528 His Tonr of Methodism 



with the urgent injunction that they be not neglected, and that the 

 full amount is expected. 



At the expiration of three years (1872), the Joint 

 Board of Finance report progress as follows: 



The Joint Board of Finance respectfully present their report of 

 the Conference collection appropriated to the superannuated preach- 

 ers, the widows and orphans of the deceased members of the Confer- 

 ence. The amount collected was four thousand seven hundred and 

 fifty-two dollars and five cents, an advance on the last year of five 

 hundred and two dollars and twenty-four cents. The amount re- 

 quired this year to meet the full claim of sixty-three claimants is 

 seven thousand two hundred and fifty dollars. The appropriation 

 was made at sixty-five and one-half per cent., an advance on last 

 year of six and one-half per cent. 



The assessment on the Conference of eight hundred and seventy- 

 five dollars for the bishops was collected. The board report that 

 seven thousand dollars will be required to meet the Conference 

 claims for the ensuing year, with an assessment of eight hundred 

 and seventy-five dollars for the support of the bishops. 



The Conference collection has slowly and steadily advanced dur- 

 ing the past twenty years. In 1851 a membership of about thirty- 

 five thousand contributed about two thousand six hundred dollars 

 on an assessment of six thousand dollars, which allowed an appro- 

 priation of forty-six per cent, In 1809 ten thousand members were 

 transferred to the North Carolina Conference, thereby reducing the 

 membership of the South Carolina Conference to what it was in 

 1851 ; yet the Conference collection of the year following was three 

 thousand eight hundred dollars, an advance of two thousand dollars 

 on the twenty years. During this period the average assessment 

 was seven thousand dollars, and the average collection four thou- 

 sand dollars, giving an average appropriation during the twenty 

 years of sixty per cent. Covering this period the number of claim- 

 ants rose from about thirty to seventy. In 1871 a Conference mem- 

 bership of about thirty-five thousand was assessed seven thousand 

 dollars to meet appropriations for seventy-one claimants. About 

 four thousand dollars were collected, which allowed an appropria- 

 tion last year of fifty-nine per cent. 



The board review these data with a profound sense of gratitude 

 to the Giver of all good that, though during the last twenty years 

 the Church has joassed through "fiery trials," yet her liberality has 



