490 



METHODISTS. 



definite doctrinal teaching and greater care in 

 the conduct of meetings of the young, and the 

 commendation of healthy literature to the young 

 people were urged. On the receipt of the report 

 of the Committee of Privileges, relating its ac- 

 tivity during the year in behalf of a number of 

 bills passed in the interest of nonconformists, a 

 resolution respecting the Nonconformist Mar- 

 riage bill, declaring it to be the one demand of 

 the Conference, for such legislation " as will re- 

 move from the marriage service the presence of 

 the registrar, on the ground that such presence 

 makes an invidious distinction between the min- 

 istrations of the Established and nonestablished 

 churches, and tends to discourage the perform- 

 ance of marriage services in Methodist places of 

 worship," was offered and withdrawn. 



IX. Primitive Methodist Church. The 

 Primitive Methodist Conference met in Notting- 

 ham in June. The Rev. John Stephenson was 

 chosen president. The Conference is composed 

 of the legal poll of 12 members, who really con- 

 stitute the legal Conference, but have in effect 

 waived their powers in favor of the larger and 

 more representative body, which is composed of 

 twice as many laymen as ministers. These lay 

 members are elected annually by the district 

 meetings from among the local preachers, class 

 leaders, or station stewards, in addition to whom 

 4 lay members at large are appointed by the 

 Conference of the previous year. The statistical 

 reports showed an increase of about 1,200 church 

 members, and more than 38,000 had been raised 

 during the year for the Jubilee fund. The re- 

 port of the Missionary Society represented that 

 in 46 mission stations (" home *') 63 regular and 

 several occasional missionaries were employed, 

 and a net increase of 70 members was returned. 

 No part of the work was so satisfactory as that 

 in the metropolitan area. The Australian 

 missions had suffered from floods and bank- 

 failures. Work in Fernando Po had been re- 

 tarded by the civil and ecclesiastical authorities, 

 but there had been an increase of members and 

 development along the industrial line. In South 

 Africa the work continued to grow and prosper 

 among the natives. The mission party to the 

 Zambesi district had received permission from 

 the King to open a station near the Caffre river. 

 The Conference decided to unify certain benevo- 

 lent funds into a general connectional fund, 

 and a committee was appointed to adjust the 

 details. It was provided that if more than 50,- 

 000. is finally realized on the Jubilee fund, the 

 sum of 5,000 may be devoted to the formation 

 of a fund to aid aged or poor local preachers or 

 other lay officers in the time of their need. The 

 General Committee was instructed to consider 

 the subject of making provision to aid local 

 preachers to equip themselves more perfectly for 

 their work. The privilege given to the quarterly 

 meetings to send invitations to ministers pre- 

 liminary to their appointment as preachers in 

 charge was enlarged. The formation of juvenile 

 and women's missionary societies was author- 

 ized. The College Committee was directed to 

 consider in what way the connectional deed can 

 be so changed as to place the full control of the 

 appointment of the officers of the college in the 

 Conference. The Conference camp meeting was 

 attended by more than 10,000 persons. 



X. Methodist New Connection. The nu- 

 merical summary of this body for 1893, presented 

 to the Conference in June, gives totals of 543 

 chapels, 202 ministers, 1,202 local preachers, 31,- 

 709 members (an increase of 421), 5,215 proba- 

 tioners (an increase of 448), and in the Sunday 

 schools 11,045 teachers and 85,000 pupils (an in- 

 crease of 702). The report of missions showed 

 that in Ireland there had been an increase of 10 

 members and 6 probationers ; in China, 191 adult 

 baptisms and a net increase of 72 full members 

 and 100 probationers, with nearly 2,000 members 

 on the church roll ; and in the home-mission 

 fields the net increase had been 39 members and 

 26 probationers. The Legacy fund created by 

 the last Conference amounted to 2,393, and the 

 property in China was valued at 9,000. The 

 normal income of the Chapel fund had slightly 

 declined in the department of receipts from the 

 circuits. The sum of 8,844 had been raised in 

 payment of trust debts, 3,123 on renovations, 

 and about 3,000 on new chapels and schools. 

 The Loan fund capital amounted to 8,000. 

 The applications for grants and loans had been 

 below the average. 



The Conference met at Huddersfield, June 12. 

 The Rev. Thomas Scowby was chosen president. 

 A committee was appointed to consider the sub- 

 ject of the suitable commemoration of the 

 centenary of the Connection, which will occur in 

 1896. Much attention was given to the affairs 

 of the Book Room and periodicals. Two editors 

 were provided for, to be chosen from the min- 

 isters in active service, or from the supernumer- 

 aries, whose work should be literary only, and a 

 Book Room manager, who should give to the 

 editors all the assistance in his power. A com- 

 mittee was appointed to represent the Connec- 

 tion on a committee instituted by the Free 

 Church Congress of 1892 (see " Annual Cyclo- 

 paedia" for 1892), with a view to preventing de- 

 nominations from overlapping and interfering 

 with one another's work. Another committee 

 had been representing the Connection on a joint 

 committee of Methodist denominations to watch 

 over the civil and religious liberties of Method- 

 ism at large. A petition in favor of a measure 

 for securing sites and for the leasehold enfran- 

 chisement of places of worship was approved. 

 The Welsh Suspensory bill, Local Veto (of the 

 liquor traffic), the Registration of Clubs, and 

 Sunday Closing bills, and other measures affect- 

 ing the interests of temperance and popular 

 freedom were also approved. The subject of the 

 formation of a Connectional Young People's 

 Society of Christian Endeavor was left for the 

 year to the consideration of a special committee. 

 XI. United Methodist Free Churches. 

 The Assembly of the United Methodist Free 

 Churches met in Bristol. July 11. The Rev. S. 

 Wright was chosen president. Reports were 

 presented from the various funds of the Churches. 

 The reports of the Chapel funds showed that 

 debts on chapel property had been reduced dur- 

 ing the year by 22,170, and that a further sum 

 of 32,400 had been spent on new erections. The 

 subscriptions toward the Relief fund amounted 

 to 500. Through the agency of the Chapel Loan 

 fund debts had been reduced by 3,871, making 

 a total of 67,203 liquidated by means of this 

 fund since its beginning. The income of the 



