544 



METHODISTS. 



timore, was chosen president. The most im- 

 portant business transacted by this body related 

 to the subject of reunion with the Methodist 

 Church. The Rev. Alexander Clark and the 

 Kev. Alexander Robinson were present, as fra- 

 ternal delegates from that Church, and^deliv- 

 ered addresses expressing their own desire for 

 reunion, and the belief that it was favored by 

 the preachers and members of their denomi- 

 nation. They also presented a letter from the 

 Hon. Francis H. Pierpont, President of the last 

 General Conference of the Methodist Church, 

 expressing similar views. 



The following action was taken on the sub- 

 ject: 



Whereas, This General Conference is satisfied that 

 there is a growing desire on the part of the member- 

 ship of the Methodist Protestant Church to hold a 

 General Convention to take into consideration cer- 

 tain changes in the constitution of the Church : 

 therefore 



Resolved, That we recommend the Annual Confer- 

 ences composing the Methodist Protestant Church 

 to unite unanimously in a call for a General Conven- 

 tion, for the purpose of effecting such changes in 

 the second, tenth, and fourteenth articles of the con- 

 stitution of the Methodist Protestant Church as 

 may be deemed by said convention necessary ; to- 

 gether with such alterations in all other articles of 

 the constitution and Book of Discipline as they may 

 judge proper. 



Resolved, That said convention shall meet at Ab- 

 ingdon, Va.-on the first Friday in May, 1878. 



Jtesolved, That a commission of nine persons be 

 appointed by this General Conference to confer with 

 any like commission from any Methodist body in 

 America, who may signify a desire to confer with 

 them upon the subject of union with the Methodist 

 Protestant Church, and especially with a commission 

 of nine to be appointed by the General Conference 

 of the Methodist Church, which has made overtures 

 to us for a reunion. 



Further, " believing it to be the desire of the 

 members of the Methodist Church to effect a 

 union of the Methodist Protestant Churches 

 upon terms which shall be alike agreeable and 

 honorable to each, and to submit the terms of 

 union to the General Convention," the Con- 

 ference provided for the immediate appoint- 

 ment of the commission, to consist of ministers 

 and laymen. It was constituted as follows: 

 From Maryland, L. "W. Bates, S. B. Souther- 

 land, O. Hammond; from West Virginia, E. F. 

 Westfall, U. V. Chichester ; from North Car- 

 olina, R. H. Wills, S. Simpson ; from Virginia, 

 M. F. Peoples, M. D. ; from Tennessee, B. F. 

 Duggan, M. D. A fraternal messenger was re- 

 ceived from the Methodist Episcopal Church, 

 and a fraternal communication from the Gen- 

 eral Conference of the Methodist Episcopal 

 Church South, in session at Louisville, Ky. 



Those sections of the Discipline which au- 

 thorized the order of deacons, and prescribed 

 a form for the ordination of deacons, were 

 stricken out. Provision was made that the 

 General Conference may appoint ministers as 

 presidents, professors, or agents in educational 

 institutions, as editors or agents of religious 

 periodicals and newspapers, or as chaplains, 

 without such appointments changing the rela- 



tions of the appointees to their Annual Con- 

 ferences. A rule was made that "Sabbath- 

 school superintendents shall be elected by the 

 teachers and officers of the school, subject, 

 however, to the confirmation of the Church." 

 A resolution was adopted declaring the "man- 

 ufacture, sale, and use of intoxicating liquors 

 as a beverage, or the lending of one's influence, 

 by signature or otherwise, in the procurement 

 of any license to sell alcoholic beverages," to 

 be, in the opinion of the General Conference, 

 "manifestly in opposition to the teachings of 

 God's word." A reorganization of the Book 

 Concern, and of the method of conducting its 

 business, was effected. A report on education 

 was adopted which urged the duty of en- 

 couraging popular education as necessary to 

 the success of a representative Church, and 

 declared the importance of educating ministers, 

 and of establishing denominational institutions 

 of learning. Yadkin College, North Carolina, 

 the West Virginia Institute, and Western Mary- 

 land College, were represented favorably. The 

 theological department of the latter institution 

 was recommended to the patronage of the en- 

 tire Church. The enlargement of the same 

 institution as a central university was also ad- 

 vised. An offer was received from the trus- 

 tees of Bowdon College, Georgia, to transfer 

 their institution to the Church. 



V. PKIMITIVE METHODISTS. The following 

 is a summary of the statistics of the Primitive 

 Methodist churches in the United States : 

 Eastern Conference. Number of circuits, IT; 

 of members approved, 977" ; of probationers, 

 239; whole number of members, 1,216; num- 

 ber of traveling preachers, 16 ; of local preach- 

 ers, 88 ; of class-leaders, 72 ; of churches, 23 ; 

 of other preaching-places, 21 ; of Sunday- 

 schools, 27 ; of scholars in the same, 2,134 ; of 

 Sunday-school teachers, 428 ; value of church 

 property, $100,404.49 ; amount of debt on the 

 same, $28,593.70 ; amount collected during the 

 year for missions, $733.74 ; income of the con- 

 tingent fund (for the conference year), $111.59. 



Western Conference. Number of circuits 

 and missions, 19; of members approved, 1,534; 

 of probationers, 130 ; whole number of mem- 

 bers, 1,664; number of traveling preachers, 

 16 ; of local preachers, 86 ; of class-leaders, 

 83 ; of churches, 37; of other preaching-places, 

 42 ; of parsonages, 11 ; of Sunday-schools, 45 ; 

 of scholars in the same, 2,781 ; of Sunday- 

 school teachers, 481 ; value of church property, 

 $67,444.89 ; amount of collections during the 

 year for missions, $1,098.50 ; for the superan- 

 nuated preachers' fund, $145.57 ; for the con- 

 ference fund, $54.49 ; for the Bible cause, 

 $38.25. The total amount of salaries paid to 

 ministers was $8,395.35. The whole number 

 of approved members and probationers in the 

 two Conferences is 2,880. 



The Eastern Conference met at Mount Car- 

 mel, Northumberland county, Pa., May 13th. 

 Charles Spurr was elected president. The fol- 

 lowing test for membership in the churches 



