dition and operations of the Wesleyan Meth- 

 odist Connection in Great Britain, and con- 

 cluded with the words: " We shall rejoice to 

 hear of your welfare, and to receive, either 

 by deputation or otherwise, information as to 

 your affairs." 



A reply was adopted by the Conference in 

 which the past attitude of the Church in re- 

 spect to other Christian bodies, and the circum- 

 stances attending the opening of fraternal re- 

 lations, were referred to. 



The Rev. Albert S. Hunt, D. D., the Rev. 

 Charles H. Fowler, D. D., and General Clinton 

 B. Fisk, had been appointed by the General 

 Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church 

 which met in 1872, to convey fraternal greet- 

 ings to the General Conference of the Meth- 

 odist Episcopal Church South. The object of 

 the appointment was declared in the resolution 

 under which it was made to be " to place our- 

 selves" (the Northern Church) "in the truly 

 paternal relation toward our Southern breth- 

 ren which the sentiments of our people de- 

 mand,- and to prepare the way for the opening 

 of formal fraternity with them." The dele- 

 gates were received Friday, May 8th, and 

 spoke with reference to the establishment of 

 fraternal relations. They expressed spiritual 

 fellowship and sympathy with the Southern 

 Church, reviewed tha many matters of history 

 and faith which the two Churches had in com- 



