396 



METHODISTS. 



tion of the preacher in charge. A Board of Finance 

 was instituted, to be composed of the secretaries 

 of the administrative boards and the book editor, 

 to meet every four years and calculate the basis 

 of assessments. Assuming that the declared edu- 

 cational policy in the Church aims at a well- 

 organized system in which there shall be no waste 

 of means, the General Conference resolved that 

 the purpose of the Church should be not so much 

 to seek to establish new secondary schools as to 

 care properly for such as have proved themselves 

 worthy; that the policy of having the secondary 

 institutions of each annual conference correlate 

 themselves with the college of that conference 

 should be insisted upon and enforced; and that 

 the conferences, in making their collections for 

 education should, so far as practicable, concen- 

 trate those collections on the colleges and second- 

 ary schools of the Church. The movement for the 

 improvement of rural schools was commended. 

 A Hoard of Insurance was appointed to make ar- 

 rangements for the more general and adequate 

 insurance of the Church property. The propor- 

 tion of laymen in the Board of Missions was in- 

 creased. A correspondence school was authorized, 

 to be directed by the Board of Education and the 

 theological faculty of Vanderbilt University. 

 The Rev. E. E. Hors, D. D., and the Rev. A. Coke 

 Smith were chosen additional bishops. 



More than $2,000,000 had been subscribed to 

 the Twentieth Century fund, and the sum of $1,- 

 411,512 had been paid. 



Union of Publishing Interests in China. 

 A joint committee representing the Missionary 

 Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church and 

 the Book Committee of the Methodist Episcopal 

 Church, South, met at Baltimore, Md., Aug. 5, 

 agreed upon a basis for the union of the pub- 

 lishing interests of the two Churches in China, 

 and adopted a plan for a joint publishing house 

 -to be established at Shanghai. The plan was 

 adopted dependent upon the approval of the 

 Board of Managers of the Missionary Society in 

 New York, and of the Book Committee at Nash- 

 ville, Tenn., and was approved by the former body 

 Aug. 12, and by the latter Aug. 20. The minute 

 recording this transaction affirms that " it is de- 

 sirable to unite in Shanghai, China, the publishing 

 interests of the two Methodisms throughout the 

 Chinese Empire," and provides that "this joint 

 publishing house shall be known as the Method- 

 ist Publishing House in China; that the capital 

 shall not exceed $100,000 United States gold, 

 $50,000 of which shall be paid in full in equal 

 sums of $25,000 each by the respective parties 

 to the contract." If a larger sum is needed to 

 secure the efficiency of the concern, it can be 

 called for by the Board of Directors which is 

 provided for, upon the approval of the managers 

 of the Missionary Society and the Book Com- 

 mittee. The ownership and interest in the pub- 

 lishing house are guaranteed in equal proportion 

 to the two parties. The management of the con- 

 cern is committed to a board of six directors, 

 three of whom shall be chosen by each of the 

 parties to the transaction. Two business man- 

 agers, one representing each Church, of equal and 

 coordinate authority, will carry on the business 

 under the Board of Directors, serving for terms 

 of four years, to be chosen in alternation, one 

 every two years. A sxipplomentary minute re- 

 cites that " in the foregoing arrangement it is 

 understood to be the purpose of this joint com- 

 mittee to secure entire equality in the inanage- 

 inent and proceeds of the projected publishing 

 house in Shanghai between the two parties repre- 

 sented and herein united, and to provide for the 



perpetuity of the harmonious relations hereby es- 

 tablished between the two Churches in the mis* 

 sion field. It is our hope and prayer that, be- 

 yond all considerations of gain or advantage 

 to either Church, the greater interests of the 

 Church of God may be served and advanced. To 

 these ends we pledge the men and means devoted 

 to this work, as well as our own joint and indi- 

 vidual efforts and influence." 



III. African Methodist Episcopal Zion 

 Church. This Church has 3,475 ministers, 2,955 

 churches, and 537,337 members. 



The third annual session of the Connectional 

 Council of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion 

 Church was held in Louisville, Ky., in the later 

 days of August. The report of the general sec- 

 retary indicated progress along all connectional 

 lines. The general steward reported that $34,- 

 495 had been raised for the General fund, $778- 

 on account of the ministerial brotherhood, and 

 $427 for the Contingent fund, and that $2,700 had 

 been paid to the Chicago church. The contribu- 

 tions to Livingstone College had been liberal, and 

 receipts of $27,456 were reported. The number 

 of students was 340. The Lancaster High School, 

 Atkinson College, and Greeneville College were 

 also favorably reported upon, and the education- 

 al secretary spoke of his work as having been 

 fruitful. Special importance was attached to the 

 new Church Extension fund, and measures were 

 resolved upon which it was thought if vigor- 

 ously executed would bring it to the attention 

 of all the people and promote good collections. 

 The General Committee of Church Extension was 

 authorized to incorporate under the laws of Penn- 

 sylvania. 'The Widows' and Orphans' fund 

 amounted to $276. The societies of the Varick 

 Christian Endeavor Union were not organizing as 

 fast as they had been. Reports were presented 

 by the missionary and Sunday-school depart- 

 ments. Protests w r ere uttered in the discussions 

 of the board against the indiscriminate conferring 

 and acceptance of honorary degrees. 



IV. Colored Methodist Episcopal Church. 

 The 19 conferences of this Church return 2,061 

 ministers, 1,433 churches, and 204,972 members. 



The ninth General Conference met in Nash- 

 ville, Tenn., May 7. The bishops presented a 

 quadrennial address reviewing the more impor- 

 tant features of the history and growth of the 

 Church during the past four years and offering 

 many recommendations. The life of the Church 

 had been quiet and harmonious. The ministry 

 had grown in intelligence, devotion, and loyalty, 

 " with broader views of spiritual relations and 

 connectional conditions." In its organized and 

 connectional capacity the Church had more 

 broadly impressed itself on the public heart, and 

 had widened its sphere of influence more largely 

 since the last quadrennial session of its legislative 

 body than in any former years. Its representa- 

 tives and public servants and its general litera- 

 ture had more generally and strongly fallen in 

 line with the trend of thought and the march of 

 spirituality, and it was adapting its forces and 

 movements to meet new conditions, the natural 

 results of human progress. The Epworth League. 

 instituted by the authority of the previous Gen- 

 eral Conference, had flourished and presented 

 hopeful promise for the future. " Its influence 

 and results had been wholesome, far-reaching, 

 and signal." While deprecating the disposition 

 to found or begin more Church schools than can 

 be sustained, the bishops avoided putting them- 

 selves in such an attitude on the question as to 

 hinder outside help and siich assistance as may 

 come from persons of wealth who may make 



