Show THE METHODIST conference the twenty first quadrennial general conference at on ocallia allia the first drat business session of the conference opened in boyds opera home boube on tho the mornin morning cr ol of the the delegates and largo c numbers ot of visitors crowded tho the building bishop bowman called the meeting to order ind and bishop newman read from the bible following which bishop foss offered prayer 8 D ol of pennsylvania Pennsylva ula was elected secretary and he be appointed manley 8 hurd burd of wyoming and charles hudson of indiana as a bib assistants Aft after ertho the election of we rotary tho the per pep minerdt setting seating of the delegates was in order immediately the old trouble between the lay and nd ministerial delegates came to the surface the lay delegates held bold a meeting saturday af I 1 hernoon and decided to ask the conference to seat them by themselves separate sc from abd tbd thinking by this means meana to secure ogreater greater recognition than they now have cave at after a heated debate on tho the subject the petition I 1 t tle tie laymen was vaa granted and the drawing for or seats then commenced the farat allot ment drawn was by a E oilman gilman colored of who took the beat seat in fit the house IF F J young of north dakota alleged thoro there ib was aa fraud and a heated debate followed un tu ill the conference adjourned until morning in the evening a reception was waa tendered by the ch 0 mayor and city officials I 1 the seat ecat question qu catlon came up again tuesday i morning when the lay delegates complained that seats beats reserved for them had been mccu pled by ministers the matter was waa finally disposed of and other business taften up dr neely read the report of the commission among other things suggested by the commission was a change in the arrangement odthe of tho discipline no material change was recommended in the rules rulea or in the working of the discipline but the commission thought the book could be arranged to much better advantage they also suggested that the general conference hereafter meet on the first wednesday in may and that laymen and ministers vote to geather the standing committees committee were then appointed on wednesday morning bishop warren of denver presided and bishop foster delivered the he episcopal address it states that since iho he last general conference fully morere members re have been added to the church a greater t howth than had ever been known in the his lory ory ot of tho the church upon the admission of women to the general conference the result fivos as given iven as follows laity for against ministerial for against the report gave a very exhaustive ro re of abc t that great care be exercised in in procuring ministers strong loyal men bully fully abrest with the education ot of the age for the educated pew would not endure in gunj educated leduca ted pulpit |