The M. E. Church, South.
An informal meeting of some of the Bishops of the
M. E. Church, South, together with several members of the Board of
Managers of the
Missionary Society, was held in
Atlanta, Ga., a few days ago,
Bishop Andrew presiding.
We copy the more interesting portion of the proceedings:
‘
Bishop Andrew called upon
Dr. McFerrin,
Treasurer of the
Missionary Society, for a statement respecting the missionary interests of the
Church.
The statement was to the effect that the society was out of funds and out of debt, excepting outstanding drafts against the treasury.
It was moved by
Bishop Early that it is impracticable to hold a General Conference before April, 1863, which motion
Dr. McFerrin moved to amend so as to leave it discretionary with the
Bishop to convene the General Conference sooner, if practicable.
The motion so amended was unanimously adopted.
Bishop Early moved that the
Publishing House at
Nashville be left for the present in charge of the
General Book Agent and Publishing Committee, to be managed by them according to their best judgment.
The meeting unanimously resolved not to recommend the continuance of the office of Financial
Secretary.
Dr. Green moved that for the ensuing year the support and traveling expenses of the Bishops be apportioned among the several Annual Conferences, as follows, to wit:
The support of
Bishop Soule to devolve upon the
Tennessee and the
Memphis Conferences; that of
Bishop Andrew upon the
Alabama,
Louisiana and
Florida; that of
Bishop Paine upon the
Mississippi, Texas,
East Texas, Ouachita and
Arkansas; that of
Bishop Pierce upon
Georgia and
South Carolina; that of
Bishop Early upon
Virginia,
North Carolina and
Holstein; that of
Bishop Kavanaugh upon
Missouri,
St. Louis, Kentucky,
Louisville and
Western Virginia; and that said Conferences be earnestly requested to exert themselves to raise the amount apportioned to them.
The General Book Agent was requested to communicate to the Conferences and the
Churches the foregoing action of the meeting.
L. D. Huston, Corresponding
Secretary of the Sunday School Society, was instructed to employ himself until the next General Conference in raising funds for the Sunday School cause, and to remit the money so collected to
Dr. McFerrin,
Treasurer of the Society.
Dr. Green moved that the
Christian Advocate and the
Southern Christian Advocate he united, and till the next meeting of the General Conference, published in
Atlanta, Ga., under the joint editorial control and management of
Drs.
McTyre and
Myers.
Agreed to.
’
We copy the following astounding information from a late Yankee paper.
We hope to have good grounds for its complete refutation hereafter:
‘
It will be gratifying to the many friends of
the Rev. Bishop Soule, D. D., who is the
Senior Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, to learn that he is still a staunch advocate for the
Constitution and the
Union.
Chaplain Stevenson, of the Fifteenth Indiana regiment, had an interview with the
Bishop a few days since at his residence near
Nashville, which the
Chaplain thus describes in a letter to a friends:
"I called upon the
Bishop twice, and found in him the same social, courteous, Christian minister I have always regarded him. He remarked, emphatically and solemnly, 'I have never written a line or uttered a word politically; I have been a man of one work.' Lifting his majestic form and reaching to the mantel-piece, he grasped affectionately a newly bound old book, the
Constitution of the United States.
Resuming his chair, and opening the book, he said, with great deliberation, 'I have carefully read and closely studied the
Constitution, and have never seen any clause in it authorizing or providing for a division, or the secession of one or more States from the others.
We, the people, may change, alter, or amend.' This was the purport, and, as near as I can recollect, the precise language of the occasion; he authorized me the represent him to his friends, and I take great pleasure in disabusing him of a prejudice arising from a misapprehension."
’
