ADELAIDE METHODIST CONFERENCE.

Shannon News, 13 July 1923, Page 4

ADELAIDE METHODIST CONFERENCE.

(By the,Rev. Geo. Frost in t(he N.Z. 1 Methodist Times).

It was a great joy to be permitted by my Conference to carry its greettags' to the General Conference of the Australasian •> Methodist Church. The kindness that was -everywhere shown me by ministers and laymen alike in the gTeat cities of; Sydney and Melbourne en route, were a. true foretaste of the greater kindness -to be- received in the Conference city.- In the evening preceding the opening of;the Cota ference,''the South Australians had arranged .a reception in the {Adelaide Town Hall, and seats -of honour were reserved for the' Rev. J. Dawson and myself with the. Presidents of the States Conferences -M the Commonwealth. In the welcome that was tendered by the South Australian President arid Mr A. Datngsford, great pleasure was expressed at having with them representatives of the New-Zea-land Conference.. Happy, .and inspiring speeches .wore made by ail the spefcfc kers in response. i The Conference proper commenced i+s sessions in the historic Pirie street Church on the. Thursday evening, when the retiring President, Rev. Dr Hex. M’Callum, robed in the scarlet and gown of a Doctor in Divinity. delivered his retiring t address, “The Purpose, of Methodism in a Rest-less-World.” . It, would be impossible in a few inches : of space to outline the address; in addition Conference hymn, the Apostles” Creed as .a. declaration of faith, and thevTe Deum .were heartily joined in by the congregation and representatives. By an overwhelming majority : the Rev. E. H. Sugden, LitO D., was elected President, and was fittingly installed iri office. This was a great joy to the old “Queen’s men,” who all through the Conference, again and again, found themselves slipping into- the error of addressing the President, in the affectionate terms of ‘ The Master.”

The following morning on ;the motion of the ex-President, Rev. Dr. M’Callum, Mr Dawson and myself were Accorded seats in the Conference and called to the platform to address the Conference. Of >all audiences surelv the most difficult to address is that composed entirely of practised speakers of long experience. ■The,Rev? J.’'Dawson, dn happy mpo'd. referred to- his former' experience pf large Australian gatherings .- in , c,<>n r ' section with the Centenary of Austral ,lian Methodism. .He ' congratulated the. President as a brother countryman from .north of the 1 Humber, andexpressed the joy that all . Yorkshire , Methodists would feel- in hisi honour \ he referred to rpany pf the men; present who had, done noble service- in the, Prohibition cause, and that it. was q ioy for him to meet for sthe.ifirst time., He assured the. Conference .that the New Zealand Church was with ,them.tin, every true social aijd ;moral reform. . '

It.was'mv privilege briefly, to reruin 1 the Conference of the great-, debt fita it, owed ,to ..New. Zealand. arjd- te-H: *■ taould forget ran over. the. names. c/ , menpresent;. .Dr Morley, ■:who : ba •} come, to tiheir, help;4n - .the T heydey o # his wisdom, ability and- sagacity, and for twenty years had served!; the Conference in . its - great departmental office : ; John . Were Burton, Who he organised its'Foreign, Mission resources so satiate ctorily in Victoria ; r Met, thew-Kerr Gilmour, who wat not one whit behind the most saintly ;and sag o missionaries that have ever tlabO!’r ,J!l in the Pacific, arid of many* others. Reference was> made ; to- what’-New Zealand owed to "Australia,; and th r Conference thanked forthe loan of' Dr M’Callum to the Centenary gatherings and for the many- men-now in the ranks of the ’New Zealand minis’rv • especially the-Revs. William Arthur Hay and, Percy' N-' Knight." BA., are occupying * our ‘foremost pulr)b“ and with more than/ a' touch of widacitv the Conference was i retain do ’ of a few things. could even teach that aughst ,assenu blv. Bcith speeches were wsll receiv . ed, and a, Suitable letter of: thanks I'd the greetings was authorised -to hr, sent, to ,the- Secretary of the»New r Zfm: land Conference. . . / .The great all-day debate of the Coo ference, centred around: Peake’s Com mentary and teaching, fit wot>l f "be impossible to convev. in mold * type envlhing of the glow and' fervour and of ,the -.speakers. sO.fflce'ilta •date,-that .tha sneeches of? Professor a: E Alhiston,, Principals ,\V. E. BeunM., .•and’'Leslie' neone’t \yere mesternteem in t”uC' elqcjuence and 'faultless Idgic. Snnemumerarv affairs, as -in--many a former Austra’ian- Conference.. oceur.i el .much time. ; an(l i.' o' •tv> dlowances. to supernumeraries o r 15 per 'cent.vWas--determined,.' rP ‘•P-oes room Anri 1 1. I!H4. the maximum alio"'ance oh £207 to ,oe<* of £lB7. D p ec cegrti: ••.was-; expressed ’bat: thU was round rpppsssry hut the sense of' ius'ice iu tae Conference causPd it to •imov-tane lhat ureoent beneficiaries oanrotubenefit at- the- expense of future nnp«. "The '.'.whole - Copferpnc-e from first to last, was :i maikod hv a deep spirituality of tone, and spirit-