SUMMARY FOR EUROPE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXII, Issue 7414, 3 December 1884, Page 2

SUMMARY FOR EUROPE.

(OntiKWtl frttn ATTSTK Al-A.sr A N W N roNKKKKNCK. Sjtuno in - (‘iirij'T. .‘iiriwii. Th»* c.-«< « d C.uiferemv* of the Austral- »,««, W.-deyan M.'Dvlift Chmvh o«».'nM i»t on Nov. S 3. Thru' w.w .1 very law* a!t* Utianoi* of meutlwnfa nti<! *d the public •n.,. J.'.'v Janie# S. Wangl-, l>.lb. ITom* dent of the tten.-ral Conferern'e of IBSJ. delivered Ite inaugural address. Tlu> Hov gentleman. after referring to the holding of Ibf Cmfereare in Sow Zee. lan>i ax one of iho mo*t wonderful 4>vt>ii!-* of the quarter of the niiiot* < ;;t b renriirr. drew attention to the pregre** "* Christian iff in N«-» Zealand, and *>#} «■> udM «f Methodism. lie enumerated the ns«w’» of inMtf of Ui# «rly miswienaiie# wh*'l'-’** , UtKHimi in thin Colony in tlx' • * , > m ’ j Methodism, «ed mere ]iri-> i.'xrU • ■ _<■■'' , two lately passed away-- rh"ir.:vmaxi .Samoa Haller. Th.- f V;- « ms -: Ing riattetio*, showing ; b° pregrem of the ,te.!r,d«>ra Wesleyan MetUibt churehe#, rempiJ.al iho work of the K - T .*•, gireO :-The fir.! C-nfrnn.vwa* held m Stdaev in January. ?•**> ;I f K Ihirinc th.* mUM. nm k - rear* Uh« l*T»»*f' . t«<drate'-*» C.domeshaa greatlj feereaw'd. Hu u 3» tfi»« >ff«nK to know that • g,. if.-wni- ,2 t'hurvh bw uitirn more j..- .*f th*j tn-malat ;>-n. In Australia ami laamama, j L).l X-w Zealand, we had. in 1835. 1«» \ n ,v«- haw ten* eh are ho. J W f - hud, in 1835, 82 minister* ami prate-ttenerx.'w,-new have UM. Our Sunday j havo inereawed frem 171 to 1253, r Srd-te'Ji w fio-.l* from 13.127 to 101.671, , ar Sabteth srheol te-uher# from 1530 jo 11 >.*o. Our members haw ine.rea*ed fram TING to 34,351. Our Kval prva.-her* from 127 {•> I9l‘A, and tho attendant* on t>uldic worship inm to 257.575. Th.* inm».w on our misaios* in th.' South Sorts hM Won eijuaily gratifying. In JS,w_thm* won’ ls< | churches. 13 K«m'}van f If* Native assistant inissJ.--T-.anos. tV-i! Churvh un-mWr* in Uw Kn.ndlv Islands; and hiji sn ,lsS4 lliert* jirc U«S3 church.**. Ifi Knrx'pcvuj »!► nonariex. ?s Native mifsionanes. 34.471 Chtsrch Hut we car look nt the statistics <J our Church tram another J standpoint, la April, ISSI. a census of | the population of Australia,Tasmania, and New Zoahutd was taken, which show.>d the ' total |x»|'*ulation to W 2.742,530. The to* | ligiou* beliefs of the population wore asoer- ; ' tain.'i in all the Colonies «i«pt Tasmanm. * Dodacting th.? popula-ti.xo of Tasmania, i 113.705. from the gross total, the popub- ■ tion of Australia and New ZcsUand in ISSI * was 2/..V-.5J.5, and of theso 245.513 wen? ' returned as \V,-j,Korun Methodist*: —New | South Wales, 37,043; Quxvnslaad. I0,t>18; * Victoria, 97,113; South Australia. 42,103; 1 W<«tern Australia, 2084; New Zealand, 1 39,5 H: total. 248,813. The pwbsbk 1 a umber of Wosleyan Methodist* in Taa- * mania is thus -usshing a Uvtid for the * whole C-.iletiies cd 2.37,333, la round attnibm it may In* said that one < in every tea of the population of 1 Austraiasia is a W.-sleyaa Methodist- t la some of tiw Colonies our proportion of 1 the population is higher than in other*. In ] New South Wales 1 in every 13 of the 1 population : Quoecaland, 1 in 19; Victoria, • I in 9 ; South Australia, 1 in 6|; Western Australia, 1 in 14; Tausmauia, I in 13 -, \ New Zt aland, I in 12 is a Wesleyan Metbu* ■ dial. The advocates of Methodist Union ia the CoJosk* may be iotemted in knowing- that the census of ISSI showed that there were f*.,W3 belonging to the other aectioos of the Methodist family. New South Wakw, 7303; Victoria, J 7,938 ; South Australia, 21,176; New Zealand. 7,313 ; total, 56,063. If thete be added to the Wesleyan Mctho- . disls, it will give a total Methodist popola- t tioa of the Australasian Colonies in April, j 18M, of 31-4,276, or a fraction over one out < of every nine h«eiag a Hethodwt. Numeri* ' c*l!y, our Church ranks the third among j the Protestant <-i,un.h>-» of Australasia— t the Aaglitaa omiag first, and the PrMby* j tm«n a^ad; but we hare raaaon to thank 1 God because, in proportion lc» <?*ir numU*rs, ] we arx? doing am re to meet the religious j want* of the Cobsjivs than the* larger ' PntwUal churches, Mr \Valkin has not ] lw-a able t,., obtain cumplets* statistic* for 1 1 all list- Colonics; but in New South Wale#, | Vk-tona, and S Australia, the Angli- i taua# sumt*erx-d, in 1.881, 729,393. the j Prx-whytoriaa* 223/.<22, the Wesleyan j MethodU-t* T*-,2'.-7 .viler* ntf. Mut while j the Anglioue* are four h» more numanma | in iheae three Colonk--* than oumdvea. we ] have I*4B ciurvhsUi to their 912, 8635 < Sabtuth •chrxd ienclren to their 7510, j < They return <' '.-83 Sunday whoal acholart. \ while •** return 63.35«3. The PnsubytemSii i are oun*idrr-*Uy behsed, is returning 514 < eburelwri, 4*'*2s Su«<lay arhued U«cli«r«, and i 38,762 ici-olitr#.. If to the Wtwfcyan M.elhO" J dial Sunday School* in New Swith Wale*, ( Vu-tom. and fkatlb Australia, are added « liiow- Ivi-je.. :*}g to the other l.rasj-he# of tin? < Mvlh. i-hd. < "lurch, a lutd is given of 1*0<) i Sabbath schw/b, and 93,423 acholnurt, ; Thr rev gvnthunan said be quoted these I; figum ia no bcwwilfyl «pirit. but to-chow • the honour and responsibility east upon i their Church. They hwi other causes for »] tlanklujnesi—«}t»chju*ttl3t <*! thejr people 11 to (tsaaphne, union and sn i ( thejr r-bakft, and the spirit of revival | ] abroad- Me alto e/'Cimentel os flu* netwe j | rtty for jre.-reaaod rflorta ta acireion work. ( the noueawty for obtaining greater hdii* S i Ue* for twacinng the 1111.!* itt &rhot>ls, and \ j premotieg the wiw of teiapanmoe. ; J The Ik-T J. il. HcriheJ- mm thru dn.Vd I *uo>.e-*djog I'retiiU-ul by a majority of 41. j' Only II vote* were giver; for other mill* j data*. The Ih-t Sj«-ti<*-r William* w*» : elected feovUiy, and ncwiituitel Hie fteva ' J. B, Htephensou and le :i!h-y dsum-s m his - MiMtnla. TUe first *«bj«x-.-. of ptmunMial ' Isnpuptaaoe to Ire discuMewl ■*« tire fortna- ■ Hao of an independent New Zeahutd (“<m~ • |«rette«. upon the meeting wm «<■ fpqpUm Friday, Nov. 12- Tire prep#**!, I M may bt rei&ctuterod, bad teen r«Kx*iv«d ; with hvo«r nt Ute jUkdaida Contemiw in i 18-81, wm w« emrhd by n majority I «r three-fourth* in the New Zealand Ccmiwnm nf the mu* ymr. th» »* W. Morley motwi w That thl* Conference Bored*? to the mTOUiiuctuiatino of the Hew Zealand Co«tereare, that New Zealand Crmterene# be nomtliteited todepwitest and (wlf-goveraiog, and that the plana eubtniltel tor tte vtisaUiotjoo w the «a4ire ba apprevod." The reaolution waa &A Intended a# a alight upon the Awtralian Coafreenare. fur j«r«o»*dly he had the? livelieet recoUretion «f» and fell toe greatest gratitude for, the kind he had rwadved frato Australian brethren. He telien-d tsisren-ly that- the projfcxaal would te for the gooduf the Churuli, a»d t<-wd to the d»,-v«h.-pm«at af the Methodist in thus land. The rev geotlte Uvarj enumerated at xotu«j b-ngth the argument* in favour of the ge-grapM.-al w onomiral. and Wat. Ac. tu *‘ l St to him. in the r T‘'-* ,r ? that the prep Mal u “f b3i«tt {wetde. te 4 Hni f U a*wd ■*s*, . 3 * r K ‘ V ;b*'» >.nd. <l the rnation whfcb W«* iteteted in the llllJst j£ f maanw for tw<>»,tt;«g*. An mmntiuumt amend by the Kw sir Hath, t* the *»«* that the Oooferwoa d«ew«i st itoa^ateot ifiittf the coal nod risk of «» great a {dtAagsi a* **** nbwndtl by the dUeoluttea of thw&Mm IFsieo, ytm dnaHy carried by 1 m veto* it &* a»* wlw« m « 4«i-

HtanUvo motion In the following form, vli. “That the Conference tww no sufficient tvasan for grant'OJt *b» rojiif*!,” W*W W» fk carried by &b to 231, Tiio otate of the Foreign Miwlon* wa« tx'porU’d on by theUov TV. Kelynack. U IC Nov. 17. Hioao t» the t'hhi< *«’ »n M,, ‘* Itourno and New South Waliw wen* *tatoil to lie making progie®*. At Samoa groat damage had l*osti none to mission property bv hnrrieaao*. and in c*m«xp»c« , ">’ or aint* turn among the mn>»i>*nancs. there was an op-uing f.w one. The T..iw»n and Hjian mimiona were in » noliti *< *'ry ft A4 ' • •wtwcially the Intter. i ..ntnbulmna of imT! a„d th.'s year. 43J-* The social o!i”-n«3a«d £■'' ;i ; Tasmania. XS3S ; Smith A«Hmbs. A- ', and Tim k*ro« amount AetW. Mi lb nv. ! s’vim V having ptv*cnlod » schooner of |~l t *, n , I ’lrlhen. valued at or J3ISOO, i i ■, (i.., nnwton, R aitpciftl vote of thanka ; , %v « ( .d t*' him for hi* munifioelice. I Km.lay. Nov. Si. an addn-** to the ’ i; r! t,C) Confenmv* wa* brought up, whi.di t.'.i long to print bvre «« «fcji»<s I’Sie gns’ting* of the Conference wer»* r-.-i.i. awl aeknowl«lgv*oient of the help r«“.v»V’sl from Uie Mother Country, and attachment and wlherenee to tjw> common Methodist Church d.-.dared. The atfaim-f the Australasian Methmlisl Chundi war*' .‘hen reviewed in detail, and the addnw* conclude* in the following manner j We nuinotho otherwise that! enacornoti for the future when we reuicmlser that iu our large piwtoral district* many familiix* an* growing up away from the inflm nisw of direct ndigioua teaching. We art* doing our best to overtake our work, but we *ee it on every hand outgrowing our ntauwl effort*. In our eon scions feebleness, we are Uni to cry unto itod for help. Nor can He fail 11s. Our cause i* the cauw of Him on whose head an* many crown*, and our snc<x>s»oa an* as nothing, save a* they result in the extension of Itu Kingdom. Again we express our Uwt wishes fop the continued prosp'rity of Methodism m the Fatherland, asid would solicit for oorfedvc* the prayers of your numerous churches, for the shadows of the morning shorten at our feet. and we go far afield to work in the common cause of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Clutst.” On Saturday. Nov. 22, a eoeood very im-p-rtant matter wa* brought before the I'onfcreoce, vis , the question of the union >f Methodist Churches throughout An»tnluu. A resolution on the subject, [-rojxwd by the I lev EL S. Bickford, was anthdrawn/aad an amendment moved by the K«v 11. T. Burgees, and couched in wmewbat similar terms, came under liacvuaioa. This was to tlie effect, ’ That this Conference, recognising the lesirability of the union of the Sletho* list Churches throughout Australasia, and that the basis of the union that ms taken effect in Canada will bo found renerally suited to the circumstances of Methodism in these Colonics, commends he subject to the favournble consideration if the Annual Confcrent?e», directs them o open communications with the other inuches of the Methodist family in their ■espective Colonies, to lake each other iteps as may appear advisable to bring ibout Methodist union on the general prin•iples of that basis, and to report to the test General Conference.'’ The whole subject was very exhaustively liacussed, and in spite of an amendment noted by the Kev J. B. Stephenson, to the -ffret that though its objects were satisfacory. the main idea of organic union was sremture, Mr Burgess' motion was inally carried in its original form by 34 to It was resolved that the next General Conference should be held in Melbourne in ttay 1888.