METHODISTS. 





Eastern ami Western, tin- statistical return- 

 f i-o i n which are -uninmri/.ed as follow: Number 

 ,,f rli:i|.. -I-. -.'I 1 .!; nf preaching places, KiO; of 

 minister-, 101: of local preacher-. (>: of full 

 member-. K.;I:I: of members on trial, 9,576 ; oi 

 junior member-. V-'~>ii ; <>! pupils in Sunday 

 school-. :;o.s in; ,,| day pupils, 2M.JM 0. Tlit-no re- 

 turn- .-how an increase in six years, or sim Die 

 meeting of the first (ieiicral Conference, in lss:>. 

 mbei-s, r>,:>NO junior members, 0,489 



Supils in Sunday schools, mid <i,5?<> pupils in 

 i. The work of higher education a- 

 provided t'nr .it York Cii-lle and Barbican, .Ja- 

 maica. Coke College and girls' high schools in 

 Antigua and British (iuiuna, which were, in all, 

 attended by 210 |>ll|>ils. Till' SUII1 of KiO. KiO 

 had lieen raised, and t' 70,221 had been expended 

 of chapel and other trust income, in six years; 

 and 2! new chapels, ? ministers' residences, and 

 4 school-houses had lieen built. Missions had 

 been undertaken in Panama and St. Lucia. The 

 subjects of the formation of an annuitant soci- 

 ety, chapel and trust funds, and education were 

 considered. On the last subject the Conference 

 d, with especial reference to two cases 

 where Government ordinances had lieen pa -d 

 or were under consideration, that an acceptable 

 scheme must comprise the establishment of a 

 system of Government schools under the direc- 

 tion of a representative board, sufficiently tol- 

 erable and equitable to satisfy the reasonable 

 claims and wishes of all parties, and allowing 

 equal rights of visitation and religious instruc- 

 tion to the ministers of the several churches. 

 Delegates were chosen to the Methodist (Kcu- 

 menical Conference appointed to meet in the 

 United States in October. The Rev. George 

 Sykcs was chosen to be president of the next 

 (ieneral Conference. 



VI. Primitive Methodist Connection. 

 The numerical reports made to the Conference 

 in June, give the following footings : Number of 

 church members, 192.052 ; of ministers, 1.043; 

 of local preachers, 10,256; of class leaders, 10,- 

 408 ; of connectional chapels, 4,405 ; of other 

 preaching places, 1,267: of hearers, 585,346 ; of 

 Sapday schools, 4.118, with 60,833 teachers and 

 }::n.r>7."> pupils; value of connectional property, 

 3.283.20:!. 



The year's profits of the Book Room exceeded 

 4.300,' of which 3.800 had been given to the 

 Superannuated Ministers' Widows' and Orphans' 

 fund. The total issue of publications had been 

 more than 2,500,000. 



The Conference met at Northampton, June 10. 

 The Rev. Joseph Ferguson was chosen president. 

 The first subject for discussion concerned the 

 age qualification for Deed Poll membership, 

 regarding which the Conference reaffirmed the 

 declaration of the Conference of 1886, that the 

 fact that any minister has to apply for superan- 

 nuation is proof of his physical incapacity to 

 perform the duties of that office. A proposition 

 submitted to the quarterly meetings for the rec- 

 ognition of a separate order of evangelists, the 

 Connectional establishment of an evangelists' 

 home, and the setting apart of a minister to 

 train evangelists and superintend their work 

 had been defeated by an overwhelming majority 

 adverse (o all its co'unts. In its resolution con- 

 cerning educational measures the Conference 



declared it-^-lf in favor of free education, arid of 

 a Iwiard or undenominational -chol bring ; 

 within ea-y reach of every child in the country; 

 proiesied against any -cheine of a i-lrd .dura- 

 tion which did not at the .-nine- time grant popu- 

 lar eonl ml of the schools assisted ; al, 

 the belief "that the pro|Mi.-*ul>. which lia\ . 

 made by the (ioveriiinciit would not on. 

 petuate, but would intensify the anomalies and 

 injustice which already cxi-"t, and would be dan- 

 gerous to the civil and religious liln-rties of the 

 people of (he country and contrary to their 

 social and intellectual progress and' freedom." 

 Legislation wa- projio-ed. to the effect that no 

 person engaged in the manufacture or -ale of 

 intoxicating liquors, or holding shares in any- 

 limited liability or joint-stock company where 

 intoxicants are manufactured or sold, should In- 

 a member of the Connection. The vi-w prevailed 

 in discussion that so positive a mca-ure might 

 bear in some instances upon really blameless 

 persons, and the Conference, while it accepted 

 the principle of the proposed legislation, referred 

 the arrangement of the details to the General 

 Committee. Public attention being at the time 

 directed to the scandals developed in the judicial 

 proceedings in the "baccarat case," the Confer- 

 ence in its resolutions declared its regret that 

 the Prince of Wales did not follow more closely 

 the example of his royal parents, and also -ex- 

 pressed the opinion that his conduct was not 

 consistent with the exalted position of the heir- 

 apparent to the throne, and the belief that it 

 would do incalculable injury to large ma- 

 people. The Conference, it "was added. " while 

 profoundly regretting his conduct, respectfully 

 expresses the hope that he will refuse in future 

 to give further countenance to this degrading 

 national vice in any of its forms." 



The income of the Primitive Methodist Mis- 

 sionary Society was 11,099 for the General 

 fund and 2,313 for the African fund. The 

 expenditure had been 10,476 for the General 

 fund, and 2,363 for the African fund. The so- 

 ciety had 54 stations in the United Kingdom, 

 with 7,041 members, and 653 members on the 

 foreign stations. 



Congregations of Primitive Methodists largely 

 composed of emigrants from Great Britain have 

 been formed in tho United States, chiefly in New- 

 England, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Until 

 1891 they were formed into two conferences, 

 the Eastern and the Western. At its session in 

 1891 the Eastern Conference was divided into 

 Ka-tern and Pennsylvania Conferen 



VII. Methodist New Connection. The 

 numerical summary of all the districts of this 

 body, at home and abroad, gives a- totals; Num- 

 ber of chapels, 522 : of ministers. 203 ; of local 

 preachers, 1. ':!!>; of members. .'! 1.020 ; of pro- 

 bationers. -l..">01 ; -howiiiir an increase during 

 the year, of 211 memU-rs and a decrease of :<?."> 

 probationer-. 



Missionary report s were made to the Confer- 

 ence from the home missions and missions in 

 Ireland, and from China, where there were lOna- 

 tive students in the Training Institution. 1,890 

 members and MO on trial, and 6,000 patients 

 had IMVII eared for in the medical work. With- 

 in six months :5! invitations, each signed by 

 from 20 to 100 people, had been received, to 



