r1.
THE SCRANTON TftlBUNE---WEDNESDAY MORNING, APfcft. '29, i81?.
6
EOT VEEnjXFEREKCE
It is'ia Ett of Widespread Import
oacc to Methodism
MANY QUESTIONS PENDING
i
YhaAdalaatoaof Women, the Abolition
f fha Time Llalt and the Ooeetloa
' Popalar Ameadmente Are
Some of Them.
From tlm Buffalo Express.
Cleveland. O.. April ST.-Cleveland Is
the mecca of Methodism this year. The
twenty-aecond delegated Keneral con
ference of the Methodist Episcopal
church will meet here the first week In
May, and devote a month to lega
tion which will affect nearly 3,000,000 of
members. Delegations are expected
from all section of the United States,
and from Norway, Germany, Italy,
China, Japan, Mexico and Bouth Amer
ica. Fraternal messengers will repre
aent English, Irish and Canadian Meth
odists, the Methodist Episcopal Church
South and other evangelical denomina
tions. There will bo over 600 delegates
in the general conference. Since this
conference Is the great quadrlcnnlal
event of this denomination, it is safe to
assume that the visiting preachers and
laymen will be numbered by the hun-
iImiI. anil -nnaalhlv thnilRAndS. The nil-
merous vital questions to be settled and
the accessibility of Cleveland increase
the probability of a large attendance of
visitors. The entertainment commit
tee, of which Dr. A. J. Palmer, of New
York, la chairman, has secured from the
hotels a promise that the usual rates
will not be Increased during the confer
ence; The expenses of delegates will
be paid by the church, but. of course,
visitors will be required to pay their
own expenses.
The sessions of the conference will
be held in the auditorium of the new
armory. Indeed, it was the promised
completion of this auditorium that led
to the selection of Cleveland as the
place for holding the conference, be
cause there was no other place of meet
ing In Cleveland large enough for the
purpose. Early In the winter the au
ditorium was ready for the floor, and
was being hurried to completion when
a decision of the Supreme court put a
stop to all work. It was found that $10,
000 would finish and furnish the au
ditorium and committee rooms. Per
mission was obtained from the com
missioners. Methodist laymen of Cleve
land gave the money, and the work was
resumed. The auditorium will be ready
for use when wanted, on May 4.
AN .INTERESTING AFFAIR.
A general conference of the Method
ist Episcopal church is as Interesting
in many ways as a national political
convention or a session of congress. It
attracts numerous visitors who are
more or less interested in the matters
up for consideration and who are eager
to be present at each session. The
tinance committee this year has de
cided to charge $100 for a box and $10
for a chair,- and the momentum of in
terest among the visitors will doubt
less cause them to pay the amount
asked without a murmur, and thus
help replenish a treasury badly In need
of funds. Visitors from what is known
as the "third house," or the lobby.
.While the visiting preachers would
scorn the methods of a trained lobby
ist, nevertheless they are not averse to
practice the Beductlve art of sugges
tion and persuasion on delegates whom
they desire to pursue a given course at
the conference. Their methods are
subtle, refined, Interesting and often
successful.
The coming conference Is one of pe
culiar interest because of the various
constitutional questions to be settled,
if possible. For years women have
CLOTHIER
Our store will be stocked with an unsurpassed lot of Men's, Boys' and Children's Clothing. Nothing old or out of date. Everything ab
soutely new and manufactured expressly for us. It will be our aim to sell Better Clothing at Lower Prices than any other house in the pity. We
will also carry a complete stock of
Gents' Furnishings, fiats, Caps, Etc.
P. J. GRIFFIN,
VJE GUARANTEE OUR GOODS AND PRICES
claimed the right to assist In making
the laws of the church, but the men
have denied them the right on the
ground that it was unscriptural and
inexpedient for women, to have the rule
over men In the church. By a large
majority the church at large has ex
pressed itself In favor of the admission
of women to the general conference.
Four women have been elected and will
present themselves for recognition.
Those opposed to women contend that
the vote in favor of admitting them
will not be a law. until ratified by the
general conference. Since the women
were elected several months ago, it
will be claimed that they cannot come
In at the present session. Their friends
will undoubtedly endeavor to seat them
by a direct vote. They have the power
and may exercise It. but such a course
may lead to a serious disturbance of
ecclesiastical harmony.
THE TIME LIMIT.
Next In importance to the woman
question Is the proposed removal of
the time limit regulating the length of
a preacher's stay In charge of one
church. The bishop fixes the appoint
ments at the session of the annual con
ference, but cannot reappoint for more
than five years. At the end of five
years the law of the church requires
the removal of the preacher. During
the past quadrtennlum there has been
considerable discussion of this question,
particularly among the city pastors.
The circuit riders and men appointed
to small stations are not much in favor
of a removal of the limit. The argu
ment urged by those who want the limit
removed is that a metropolitan church
cannot be developed to a high degree
of efficiency by a pastorate of five years.
The removal of the limit places the
whole responsibility on the bishop, who
must continue to reappoint a pastor as
long as he wants him to stay at one
place. Early In the history of the de
nomination there was no time limit.
but the limit was enacted at the earn
est solicitation of a pioneer bishop, who
found that there were some things that
even a Methodist bishop could not do.
It was a hard thing sometimes to move
a preacher by mere authority, and it
was considered more desirable to have
a law that would create vacancies at
stated Intervals. At first the limit was
two years. Four years ago it was ex
tended to five years, and now" the de
mand is made to have it removed alto
gether. The matter will doubtless pro
voke considerable discussion. ..
AS TO AMUSEMENTS.
Another question of more widespread
Interest among the laity, and especially
the young people. Is the proposed elim
ination from the church -discipline of
the specific rules against ' popular
amusements. Dancing, card-playing
and theater-going are named particu
larly, and provision; made for the ex
pulsion of any Indulging in these
amusements. A rigorous enforcement
of these rules would have a bod effect
on the membership of some of the city
churches, where there is a superabund
ance of wealth, society and young peo
ple. These specific restrictions did not
emanate from the mind of John Wes
ley, the founder of the church. They
were incorporated in the discipline as a
sort of Interpretation of a clause In
the general rules which forbids amuse
ments that cannot be taken in the name
of Christ. They have given preachers
endless trouble, because a literal en
forcement arouses resentment and fails
to accomplish the desired object.
Preachers who are opposed to the
amusements named urge the removal
of the specific restrictions because they
feel that tho proper way Is to make
the amusement question a matter of
conscience, and not of arbitrary restric
tion. The matter has been freely dis
cussed and there is a strong probabil
ity that the rules touching amusements
will be considerably revised.
ADDITIONAL BISHOPS.
A matter of deep concern to the more
advanced Methodists and the leaders in
Formal
- Our
GUS
all sections Is that of the' election of
additional bishops to particular geo
graphical stations. At present there
are eighteen bishops, two of the number
being designated as missionary bish
ops." The distinction is that a mis
sionary bishop is in power only while
in a particular territory, while a "regu
lar" bishop is in full authority any
where in the world. Blvhop Thoburn,
of India, and Bishop Walker, of Africa,
are missionary bishops. There will
doubtless be a move to abolish the dis
tinction and make missionary bishops
bishops indeed. Closely related to this
question is the one of episcopal resi
dence and geographical restrictions.
Methodist episcotwl bishops are not
limited at present the same as Roman
Catholic or episcopal bishops. They
travel all over the world and exercise a
general superlntendcncy over the vari
ous annual conferences, according to a
mutual understanding and agreement.
Bishop liowman resides in St. Louis.
yet he exercises Episcopal functions In
all parts of the United States. Bishop
Goodsell has his Episcopal headquar
ters In San Francisco, but has recently
been assigned to duty in Europe. All
bishops are equal, but Bishop Bowman
presides at their semi-annual meetings
by virtue of his seniority. A bishop
has no authority aside from that given
by the discipline; which Is the crystal
lised enactments of the general confer
ences. A number of prominent preach
ers and laymen have been urging a
plan of episcopacy requiring each
bishop to look after a given territory
for a term of four years. This move
ment also includes the quadrennial lo
cation of a bishop in China, South
America, Africa, India and Europe, the
remaining bishops to be stationed in
various parts of the United States. It
is claimed that this plan will enable
each bishop to gain a more Intimate and
accurate knowledge of his field than he
can possibly gain under the present
system of dependence in presiding eld
ers and preachers.
The consolation of the book concern
Is under consideration. At present the
publishing interests of the church are
carried on by two establishments, one
In New York and one in Cincinnati.
Branch offices and depositories are lo
cated in the leading cities. This move
ment toward consolidation also carries
with it the proposition to elect laymen
as agents Instead of preachers.
A LEGISLATIVE BODY.
The general conference is purely a
legislative body. It makes all the laws
of the church. .In a general way It
corresponds with the national con
gress. Ministerial and lay delegates
are sent by the hundred or more annual
conferences. Four years ago there were
315 preachers and ISO laymen, - This
session there will probably be an In
crease. Ministerial and lay delegates
meet In one body and have equal pow
ers, although not equal in numbers.
Separate votes can be taken on ques
tions before the conference If demanded.
The bishops preside in rotation one
session each. They are not allowed the
privileges of the floor. Unlike some
legislative bodies the bishop cannot
call a substitute to the chair, take the
floor and make a speech no matter how
much he may desii-e to do so. Like
congress, most of the work is done in
committee. There are twelve standing
committees, viz.: Episcopacy, itiner
arcy, boundaries, revivals, temporal,
economy, state of the church, book con
cern, missions, education, church exten
sion, Sunday schools and tracts, freed
man's aid and work In the south. Each
member of each delegation, beginning
with the chairman, selects a committee,
and so on through the list until the del
egation Is represented on each commit
tee. None of the standing committees
are appointed by the presiding officer.
Each delegate will be on several com
mittees, and each committee will have
about 100 members. The names of the
committees indicate the class of legis
lation referred to them. The committee
on episcopacy stands first In impor
tance. It is formed of the chairmen
of the various delegations. The com
Mwm
STORE!
Opening Thursday,
Force of Assistants
EDWARDS,
mittee Inquires Into the character and
behavior of the bishops. The name of
each bishop is called in turn, and if any
delegate has any complaint he presents
it when the name Is called. All rec
ommendations relating to the election
of additional bishops and changes in
the episcopacy come from this commit
tee. The committee on boundaries Is
final In Its conclusion, but the remain
ing committee are merely for refer
ence. The order of business of the con
ference is to hold a general session In
the forenoon, committee meetings in
the afternoon, and anniversaries and
receptions to fraternal messengers at
night. t
GOOD ACCOMMODATIONS.
The new armory where the general
conference will meet is a massive stone
building In the heart of tho city, and
only one block from the lake. It Is
within five minutes of the Union de
pot, two blocks from the postoflice and
two blocks from the noted public square
from which all the Street-car lines ra
diate. Visitors who have attended other
sessions of the general conference say
the Internal arrangements of the
armory are far superior to any place
where sessions have been previously
held. Thera will be1 ample room for the
delegates, and thousands of seats for
visitors. Ample rrovlslon has been
mode for cloak-rooms, waiting-rooms,
editorial-rooms of the Daily Advocate,
private rooms for the bishops, postof
fice, telegraph offices, wash-room and
press representatives.
The committee in charge of arrange
ments has secured a written contract
from the hotels to entertnln delegates
for $1 a day, and to make nrdiscrimina
Uon because of color or nationality. The
committee will assign delegates to
places of entertainment, and each hotel.
Including the finest In tho city, will
have colored delegates to entertain, on
au equal footing with whites.
TROLLEY CARS IN ROME.
Uow They Art Equipped to Mount the
Hills of the Eternal City.
From tho Buffalo Commercial.
The eternal city, "Rome of Caesar,
Rome of Peter," has been invaded
again, this time by the trolley car. The
road connects the main railway sta
tion with the center of the city. It
starts from the Piazza S. Sllvestro and
goes up the Vlo dl Capo de Case and
then through the Ludovlsian Quarter to
the Piazza dl Termini. It Is a double
track and Is located on the slope.
The power station Is located on the
slope of the Sabine Hills, and the elec
tricity Is generated from turbines placed
In the waterfalls about eighteen miles
out of the city. Power Is conveyed
to the city by four large cables that
run Into a transformer house near the
Porta Pia. The cars, like all rolling
stock on EuroppRji trolley lines, are
model vehicles. They are Hooded with
light at night, and instead of signal
ing the conductor when one wants the
car to stop, all he has to do Is to press
a button on the seat behind him.
Some of the hills on the line are so
steep that special brakes are neces
sary. Both hnnd and feet brakes ore
used, one acting on the wheels direct
ly and the other on the rails. In ad
dition there is an electric emergency
brake, which will stop the car in a few
yards, even when going quickly down
hill. The principle of It consists In
short-circuiting the motors, which are
then driven as dynamos by the momen
tum of the car, which Is thus rapidly
stopped. . .
An American company strung the
overhead wires and equipped the cars.
Affection Not Too Ardent.
Caller "I suppose you love your new
BiMier wry ut-any, TOfflmyf
Tommy (eyeing the baby coldlvl "Yes.
But I'd a good deal rather have a dog."
Domervuiu journal.
The Nickel Plate Road Is the shortest
line between Buffalo and. Chicago. v
It
in
AMD
Include the Following Well-Known Gentlemen:
JOHN COLLINS, LOUIS ALLEN,
STRICTLY ONE PRICE, AND
SCRANTO OF YESTERDAY
A Glimpse at Some Things That
Prophesied Her Greatness.
A WW RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS
Iatereitlaf Episodes of Long Ago For
signers then and Now-Fraak Ilea
milk aad Uls Marvolous Ability as
Political Leader.
Written for The Tribune.
The Scran ton of a quarter of a cen
tury or more ago gave sign and promise
of the greater Scranton of today. It
was a hustling, bustling ballwlck then
with every citizen a true blue shouter
for the town. The problem of the city's
progress was involved In the Intense
local loyalty that manifested Itself.
Though litigants were forced to go to
Wilkes-Barre with their cases, the
dream of a new county with Us needful
accommodations, inspired the hearts
of the wideawake men of the early 70's,
who only bided their time to break away
from old Luzerne and there were giants
in those days wonderful workers In
the field of politics. There was the late
Frank Beamish, for Instance. And Mike
Philbln, of WllkesBarre. and Mike Reap
of Plttston. and Doc. Trimmer.of White
Haven, and a host of others, for It
should be remembered that Luzerne In
those days rolled up Democratic majori
ties amounting anywhere to from 3,000
to 4.000. The fights were in the conven
tions and there are those in this city
today who will recall that hey were
frequently of a sanguinary hue, as a
nomination meant an election. The
Scranton end of campaigns was always
left In the hands of Mr. Beamish, and
he never betrayed his trusts. Tricky?
Well, what of It? Did you ever know
of a first-class political fighter who
wasn't? A trick in politics Is only an
other name for good generalship. You
certainly will subscribe to that, you
who are pulling the wires today and who
hae Just returned from Harrlsburg.
When a man tqlls me that a politician
is as "straight as a die," I begin to sus
pect that political general. I don't
mean that it implies that he Is dis
honest, but I think you will agree with
me when I say that conscience in poll
tics Is as conditions now stand, an un
promising factor. But I digress.
Frank Beamish in his palmy days was
a marvelous man. He never lost his
temper and yet he could whip his
weight in wild cats. He had the faculty
of winning men to him by the force of
his powerful magnetism. On one oc
casion at Archbald, or somewhere up
that way Phil Coyne will remember
when 3000 Democratic voters stood lis
tening to. the eloquence of Democratic
orators who spoke from thet high bal
cony of a "hotel," Beamish noted the
presence of a disturbing element Ex-
Judge Stanton, who had met misfortune
In the convention, was out on an Inde
pendent ticket He was a warm favor
ite in the section Invaded that night by
the "straights." As the speakers suc
ceeded each other with their ardent ap
peals to stand by the men named by
the convention, and before the last one
had been colled up, in the distance were
heard the echoes of horses' feet flying
fast toward the little town, and soon
out of the shadows and Into the moon
light that brightened the black sur
roundings of the hotel, rolled a buggy
containing two men, Phil. Coyne and
"Billy" Stanton. Then there were signs
of agitation. Brawny miners pulled out
of the crowd which stood listening to
the regular speakers on the balcony, to
make another around the vehicle that
had brought the two new-comers to the
scene. For a time there was a deep
Ai
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i i ii II mi ii I it i
flVIGJUVV
FUMSIHE
NIW
hush, followed quickly by low rmirmura
which suddenly broke Into a roar.
Before the speakers, standing; out In
the bright light of a full roomi. were
three thousand scowling men. Sudden
ly somebody yelled out. "Hurrah for
Stanton!" which was supplemented by a
fiercer If more profane proclamation ot
To with Stanton!" It was a
moment of supreme excitement. The
orators backed off the high porch Into
the apartments behind them. Those
who carried plstqls pulled them out and
examined them carefully. Those who
did not, pulled out their Masks and took
something" to steady their nerves.
Then In the air there arose a co-ming
ling of shouts from the myriad hoarse
and angry throats outside the tavern.
Just at that moment, when a bloody
tight of tremendous significance seemed
imminent, and when two men who stood
in the centre of the great throng, ap
parent leaders of the disputing factions,
were prparing to savagly attack each
other, the form of a gray-clad man
was seen wiggling his way through the
thick mass of humanity, like a Titan
forcing the biggest giants to one side
as if they were mere babes. This man
reached the wrangling leaders, and tak
ing each by the throat he commanded
the crowd to fall back and make a
ring for these two to settle their dis
putes In. And the crowd moved by
some mysterious Instinct, parted, until
the moon revealed a bare syace big
enough for the fighters to exploit their
science if they so desired. For a moment
they hesitated but then came together
with a clash and ringing oaths at the
command of the little man in gray. The
fight of the faction leaders quieted the
faction troubles for that night, and the
man In gray who brought It all about
was Frank Beamish.
To be sure, there was a foreign ele
ment In Scranton thirty years ago as
there is now. But It was of a very
different kind than that which we rec
ognize today. The "Laddybucks" of '70
disputed over their beer and broke each
others heads occasionally, but every
mother's son of them loved the bonny
flag that bore the stars and stripes and
was willing to fight or die for It in a
minute. The tolling foreigner of that
day, whether he was an Irishman,
a German, a Welshman or a Scotchman,
recognised the bountiful blessings in
volved In the free school, and worked
harder that his children might secure
all the advantages of a good education.
And where are those children today?
Not In the mines. Not roysterlng with
maniacal fury at christenings. Not en
gaging In fierce and bloody contests
with knife and bludgeon on the occas
Ion of wedding festivities. No Indeed.
They are among the school teachers,
our lawyers, our doctors, our mer
chants, and occupying places In every
honorable walk of life. Will It be pos
sible to say as much thirty years hence
of the children ot the chief foreign ele
ment that has been pouring Into Penn
sylvanlo, like a polluted stream, of re
cent years? Time alone will reveal.
The newspapers In the early '70's,
though much smaller than the mom
moth products of today, were none the
less Interesting. There were some lively
pens engaged on the Scranton papers
a quarter of a century ago. The Its
publican occupied meagre quarters on
the second floor Oi a bt"ldin on Lacka
wanna avenue, with a bookstore on one
side and a faro bank on tho other. Nor
ton ran the one and Jim Maury the
otner. But "Joe s" paper then as now.
was hotly aggressive at times, while the
exciting features of local life made it
possible to make Mie city page a con
spicuously thrilling one. The Times,
whose ownership was Involved tn mys
tery, which continued until not very
long ago stood boldly out for Democracy
and the trenchant pens of a Walsh, a
Merrlfleld and a Williams, were applied
with a vigor and force that attracted
attention. The Democrat the only af
OODS!
April 30
B. T
THAT THE
ternoon resreaajftatlva waa maimed by
tlttl T I) A .1 a n.m MBW
grapha with a teonaclty rarely equalled
mm BDuuy io spti looacco juice. Ana
last, but bv n ninim letvat nl thm
Sunday Frees Press. with Frank
Beamish and Jim Coon at Uva head,
firing broadsides Into the enemy on each
Lord's day, and sending its Issue out
over the hills by pony express to many
un'unumi oi inieresiea readers. And
though the mm m-hn iilnna.1 h.i
occasionally In gall aiid wormwood
ainsi eacn other In bitter tirades ot
uue were supposed to be at sword
points socially, the few who saw them
gathered in the "Marble Palace", of
Coyne and Stephens, on Penn avwiM
at night hobnobbing like princes an)
teasing the "ruby" with equal freedom.
""icea or tins- fact that news-:
paper men are the queerest people In
the world. K a v
MEASLVO OP STATE NAMES.
ofAr?h!f.,,eved to m" "
Samt mUKh,1e uthorlty claims tna
u SLcft . "hot furnace?'
romnKi nTii.hLr.X" from
Illinois took its name from the Illinois
tribe of Indians, who in turn were reaJiJ
the Illlnl or Illlnlwok. "the men
Kentucky Is a native name and means
bloody ground. Many conflicts took plioi
there tn early days. tnm
The name Oregon Is derived from the
Spanish orcaano, "wild marjoram" or
wood sago," which grows abundantly in
that state.
Rhode Island may have taken Its nam
the. name of an early settler, but it Is prob-
u,o nam, caiiiiu hdoui Decause oi tot,
tine anchorage or roadstead between the
island and the mainland.
Wisconsin takes Its name from the Wis
consin river, which was derived from Mis
koniiing, "wild running channel," be
stowed on it by Jbllet.
Montana means land of mountains.
Maryland was named In honor of Queen
Henrietta Maria, being called Terra Maria
In the charter first given.
Experienced.
Sarcastic Reader "I noticed that you
had a communication In the first number
of your paper signed "Old Subscriber."
Editor "Well, that was aJl right."
Sarcastic Reader "How so?"
Hdltor "Why, that communication
written by a man who began subscribing
to different papers and magaslnps mora
than thirty ytars ago." Somervlile Jour
mil.
See this Pail!
Get one like It from
your grocer and try
You will like it, but you won't
like the imitations. Avoid then.
Gnaine.hu trade muk "Cbtfolmt" tni
wr' htam atton-flmnt tmath on tin.
THE N. K. FAIHBAXK COMPAHTf
Chicago, Kew Tor, FhlteeelpfcU, Plttieirg.
Ini
HOLMAN.
VERY LOWEST
v
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DAVDOW
AWAM
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