METHODISTS. 



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that in some instances changes had been sug- 

 gested. One paragraph dealing with public wor- 

 ship had raised the question of the use of the 

 liturgy in Wesleyan service, relating to which dif- 

 ferent views were expressed as to the use of the 

 Book of Common Prayer and of the Psalter. 

 These questions were referred back to the com- 

 mittee. 



X. Primitive Methodist Church. A report 

 presented to the Conference in June reviewing the 

 growth of this Church since its foundation in 1810 

 with 8 members gave the present number of mem- 

 bers as 196,408, with nearly 1,200 ministers, 614,093 

 hearers, and 4,548 chapels having a total value of 

 3,950,182. These figures represented the present 

 condition of the denomination after setting off 

 more than 5,000 members who had joined the 

 United Methodist Church in Australia. 



The Sunday-school department reported 4,359 

 schools, with 60,867 teachers and 467,790 pupils, 

 29,166 of whom were members of the Church and 

 2U,177 more were members of catechumen classes. 

 Twelve hundred and twenty-one Christian En- 

 deavor Societies returned 41,681 active and asso- 

 ciate members, 27,652 of whom were members of 

 the Church. The connectional temperance secre- 

 tary reported 2,062 Bands of Hope and 299 adult 

 temperance societies, with nearly 300,000 members 

 in all. 



The annual meeting of the Primitive Methodist 

 Missionary Society was held in London in May. 

 The year's receipts of the general fund had been 

 15,276 680 less than in the previous year 

 and those of the African fund 5,898. There were 

 now in Africa 10 principal stations and 31 out 

 stations, 12 European and 3 native missionaries, 

 with 3 trained native evangelists, 53 native local 

 Teachers, 8 native class leaders, and 1,466 mem- 

 rs, the last number showing an increase of 55. 

 e larger proportion of the African stations were 

 the field affected by the operations of the South 

 rican War, and had suffered considerably there- 

 in. Others were on the African mainland, op- 

 site the island of Fernando Po, one of the sta- 

 ons being in a district which would probably 

 the adjustment of boundaries fall to the Ger- 

 lans. In that case the mission and the people 

 ould remove to British territory. 

 The Conference met at Bristol, June 13. The 

 ev. Joseph Odell was chosen president. Reports 

 were made that the sales at the Book Room had 

 amounted to 37,814, or 2,352 more than in 

 any previous year; that the income of the Con- 

 nectional fund had reached 7,378, the largest 

 amount in its history; that the Chapel Aid Asso- 

 ciation had a deposit account of 232,446, and 

 was helping chapel trustees to reduce tneir lia- 

 bilities automatically; that the General Chapel 

 fund had made grants of 1,006 during the year, 

 and the Chapel Loan fund had assisted trustees 

 to the extent of 2,000; that the Connectional 

 Insurance Company had 5,237 current policies and 

 a reserve fund of 27,623; that 309 annuitants 

 were supported by the Superannuated Ministers' 

 Widows' and Orphans' fund ; that the Aged and 

 Necessitous Local Preachers' fund, with an income 

 increased by 150, had granted aid to 235 appli- 

 cants; and that the Jubilee Thanksgiving fund 

 had reached its goal of 50,000. The Missionary 

 Society returned a total income of 17,561. A 

 heme of church extension was approved by the 

 onference under which an annual expenditure 

 if 20,000 a year for five years in building new 

 churches in populous suburbs and watering places 

 is contemplated. To the special fund which it is 

 proposed to raise for this purpose, Mr. W. P. Hart- 

 ley, J. P., offered to give 25 per cent, of all the 



connection should raise. The Conference . deter- 

 mined to continue its mission work and to arrest 

 at all costs the gradual decline to which it had 

 been subject. The proposition for union with the 

 Bible Christian Church submitted by the preceding 

 Conference to a vote of the circuits had been re- 

 jected by a very large majority. The present 

 Conference, after discussion, decided, that while 

 no further negotiations for organic union should 

 be pursued, fraternal relations should be main- 

 tained, and a committee of 6 members was ap- 

 pointed to act with representatives of the Bible 

 Christians. The resolution on education, which 

 was adopted unanimously, declared that no system 

 of public education is satisfactory which does not 

 give popular management where public money is 

 granted, and which does not entirely abolish all 

 sectarian tests where public grants are received. 



XI. Methodist New Connection. The one 

 hundred and fourth annual Conference met at 

 Newcastle, June 11. The Rev. George Stephen- 

 son Hornby was chosen president. The Annual 

 Committee having been charged by the preceding 

 Conference with the consideration of the expedi- 

 ency of providing for Connectional extension, re- 

 ported adversely to the institution of an entirely 

 new fund, and to the making of another special 

 appeal, and advised the utilization of existing in- 

 stitutions and the larger development of ordinary 

 resources. The Conference, however, decided upon 

 immediate action, for which a committee was ap- 

 pointed, and the whole question was further re- 

 ferred to a larger committee for consideration 

 during the year. The three young people's de- 

 partments were placed under the care of a single 

 committee. The policy was adopted of making a 

 minister in active service instead of a superannu- 

 ate, as heretofore, secretary of the two mission 

 funds. Resolutions were passed condemning the 

 state regulation of vice, the endowment of a 

 Roman Catholic university in Ireland at the public 

 expense, the new education code, sectarian train- 

 ing colleges, and " sacerdotalism and lawlessness " 

 in the Established Church. The Twentieth Cen- 

 tury Evangelical Mission of the Free Church Fed- 

 eration was commended to the Connection. 



XII. United Methodist Free Churches. 

 The Annual Assembly met at Manchester, July 

 10. The Rev. Frederick Galpin was chosen presi- 

 dent. Reports were made concerning the Con- 

 nectional funds that by the aid of generous gifts 

 a number of heavy trust liabilities had been re- 

 moved and new enterprises made possible. Debts 

 on chapel buildings, schools, etc., had been reduced 

 by 30,000, 67,500 had been spent in building, 

 and the value of the connectional property had 

 been increased by 60,000. The capital of the 

 Chapel Loan fund amounted to 13,809. The 

 Beneficent and Superannuation fund returned 78 

 annuitants and an expenditure of 2,839. The 

 capital of the Insurance fund amounted to 3,000. 

 The Endowment fund of Manchester College 

 amounted to 18,500. The committee of the 

 Twentieth Century fund reported that more than 

 86,000 guineas had been promised and 21,307 

 had been paid in. The returns from foreign sta- 

 tions were not yet to hand. The subject of a 

 reorganization of home church extension enter- 

 prises, involving a contemplated possible separa- 

 tion of home and foreign interests, was referred 

 to the Connectional and Twentieth Century Com- 

 mittees for consideration. Reports were made of 

 the London Chapel Extension fund, and of the 

 work among young people. The question of ap- 

 pointing a minister to have combined charge of 

 the temperance and young people's organizations 

 was referred to the Connectional Committee. A 



