METHODIST (ECUMENICAL CONGRESS. 



METHODISTS. 



559 



of reaching the Unconverted Sections of the 

 Richer Classes," by the Rev. S. B. Southerland, 

 D. D,, of the Methodist Protestant Church ; and 

 " Methodism and its Work for Orphans, for the 

 Aged, and generally for the Dependent Class- 

 es," by the Rev. T. B. Stephenson. The tenth 

 and eleventh days were devoted to the subject 

 of " Foreign Missions." The papers were on 

 " The Results of Methodist Missions in Hea- 

 then Lands," by the Rev. J. M. Reid, D. D., 

 Missionary Secretary of the Methodist Episco- 

 pal Church ; " How to avoid Waste, Rivalries, 

 and Confusion arising from Different Methodist 

 Bodies occupying the Same or Contiguous 

 Fields," by the Rev. J. H. Rigg, D. D., of the 

 Wesleyan Methodist Connection ; " The Estab- 

 lishment and Support of Training-Schools for 

 Native Converts and Native Ministers in the 

 Foreign Field," by the Rev. W. H. Potter, D. D. ; 

 " The Use of the Press in Non-Christian Coun- 

 tries for the Promotion of the Gospel," by the 

 Rev. J. S. Banks; "The Missionary Work re- 

 quired in Papal and Semi-Infidel Nations," by 

 the Rev. A. Sulzberger ; and " The Resources 

 of Methodism for the Work of the World's Con- 

 version, and the Duty of developing and em- 

 ploying those Resources," by the Rev. C. C. 

 McKetchnie. The Congress was closed on the 

 twelfth day, with the discussion of the topics : 

 " How Christian Unity may be maintained and 

 increased among Ourselves and made Manifest 

 to the World," by the Rev. A. C. George, D. D., 

 of the Methodist Episcopal Church ; " The 

 Catholicity of Methodism," by the Rev. J. My- 

 ers ; and " Methodism as a Bond of Brother- 

 hood among the Nations,'' by the Rev. David 

 Allison, D. D. 



The readings of the papers were all accom- 

 panied by a number of invited and voluntary 

 addresses by members of the Congress, in 

 which delegates from all the bodies repre- 

 sented took part ; and the readiness of the 

 representatives of the colored churches to par- 

 ticipate in the discussions was particularly re- 

 marked. 



Resolutions were passed during the meetings, 

 recognizing the good which had resulted from 

 closing the liquor-shops in England on Sun- 

 days ; taking notice of the extraordinary open- 

 ing in France for evangelistic work, and of the 

 success which had already attended its prose- 

 cution there; expressing appreciation of the 

 successful work of the Women's Home and 

 Foreign Missionary Societies ; commending all 



well-directed efforts to substitute arbitration or 

 other forms of amicable and peaceful reference 

 instead of war in the settlement of all interna- 

 tional difficulties ; recognizing the usefulness of 

 the Christian women who are engaged in pro- 

 viding orphanages and homes for the aged and 

 worthy poor, and in other forms of philan- 

 thropic work ; declaring the growth and man- 

 ufacture of opium for sale in China " under the 

 direct sanction of the British Government, andi 

 virtually as a Government monopoly," to be " a 

 serious obstacle to the spread of Christianity in 

 China, and injurious to the credit and influence 

 of England throughout the civilized world " ; 

 and expressing sorrow for the death of Presi- 

 dent Garfield, of the United States. Replies 

 were adopted to fraternal addresses of the 

 United Brethren Church and of the General 

 Council of the Presbyterian Alliance. Resolu- 

 tions were passed favorable to the holding of 

 a second (Ecumenical Congress in the United 

 States in 1889, and requesting the several Meth- 

 odist bodies to create a joint executive com- 

 mittee, which should have power to determine 

 the place and time of holding the meeting, 

 the number of delegates, their allotment, and 

 the programme of exercises to be followed. In 

 addition to the regular meetings of the Con- 

 gress, three evening meetings were held at Exe- 

 ter Hall, at which representations and addresses 

 were made on the condition and progress of 

 Methodism in America, Australia, and the 

 East; and a general temperance meeting was 

 held. A call, bearing the signatures of a num- 

 ber of delegates of the several Methodist bodies 

 represented at the Congress, has been pub- 

 lished recommending the holding in 1884 of a 

 meeting commemorative of the centennial of 

 the organization of Methodism in the United 

 States, to be composed of representatives (cler- 

 ical and lay) from all the Methodist bodies in 

 America. 



METHODISTS. The following is a sum- 

 mary of the statistics of the Methodist Churches 

 of the world, as given from the latest pub- 

 lished reports in the " Methodist Year-Book " 

 (Phillips & Hunt, New York) for 1882. The 

 numbers for the Methodist Episcopal Church 

 are to July 1, 1881 ; those for the Methodist 

 Episcopal Church, South, are for 1880 ; those 

 of the Canadian, British, and Affiliated Con- 

 ferences, for 1881. In two or three of the 

 churches the numbers of local preachers are 

 estimated : 



* Keported by bishops as over that number. 



t The latest reported. 



