METHODISTS. 



471) 



chairmen of the districts from circuit and depart- 

 mental works. 



The Missionary Committee was instructed to 

 consider the expediency of appointing an assist- 

 ant secretary as an organizing deputation to 

 visit the auxiliaries arid branches of the mis- 

 sionary society, and submit recommendations 

 for organization at the next conference. 



VII. Primitive Methodist Church. The 

 statistical reports of this denomination presented 

 to the conference in June, 1894. furnish the fol- 

 lowing footings: Number of full members, 190,- 

 948 ; members on trial. 4,802 ; deaths during the 

 year, 3,068. Class leaders, 10,559 ; ministers. 

 115; local preachers, 10,567 ; Connectional chap- 

 els, 4,596; other places, 1,209; hearers, 572,325; 

 value of Connectional property, 3,486,347 ; debt 

 on the whole of the Connectional property, 1,- 

 046,632; number of Sunday schools, 4,354. with 

 61,742 teachers and 456,331 pupils. Connected 

 with the Sunday schools were 1,304 catechism 

 classes and 1,838 Bands of Hope. The temper- 

 ance department of the Sunday-school work was 

 making rapid progress. 



The annual meeting of the Primitive Metho- 

 dist Missionary Society was held in London, 

 May 22. The receipts for the year had been 

 12,808 on account of the General fund and 

 3,466 on account of the African fund. These 

 were less than the receipts of the previous year. 

 Six missions were sustained in the metropolitan 

 area (of London), with 9 ministers, besides evan- 

 gelists, men and women, a medical dispensary, a 

 Home of Rest, and other institutions for saving 

 and helping the poor and afflicted ; 42 missions 

 in the east of England, 3 in Ireland, and 3 in 

 Scotland, on which 57 regular missionaries were 

 employed, besides several special and occasional 

 laborers; missions in Australia and New Zea- 

 land, and missions to the heathen at Fernando 

 Po, Santa Isabel, San Carlos Bay, and Banni, 

 West Africa, and Aliwal North, South Africa, 

 while a party sent out to start a mission on the 

 Zambesi river had reached its destination at the 

 end of 1893. An increase of 140 members was 

 returned from the foreign missions. 



The seventy-fifth annual Primitive Methodist 

 Conference met in Chester, June 6. The Rev. 

 John Wenn was chosen President. The book 

 steward reported a considerable increase in the 

 profits of the Book Room, with a sum to be 

 divided among the Connectional fund, the 

 Preachers' Friendly fund, and the new Book- 

 room fund, which now amounted to 12,491. 

 The value of chapel property had increased dur- 

 ing the year by 29.418, and 306,643 had been 

 raised for chapel purposes. Twenty chapels had 

 been sold, 13 of which had been replaced by 

 larger and better ones. In order to prevent the 

 loss of chapels by sale, the General Committee 

 was directed to give its sanction between confer- 

 ences for sales only when new chapels are to take 

 the place of those sold. Favorable reports were 

 received from Elmfield College, York, and Man- 

 chester College. A fund was instituted for the 

 purpose of securing eventually the admission of 

 students free of payment. " A memorial was 

 directed to be presented to the Prince of Wales 

 that he grant 2 pieces of land on his estate for 

 the erection of 2 chapels. The Welsh Disestab- 

 lishment bill and the Parish Councils act were 



approved, and the latter was commended to the 

 careful consideration of all the circuits, societies, 

 ministers, and members, as being fraught with 

 vast possibilities for nonconformity in the vil- 

 lages. Local officers and societies were advised 

 to take steps to secure adequate representation 

 of nonconformity in the new councils. The 

 Local Veto bill was unanimously approved. 

 The General Committee was authorized, if they 

 should deem it advisable, to appoint a committee 

 to meet a similar committee of the Bible Chris- 

 tian Conference, to consider the various aspects 

 of the question of a union of the 2 churches. A 

 resolution was adopted declaring that the con- 

 ference 



Greatly rejoices in the greater spirit of toleration and 

 friendliness that obtains to-day among the people of 

 all classes and churches toward their fellow-Christians 

 of other religious communities than their own ; grate- 

 fully acknowledges the kindly sympathy so often ex- 

 tended to us in our work by the people of all ranks 

 and stations, of all parties and creeds, but deeply re- 

 grets to hear from time to time of our people in differ- 

 ent parts of the country, and especially m rural dis- 

 tricts and agricultural villages, suffering persecution 

 on account of their nonconformist and Methodist con- 

 victions; and this conference wishes it to be known 

 that it will protect the poorer members of the Primi- 

 tive Methodist Connection in their just rights and in 

 the possession and exercise of their civil and religious 

 liberty, and hereby instructs the General Cpnrtnittee, 

 in all cases brought under its notice by district au- 

 thorities or district committees, to take such steps as 

 in their judgment may be deemed wise and necessary 

 for the purpose. 



VIII. Methodist New Connection. The 



Methodist New Connection Conference met in 

 Longton, June 11. The Rev. Michael Bartram 

 was chosen president. The statistical summary 

 gave the number of chapels as- 543: of societies, 

 488 ; of ministers, 204 ; of local preachers, 1,184 ; 

 of members, 32,068 ; of probationers, 4,794 ; of 

 Sunday schools, 487, with 11,067 teachers and 

 85,634 pupils. The number of members had in- 

 creased 359 during the year. A decrease of 26 

 members was returned in the home mission 

 stations, and an increase of 92 members and of 

 infant baptisms and pupils in schools in the 

 mission in China. The sum of 18,727, against 

 17,434 in 1893, had been contributed to the 

 Connectional funds, Beneficent, Chapel, Loan. 

 College, Contingent, Paternal, and missions. A 

 discussion took place in connection with the 

 consideration of the reports of the college, upon 

 a suggestion that the list of books studied 

 should be rearranged, and more attention be 

 given to modern modes of thought. The rela- 

 tive merits of " pure Gospel " preaching and that 

 which touches upon the questions of the day 

 were also subjects of debate. In view of the 

 approaching centenary of the denomination two 

 years hence, the conference determined to at- 

 tempt the collection of a fund of 60,000 for 

 local and Connectional objects. A brief but com- 

 prehensive digest of Christian doctrine for the 

 use of Sunday schools, Christian Endeavor meet- 

 ings, and examinations was represented as in 

 preparation. Resolutions were adopted con- 

 demnatory of betting, the establishment of race 

 courses against the will of a town or city, and 

 the publication of betting news in newspapers, 

 and respecting a number of public questions. 



